Occitan colours
Have you ever been to Toulouse but never gone 80 km north and visited Albi? If so, you should. Called ‘the Red Town’ Albi is worth a visit. I recently spent a week there and I was surprised at the vibrant atmosphere. The beautiful historical center is very much alive with music and street entertainment at night, it is a vibrant city. I particularly loved the evening views of the town from the riverbank, looking up the city you see the shape of the city in the skyline as the sun sets. I was of course particularly interested in the architecture with its medieval urban landscape, its winding streets (I felt like I was in a maze sometimes 😊) and its subtle harmony of tones due to the local fired bricks.
We stayed right in the historical center at the cloister of Saint-Salvi church. A little haven, especially in the evening when the cloister gates closed, and the garden became our own. We entered the apartment through the cloister. The calm atmosphere of the scented garden, with its trees, roofscapes was beautifully interrupted by birds roosting in these trees. The evening orange sky was simply beautiful. I did a few sketches in the evening, but I wished I could have spent more time in this little haven. I’ll probably use some of these in my work soon.
The Berbie Palace, which holds the Toulouse-Lautrec Museum, and the Sainte-Cecile cathedral are two of the largest medieval constructions ever built of terra cotta bricks. This construction technique dates to antiquity. The bricks were mostly from the clay banks of the Tarn River. The cathedral (78m hight tower) was built as a fortress to emphasize the power of the Catholic church, after the Albigensian heresy of the 13th century. The church reflects power both militarily and spiritually. The Albigensian Crusade and the later ‘pastel’ (woad) trade have influenced the architecture of Albi, like in Toulouse.
In the evening, the red bricks turn to orange giving a striking view of the buildings.
Beside the cathedral the Berbie Palace holds the largest collection of works by the native artist Toulouse-Lautrec. We forget sometimes how diverse his art was. I found it interesting to stroll from room to room and discover his artistic life through paintings, from his early days in Albi to the later period in Paris. Apart from his famous posters and lithographs, you can see so many different works in ink, pencil, charcoal, paint from landscapes to portraits.
WOAD (Pastel)
Of course Albi being the center of the historical trading in woad interested me greatly, as I am a natural indigo user and lover, and I even grow some woad in my garden. From the 14th century to the middle of 16th century, the area between Toulouse and Albi was dedicated to woad and was worth as much as gold. Part of this was down to how difficult it was to produce. One hectare of pastel fields give only two kilos of pigments. More than 800 pastel mills were working in the area to prepare the raw materials for the dyers. The triangle between Albi, Toulouse and Carcassonne produced the most beautiful blue thanks to the clay-limestone clay and the southern climate. Exported to London, Venice and Antwerp, merchants became very rich. You can see some of the private mansions in Albi, Toulouse and Gaillac, built by the wealthy merchants of the time. The decline of woad occurred in the middle of the 16th century due to bad harvests, troubles linked to the wars of religion and the arrival of the Caribbean indigo. In the 19th century, the woad completely disappeared with the discovery of the chemical process. Today, luckily a few people are working on reviving this beautiful process.
I visited l’artisan pastellier where the shop and workshop are dedicated to woad. I got some pastels (in the form of the stick we use to draw and paint) made from woad. I have been growing a little pastel in my garden. The yellow summer flowers are beautiful and dance in the wind on their long stalks. As you need huge number of leaves to make pigments, I have not been able yet to make any.
I have found that woad gives a much lighter blue than the other indigo plants. If you check my previous indigo blog post, you can see the deep blue. I am more inclined to keep on using the indigo (persicaria tinctoria) for developing a natural blue in a vat but will definitively use the woad pastel stick in my drawing work. I’ll keep you updated.
I could not finished without showing you the surrounding areas, such as Gaillac, a beautiful town mostly famous for his vineyards that surround the town. If you like wine, I am sure you know the name. I personally love their red wine :-) and I discovered a soft bubbly that is well worth getting! I enjoyed taking many photos of the buildings in that town, despite a very hot temperature (+35 C). Cordes-sur-Ciel, perched on a hill, is also a village that offers beautiful architecture and has plenty of artist workshops. It overlooks a valley which unfortunately this year was so dry. The sunflowers were either all burned or suffering badly due to the hot temperatures and lack of water. Pyucelsi, a quiter and beautiful village with a few artists and a relaxed atmosphere is well worth a visit as well. So much inspiration in this area of France, one of my favourite!
Until next time, à bientôt!
Fabienne
