Charcoal on paper, 4×6”. In 1985 I had the opportunity to visit Paris. These two sketches were completed while waiting at one of the Paris train stations (Gare D’Austerlitz) and of travelers either departing or arriving.
at Gare D’Austerlitz
Paris has been on my mind in the wake of the Notre Dame fire. My memory of the cathedral was a place less spiritual and more commercial despite the wonders of the Rose window, religious frescos, paintings, sculptures, flying buttresses, and gargoyles. Notre Dame represents a greater presence more than all its ornate details, during this Easter weekend I hope that the movement to restore the cathedral will also be matched to help the poor, the truer message of “Our Lady” and her Son. One image that I am drawn to is Henri Matisse’s “Notre Dame in the Late Afternoon” that illustrates this greater presence.
Here is a musical gift, a lovely version of the La Vie en Rose performed by Rhiannon Giddens .