Daydream Tourist

Dec 2

Bartolomé Esteban Murillo - "The Holy Family with a Bird",

ArtSmart Roundtable – Spanish Baroque

The monthly ArtSmart Roundtable brings together some of the best art-focused travel blogs to post on a common theme. This month we are focusing on Artistic Periods or Movements. Check our the other periods we’ve picked by looking at the all the ArtSmart posts below. This month we welcome a new writer to the ArtSmart team – Alexandra of ArtTrav! Alexandra is based in Florence, Italy and is an art historian turned blogger. We are super excited to have her in the group!

I definitely have my favorite and not so favorite periods of art (I’m looking at you French Rococo). I like drama without being intense. I like skilled painting but a step back from photographic realism. I definitely like good use of light and dark space on a canvas. And so I love the Spanish Baroque.

Francisco Ribalta – “Christ Embracing St Bernard”, 1625-27, Museo del Prado, Madrid

Nov 21

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Honfleur Vintage Carousel

Honfleur in Normandy has been a vacation destination for over a century hosting artists, families and those looking for a seaside respite. While the town is inherently cute with its tall, plaster and beam medieval style houses, the community comes alive at the onset of Spring. Outdoor cafes spring up and street vendors pour onto the wide docks. But there is one feature that really signals the arrival of Spring – the antique carousel! When I visited in March it had just re-opened and was taking the first visitors of the year on a colorful (albeit chilly) ride.

A sign that Winter is over – Honfleur’s vintage carousel!

Nov 18

Cheese Making at La Village Fromagerie

Last week I published an article on PlumDeluxe about the traditional food products of Normandy and local agritourism. Visiting these cheese factories and apple orchards was one of the highlights of my trip to Northern France! I wanted to give you a closer look at my amazing visit to “La Village Fromagerie” – the E. Graindorge cheese factory in Livarot, France.

Delicious Pont-l’Évêque from E. Graindorge Fromagerie

Nov 13

Byzantine mosaic - Jesus Washing the Disciples Feet

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The Byzantine Art Experience – Hosios Loukas Monastery, Greece

Secluded on Mt. Helicon in Greece, just south of Delphi, is the Monastery of Hosios Loukas (Holy Luke). A triumph of Byzantine art and architecture, it is no surprise that this church is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Decorated with a combination of mosaics and frescoes, I made certain to stop at this church. While its difficult to capture the feeling of being in such an amazing place, hopefully the images and music in this post will help transport you that beautiful place of marble and holy Byzantine faces.

Jesus Washing the Disciples Feet from the Narthex of Hosios Loukas

Nov 11

Somme American Cemetery and Memorial

It’s actually pretty hard to find the World War I battlefields in Northern France. Infamous for the bloody stalemate that lasted there for years, the land has now returned to tranquil fields. While contemplating this change driving through the Somme Valley, I happened across the American Cemetery. The front gate and chapel door were unclosed, but there was not a single person to be seen. I thought it fitting on Veterans Day (also known as Remembrance Day in the UK and Canada, and Armistice Day in France) which commemorates the November 11, 1918 end of World War I, that we visit this quiet cemetery in the French countryside and think about these forgotten battles that took the lives of these soldiers.