How many times have I already talked about the little paradise in France? It is a chateau in almost the middle of France. Apart from the house, there are a park and woods. The building is in a constant state of falling apart, which gives it the special charm. The owners are very dear friends. Thanks to them this place is an anchor in a shifting world for me. For more than 33 years I have visited the place and never has it been a disillusion.

I met Philippe for the first time at an Italian friend’s house in Paris. I hardly spoke a word of French. This language had been a torture during high school years. On my last exam the teacher rated me with a 4. I thanked her, a 4 is always twice a 2.

That evening we laughed much about my ‘papa fume la pipe’, 'le fermier est dans le pré’ en ‘il fait atention à la circulation intense’.

Not long after Philippe and Florence opened their restaurant and chambres d’hôte with a big feast. I went there accompanied by my Parisian friend. In the early hours I could not find my bed, not only because of the quantity of great French wine consumed, but also because on the top floor there was an enormous amount of revolving rooms.

From then on I came quite regularly with or without a lady on my arm.  After several visits Philippe asked me to make a painting for the restaurant. I liked the idea a lot, but postponed it to a near and unclear future, first some bottles had to be opened… In 1988 there was no escaping. If there was no canvas in the restaurant that year, I was not allowed to come back anymore.

I came up with the idea of a big triptych. I had consumed some glasses of Pernod during the daily game of pétenque and lost of course. Let’s say that Philippe knew all the hidden bumps in the terrain. During dinner there was wine too, hence my great impressionist and post impressionist visions.

Philippe organized an exhibition in the nearby town and a friend brought the canvasses to the chateau. The triptych had to be made in a month. The canvasses were placed in the library. Philippe mentioned the idea of happy cows in a meadow. I had other plans.

Images clockwise: 1. The white canvasses. 2. Away with all that white, a rough compositional work out of volumes. 3. A couple appears, there is something of a table, far too high up and on the right a spectator. 4. A waiter and a sunscreen, all is being sort of defined more.

I started to paint with water-based paint in order to work fast. Even then I already used long brushes, so I could work with big gestures and without loosing the overall look.

The idea was to paint a couple sitting under a sunscreen on the middle canvas. And another person next to them. On the right canvas I thought of putting a ‘commentator’ on the scene of the middle canvas. What was to be on the left canvas was not very clear.

After a couple of days I found out that I could not get very far without knowing who these people were. I decided that the couple had to be Phil and Flo and on the right it had to be me. Philippe was not very pleased with this twist, Florence wisely said nothing... I had changed to working with oil paint, to be able to work more detailed. But who was the fourth person?

In that same period an Italian friend of mine lived in Paris. Gianluca studied Pierre Bayle for his thesis in the history of philosophy. It took a lot of persuasion to get him out of the books, but in the end I succeeded. He was to become the waiter.

Clockwise: 1. All thrown open with blue and away with the sunscreen. 2. The people get their identity. 3. The dog appears on the left. 4. Gianluca disappears. Less is more.

Apart from the knowledge of philosophy Gianluca could interpret all songs of Bob Dylan. This to the great joy of Francois, the pop journalist friend.

Only problem was that no good guitar was to be found at chateau.

Philippe is one of the most energetic people I have encountered in my life. We had to come along and rocketed in a car to a neighboring house. There we found some friends relaxing and a guitar. That guitar was needed! Gianluca (he looked a bit surprised) was to give a concert that same night! We arrived back home with the guitar, phone calls were made and the concert started at 9.30 pm. About 30 people attended the concert; the consumptions were on the house. In those days a mix of grass vodka and cream de chocolat called ‘Black Russian’ was the drink.

François got more and more enthusiastic; after every song we toasted on the incredible performance of Gianluca's version of a Dylan song. The next day Gianluca confessed to have been forced to play on; if not he would have fallen over after having gone through for about 3 LPs.

I needed to contribute. At home I often listened to a double LP with music by the gypsies of Sainte Marie de la Mer. I used to listen to music on my headphones while working. And I’d sing along at the top of my voice. My French was pathetic still, so why not sing in Spanish? Was a shadow forecast? The evening went off road in the most pleasant way, mostly thanks to the great accompanying guitar play of Gianluca.

Flamenco concert in the bar (on the left the original).

The dog of Philippe and Flo was called Luna. She was a very remarkable animal. She never left the terrain. The first time I saw her, Phil let her sniff my hand and from then on all was ok between us. If I’d arrive at the chateau alone, she’d come to say hello and go off again. She took the role of representing of the place. Not as a Cerberus, but as the one to welcome you or chase you off the grounds.

Gianluca was too much a stranger in the scene, so he left the stage. On the left there now was the definition of the grounds, on the middle Philippe welcomes the people. Florence is the silent force in the background. She did scientific work for the French government, so she had little to do with the visitors. I painted myself leaning back, showing I do not really take part in it, but am just seeing all is good.

For a month I lived like god in France. Painting during the day, the mid day lunch at the restaurant and in the evenings a solid quantity of good French wines.

The triptych was finished in time. It was hung in the restaurant and on the same day there was the opening of the show in the town. This all took place in 1988.

Triptych

The painting in the restaurant, Florence, Philippe and I celebrate.

Now the restaurant is closed and no rooms can be rented anymore. The triptych has moved to the kitchen. I visit as many times as possible. In the chateau I still have the feeling that the outside world is far, far away. Only when you leave the terrain you are confronted with all the worries and problems again.

Some pictures of visits through the years.

Together with Gala I celebrated new-years eve in 2017-8. I have to visit again soon…

Barcelona, May 2018.