European Art Classroom Week 2

Posted by European Art Classroom

01/18/2015

Compared to Proctor’s quaint country campus in New Hampshire, the City of Aix en Provence seems like a page from a Hemingway novel with its cobbled streets, bustling cafés, and vibrant nightlife.

Being thrust into this foreign city we soon constructed our own definitions of the phrase “Experiential Learning”. My definition being an inability to communicate and a reliance on various hand signals all of which causes local patrons to erupt in laughter.

European Art Classroom, Art, Proctor Academy, Aix en Provence, France

Photo: Daisy Elwell

Proctor Academy, European art classroom, art, Aix en Provence, France, Experiential Education

Photo: Erin Hanscom

Proctor Academy, European art classroom, art, Aix en Provence, France, Experiential Education

Photo: Erin Hanscom

European Art Classroom, Art, Proctor Academy, Aix en Provence, France

Photo: Daisy  Elwell

Proctor Academy, European art classroom, art, Aix en Provence, France, Experiential Education

Proctor Academy, European art classroom, art, Aix en Provence, France, Experiential Education

With little knowledge of the city we filled our time in town with long walks wondering whether Aix should be coined the city of long nights. Thankfully we have acclimated to the slow paced Provincial lifestyle too, of enjoying espresso under the awning of Café Le Festival...

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Photo: Erin Hanscom

...scribbling in our sketchbooks, and writing in the musty English bookstore located on rue Cabassol. Life has truly slowed down for me.

 European Art Classroom, Art, Proctor Academy, Aix en Provence, France

Photo: Daisy Elwell

In addition to our daily escapades into town, on Tuesdays and Thursdays we pack into our van maneuvering through frantic city traffic to reach the winding roads of the Provincial country side. 

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Photo: Daisy Elwell

European Art Classroom, Art, Proctor Academy, Aix en Provence, France

Photo: Daisy Elwell

We explored Paul Cézanne’s studio by sketching the many unique treasures found in his still-life paintings and the items around his creative space.  We also saw artifacts from his Impressionist friends and the tools they used.

European Art Classroom, Art, Proctor Academy, Aix en Provence, France

Photo: Daisy Elwell

European Art Classroom, Art, Proctor Academy, Aix en Provence, France

 

Photo: Daisy Elwell

European Art Classroom, Art, Proctor Academy, Aix en Provence, France

Later we visited the Medieval town of Miramas-le-Vieux, stopping to capture with watercolor the juxtaposition between the dark olive groves and orange clay cascading towards the Mediterranean.

European Art Classroom, art, Proctor Academy, Aix en Provence, France

Photo: Erin Hanscom

It was amazing to walk along the narrow cobbled streets worn by carts thousands of years before. Finally, as a group we are excited to visit Paris this coming Monday and explore first hand some of France’s greatest treasures. 

European Art Classroom, Proctor Academy, art, aix-en-provence, France

 European Art Classroom, Proctor Academy, art, aix-en-provence, FrancePhoto: Erin Hanscom 

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European Art Classroom, Proctor Academy, art, aix-en-provence, France 

European Art Classroom, Proctor Academy, art, aix-en-provence, France

European Art Classroom, Proctor Academy, art, aix-en-provence, France

Photo: Erin Hanscom

Check out our art web pages.  These are continually updated and will eventually be filled with a lot of art.

Erin Hanscom

Dan Reeves

Daisy Elwell

Warren Albert

Mary Field

Calvin Johnstone

Molly Comrie

Bailey Powers

Jennifer Fleming

David Fleming 

  

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