Sunday, October 7, 2012

Boston Rainy Day en français!

A Day Trip to Boston is a complete vacation (though I'm not saying I wouldn't want to stay overnight...) The rain & exhaustion (bad night sleep anticipating making the 5:45AM train) created fewer moments of enchantment than usual, still, a day of travel , of change, of newness invigorates & refreshes. In the afternoon, after many footsteps, my feet & I just  wanted to go home, but we had 3 hours before the train. Finally we found Starbucks at the foot of Beacon Hill. A window bar seat & a latté were just the thing! The view showed pedestrians waiting for the crossing light at the edge of the Commons. It called for fast action sketching. Fun to see the different shifts of people in a rhythmic stop & go dance. (The drawing above is from my sketches, you might have had trouble deciphering the originals.)
My motivation for the trip: The Museum of Fine Arts presents a French language guided tour on Wednesday mornings. Listening to Art History in French is spell binding for me. The guides are super & they speak relatively slowly, merci bien!)
 
These are 2 original scribbly sketches from an English language tour that I attempted to go on later. (click on them to see them larger). I only made it halfway through...perhaps if it had been in French... I never used to do guided tours, but what I'm noticing is that the MFA is very much about art HISTORY, so I might as well start learning with more depth than my own eyes provide. History as storytelling & pictures is fascinating, school book war history: not so much.
I keep a little Boston "kit" in a drawer, so I can be ready for my next trip. It includes my French language Guide de Voyage, maps & Charlie subway card. Imagine if Paris were this close to home, right??!!

5 comments:

  1. Great sketchs from your Boston rainy day coffee stop.You'd be in your element in Paris sitting on the pavement at a bar, sketching all the chic Parisiens passing by.

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  2. Rita, I love "spying on people" too when I sit at a cafe or on a bench in the park. I can write about them, but I cannot draw. You combine both. I love these sketches and the unique features you give each of your characters, a bend of a head, a style of dress, the haircut. Each of them an individual, with their own personality and character.
    Polish lesson for today: Grupa postaci do filmu lub powieści. :-)

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  3. Great sketch of the people and their umbrellas! Here in Salt Lake City, this past summer, one could see women, mostly Asian women, protecting their delicate skin from the burning sun with their umbrellas; it's a very pretty sight, especiallly as most of these umbrellas look like "ombrelles".

    Very humorous, the sketch of the young lovers next to ...an angel (?) who does not seem to approve!

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  4. One more remark about the Angel and the young lovers: By pointing a finger at the young couple, the Angel seems to say "Look at them! Tut, tut, tut..."

    Who is the young lady wearing a long, flowing dress - certainly very fashionable - and a helmet? Is she Jeanne d'Arc?; is she la "Liberté" leading the world? What is your opinion? For sure, she is not dressed up for Halloween as this celebration is not part of the French customs. It was introduced a few years ago, was a fairly big event the first year and fizzled out more or less.

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  5. Fun coming along with you to Boston.
    Lovely sketches of umbrellaed pedestrians.
    How nice to have a drawer ready for travel!

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