This afternoon I visited the Musée de Royan. It only took me about forty minutes to go through the museum, so this is not the Louvre people, however I was glad I finally stopped in. The museum is currently hosting an exhibit showcasing the work of the Pablo Picasso, who lived in Royan from October 1939 until August 1940. In fact, assuming I understood the map correctly, his studio was only about a ten minute walk from my house here!
Following the bombing of Guernica in 1937, Picasso sought "refuge" with his daughter in Royan. He would live here for about eleven months, eventually leaving once the Nazis invaded and took over the town during the summer of 1940. World War II had a significant impact on Royan, and it was interesting to see this further explained in the exhibition. As an American several generations removed from having family that fought in the war, World War II sometimes has a rather vague notion, a historic event that occurred across the ocean. Therefore it was really interesting to see an exhibition on World War II displaying pictures of military impact in a place I have been living for six months. For example, there were pictures of Nazi soldiers riding horses on Pontaillac Beach, the very beach that I visited my first day in Royan! The town was later bombed in early 1945 during an air raid. This was cause for Royan to be almost entirely rebuilt, and is the reason why today architecturally it does not look very French at all: as opposed to the stone that often makes up facades, most buildings in Royan are a simple white, emulating what one might expect of a town on the Italian or Greek coast.
The exhibition displayed the various works of Picasso from his time in Royan, the most famous being Femme se coiffant:
Following the bombing of Guernica in 1937, Picasso sought "refuge" with his daughter in Royan. He would live here for about eleven months, eventually leaving once the Nazis invaded and took over the town during the summer of 1940. World War II had a significant impact on Royan, and it was interesting to see this further explained in the exhibition. As an American several generations removed from having family that fought in the war, World War II sometimes has a rather vague notion, a historic event that occurred across the ocean. Therefore it was really interesting to see an exhibition on World War II displaying pictures of military impact in a place I have been living for six months. For example, there were pictures of Nazi soldiers riding horses on Pontaillac Beach, the very beach that I visited my first day in Royan! The town was later bombed in early 1945 during an air raid. This was cause for Royan to be almost entirely rebuilt, and is the reason why today architecturally it does not look very French at all: as opposed to the stone that often makes up facades, most buildings in Royan are a simple white, emulating what one might expect of a town on the Italian or Greek coast.
The exhibition displayed the various works of Picasso from his time in Royan, the most famous being Femme se coiffant:
I do not really know a lot about Cubism, the movement of which Picasso was a part of, so I appreciated that around the major works in the exhibition such as Femme se coiffant, the studies Picasso did as preparation were also displayed. This allowed me where various concepts in the paintings came from and how they were eventually integrated into one work.
Here's to one of Royan's most famous visitors!
Here's to one of Royan's most famous visitors!