Thursday 1 March 2012

Paris and L'Heure Bleue


.......L'Heure Bleue/the blue hour.....that time of day when the sun has set, but night has not yet fallen.  L'Heure Bleue is the moment when the sun disappears beneath the horizon and the sky is painted in the velvety blue of night.

I recently read that quote by Guerlain en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guerlain, that fabulous French perfume house, to describe their sublime fragance, L'Heure Bleue.

I think this perfectly describes an early evening sky in Paris in Springtime and it's one of the things that I love most about Paris at this time of year.

That precise shade of blue is sublime........and I'm so looking forward to gazing up at that soft velvety blue sky in a few weeks time.  Have a look at l'heure bleue below...........and you can see what I mean.  The sky actually changes to those shades of blue.  Magnifique/superb!


C'est magnifique...non?
No doubt le coleur bleu will find its way into my journals this Spring too....perhaps I'll create a midnight blue collage or a series of prints using a steely blue/black ink (that shade of blue that you see on construction blueprints.)

This colour first called out to me many years ago when I saw a print of Joan Miro's fabulous painting, Carnival of the Harlequin en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joan_Miro.  Miro used an intense cobalt blue in that painting......and I've loved the colour ever since.

Below are images from my Blueprint Series (all monoprints) inspired by Miro's cobalt blue.

Blueprint I
and above Blueprints II, III, IV.
And I thought you may like these images from the Miro exhibition in London last year.  Miro, Miro on the wall........
A vibrant combination of hot orange, cool green and a shot of Miro's cobalt blue.
I love le coleur bleu!  So here's my little collection of blue images, taken in Paris and environs, last Spring.
Royal blue in the Invalides
The magnificent Musée de l'Orangerie....home to Claude Monet's waterlillies.....one of his favourite themes.

Sockin' it to ya in the Marais!
As proud as......and with good reason!
Un vélo bleu/a blue bike in the 7th arrondissement
A little bee enjoying un plat bleu/a blue dish in the garden at Musée Rodin.
Elegant blue lines in the courtyard at Musée Carnavalet
J'aime le bleu/I like blue!  Maintenant/now...........only 30 sleeps to go!

You might also like my post on:
http://parisallons-y.blogspot.com.au/2012/01/parisian-vert-orange-et-gris.html



12 comments:

  1. Ahhh a fellow Paris lover. So glad you stopped by my blog today. Merci.
    I will look forward to your adventures à Paris and learning more of your artwork. I'd love to dabble in collage and prints.
    Bon weekend!
    V

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    1. Merci beaucoup Virginia...by the way you pics are gorgeous!

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  2. Bonjour!
    I am grateful for your comment over at FrenchBlue! I will be following your wonderfully colorful and beautifully creative new life in Paris! You are living the dream~ I especially love this post because of the color Bleu. I named FrenchBlue after the cloudy pale bleu skies in Paris. When I am under them, I am at true pure peace. When I come home to the California coast, I ache for my beloved Paris...So I found that going outside in the morning overcast, all I have to do is look up and I am there. It is just for a moment, but I am there:)
    Thank you for being there and sharing! I can't wait to follow your every step!
    Merci Beaucoup Mon Aime! {i have been to Paris 7 times and still can't speak French} I admire your learning.
    xxx's
    Janet

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    1. Janet...that is so lovely. I know what you mean about those cloudy pale bleu skies of Paris. I am so enjoying 'mon aventure'....and it will be 'magnifique' to have you along. A bientot.

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  3. Bleu! Cést magnifique....oui!! Sensational post Robyn!! Jude

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    1. You would love those blue waterlillies Jude. Merci beaucoup.

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  4. is that pierre's foot? :) nice collaboration of pictures robyn, your inspiring me. i love the first miro image too, so cool.

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    1. Yes Viv.......it was Pierre busking........only joking!!!!

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  5. J'aime aussi le bleu...

    Belle journée

    Manon

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    1. Merci beaucoup Manon....votre blog est fantastique!!!

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