Bridges of Paris

"Overlooking the Seine"
9 x 14, oil on linen
(c) Lesley Powell
SOLD

Lately I have been working on a series of paintings featuring my favorite bridges in Paris. It seems that each bridge has its own personality. As I work, I have been thinking of this admonition, which has been shared with me by painters I admire:
 "Do not paint 'the thing' itself -- paint what it is DOING". To that end, I have tried to grasp the essential act of each bridge, asking myself, "What is it really DOING?"

"Ile de la Cite"
10 x 17, oil on linen
(c) Lesley Powell 2014
SOLD

The venerable Pont Neuf (shown in the top painting, as well as the painting just above) is the oldest bridge in Paris, finished in 1604. Yes, over 400 years ago! It has a certain gravitas and a sturdy, fortress-like feel. It ANCHORS.

The Pont des Arts (below) is an entirely different story. It is a pedestrian bridge, and is quite delicately crafted of steel. I love the geometry of the steel work, which creates a wonderful  pattern that one can literally see right through. I think the Pont des Arts DANCES.

"Pont Des Arts, toward Left Bank"
18 x 18, oil on linen
(c) Lesley Powell 2014
SOLD

Finally, a personal favorite, Pont Alexandre III, perhaps the most ornate bridge in Paris. It runs from the Left Bank to the Grand Palais on the Right Bank. Interestingly, Czar Nicholas of Russia laid the first stone. This bridge is made of a single large arch, which crosses the entire Seine River in one continuous span. I think this bridge  R-E-A-C-H-E-S.

"Pont Alexandre III"
11 x 18, oil on linen
(c) Lesley Powell, 2014
SOLD

Stay tuned--I have a few more sketches from my trip to Paris, which I hope will yield more paintings of the Seine and its bridges. Meanwhile, I will wrap up this post with a quote from the French poet and critic Guilliaume Apollinaire. Apollinaire was a key figure in the early 20th century Paris arts scene, and hung out with the likes of Picasso, Chagall, Gertrude Stein and others. This is from his poem "Le Pont Mirabeau":

Under the Mirabeau Bridge there flows the Seine...

...Let night come on bells end the day

The days go by me still I stay.