A Little Journey to Curiosite - Prologue 7

1.
Immortal Painter

Van Gogh and the Doors of the Soul, Arles 17
Millet and Barbizon, icons of rural painting 29
Pont-Aven 43, which led Gauguin to glory
Rodin and Meudon, Who Loved Silence 55
Manet, the father of modern art, and Rueil-Malmaison 65
Courbet and Ornans, the Painters of Scandal 77
Chagall, the Mysterious Painter, and Saint-Paul-de-Vence 89
The Eternal Craftsman Baldaccini and the City of God, Marseille 99

2.
Musician of the Century

The fantastic Dieppe 111 loved by the musical genius Saint-Saëns
Bizet and the Green Paradise of "Carmen" (121)
Debussy and Jon's Visène 133, Masters of the Sea
Organist Schweitzer and his childhood hometown of Günsbach 143
Chopin, the Poet of the Piano, and Nohant, the Land of the Soul 153
Petit Ritz List and the Balcony Salève 163 in Geneva
Romanticist Berlioz and his hometown of La Côte-Saint-André 175
The magician of music, Ravel, and the birthplace of "Bolero", Sibourg 187

3.
The author who captivated the world

Camus and the Immortal Hometown of Lourmarin 201
Apostle of Justice Émile Zola and his hideout, Medan 213
Paul Verlaine and Juniville, the Prince of Poets 225
Balzac in The Human Comedy and Touraine, the City of Flowers 235
The dramatic reconciliation between Stendhal and Grenoble 247
Alphonse Daudet and the Place of the Soul, Fontvieille 257
Romain Gary and his oasis, Nice 267
The Cursed Poet Baudelaire and the Île Saint-Louis in Paris 277

Dreaming of Another Journey - Epilogue 289

A small journey starting from 'Curiosite'

『French Art Travelogue』 is a book that begins with ‘curiosité’, or curiosity.
We live surrounded by countless works of art, music, and literature.
In this flood of content, we find ourselves immersed in 'art' without even realizing it.
This book focuses on countless works and artists that could easily be overlooked, and above all, the 'places' they loved.
Author Choi In-sook questions what kind of artistic power is hidden in the villages that served as the source of creation, and why they loved those villages.
These questions, which started from a very small curiosity, continued on and on, forming a book.

Immortal Painter

Chapter 1, 'Immortal Painters', introduces French villages loved by painters we are familiar with.
From Vincent van Gogh's Arles to Barbizon, where Millet's Angelus rang out, to Marseille, where the world of sculpture began for Cesar Baldaccini, a master of 20th-century sculpture, the encyclopedia of painters across northern and southern France allows us to better understand their world of art.

Van Gogh, "Starry Night," 1889
Van Gogh stayed in Arles from February 1888 to May 1889.
I stayed for 15 months, or 63 weeks, or 444 days to be exact.
Here he completed over 200 paintings and wrote about 200 letters.
Arles, filled with the story of Van Gogh, is not only a city of beautiful natural scenery but also one of France's most historical and cultural cities.
"Starry Night" is a view of the night sky seen through the window of the Saint-Rémy asylum near Arles by Van Gogh while he was staying there.

Musician of the Century

Chapter 2, 'Musicians of the Century', explores the sources of inspiration for musicians who have composed music that is still used in various fields today.
As you read about their lives, you will be filled with a sense of wonder at the musicians who, inspired by the beautiful French villages that unfolded before your eyes, created an intangible world of music.
After reading this chapter, listening to their music will bring to mind pictures of quaint French villages.

Delacroix, "The Garden of Nohant George Sand," 1840s
Chopin met the intelligent and confident George Sand in Parisian society and was captivated by her.
They soon became lovers and lived together for seven years, spending one summer each year in Sand's hometown of Nohant.
Nohant, where Chopin found true peace and joy in composing and writing, was the spiritual home of Chopin and Sand.
In the 1840s, Delacroix came to Nohant three times to spend the summers at Sand's house.
They found artistic inspiration while walking in nature.

The author who captivated the world

Chapter 3, “Writers Who Captivated the World,” delves deeply into the lives of French writers who led the golden age of Western literature.
Many places have become the foundation of French literature, including Lourmarin, which evoked the nostalgia of Camus, a writer known for his Algerian origins; Fontvieille, where Alphonse Daudet's windmills quietly turn; and Nice, which had a great influence on the world of Romain Gary's works.

Île Saint-Louis, Paris
Baudelaire, a bohemian, moved frequently in Paris.
It is estimated that he lived in over 40 houses.
I've covered almost every area of ​​Paris.
The most symbolic place for Baudelaire was the Île Saint-Louis.
Saint-Louis, a natural island in the heart of Paris, where peace and tranquility reside, is one of the must-see destinations on any trip to France.

This book is a journey that sheds new light on France by following the footsteps of its artists and delves deeply into their creative world.
For readers who want to experience the artistic charm of France more closely, 『French Art Tour』 will be the perfect partner.
Author Choi In-sook believes that art has a positive influence that changes people and the world.
I hope that through this book, readers will also be able to feel and empathize with the power of art.