All Roads Lead to Rome

Pont Julien (photo (c) Lesley Powell)

I wrote in my last post about how the Romans left a lasting mark on the landscape of Provence. It seems that I can't get away from the Roman theme--this time I am writing about the stone bridge called "Pont Julien", which was built by the Romans. It is between modern day Bonnieux and Roussillon. Maggie Siner took our workshop group there to paint last month, and I was astonished by the variety and beauty of the paintings that resulted.

"Pont Julien"
Oil on Canvas, 11 x 18
(c) Lesley Powell, 2015

Pont Julien is an exquisite bridge that dates from 3 BC. It was built by order of Julius Caesar, after whom it is named. The bridge has a series of perfectly proportioned arches, and is made of limestone taken from the surrounding hills. Thanks to the marvels of Roman engineering, the stones were set so perfectly that no mortar was required. The bridge carried automobiles until just a few years ago--which makes for two thousand years of continuous use. About this time we are all thinking the same thing:

"They don't make 'em like they used to."

We were painting during a heat wave, so the first order of business was to find some deep, long-lasting shade. I sheltered under the new bridge that was built a few years ago to take the traffic off Pont Julien. Turned out to be a nice, cool spot, with a lovely vista of the bridge from a low angle. My painting is the top one above.

Oil on Panel, 9 x 12
(c) Tracy Burk, 2015

One of my favorite paintings of the day was by Tracy Burk (above). Tracy caught the bridge at a beautiful angle, showing its peak. The composition has a strong sense of movement. And I loved the way she showed us the rocky river bed (now dry) under the bridge.

(c) Patti Ratcliffe, 2015

Another personal favorite came from the brush of Patti Ratcliffe (above). Patti found a shady spot to stand on the opposite side of the bridge...so she saw the bridge "contre-jour", or backlit. I love the way you see the light falling through under the arches of the bridge. And the vertical composition is so striking.

More to come on the motifs we tackled during the workshop. For those interested in the mechanics of these things, I'm closing with a photo of my setup: