Mar

Protecting the Rural Heritage of France

by Meredith Mullins on March 1, 2021

Sheep in the French countryside showing the right to rural heritage. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

The freedom to baa whenever you feel like it.
© Meredith Mullins

No BS: New Law To Preserve the Sounds and Smells of the French Countryside

It would not be unusual when thinking about the rural heritage of France to find a sign at the outskirts of a typical French village that says:

Enter at your own risk. We have bells that ring regularly. We have roosters who sing early in the morning. We have livestock herds that graze here (and might be wearing bells). We have farmers who work to give you food.

If you do not support these things, then you are not in the right place.

This pride of place is the new manifesto of the French countryside. In January of this year, the desire of agrarian areas in France to remain connected to their rural heritage is now supported by law—the new French Sensory Heritage Law.

This law protects the rights of the country dwellers to their heritage—the smells and sounds that are an inherent part of rural life.

Lavender field and hay bales in the French countryside showing the importance of rural heritage and the new sensory heritage law. (Image © Sheron Long.)

Sensory heritage as far as the eye can see
© Sheron Long

You guessed it—that includes the earthy/rotten-egg smell of manure, the crowing of roosters, the clanging of cow bells, the chirping of cicadas, the baadboy baaing of sheep, the croaking of frogs, the grinding of tractor gears (seemingly always in need of WD-40), the quacking of ducks, and other sounds and smells that will soon be added to the codified list.

Tractor on a road in the French countryside showing the importance of rural heritage and the new sensory heritage law. (Image © Rene Rauschenberger/Pixabay.)

Tractors are an inherent part of farm life . . . and a necessary rural noise.
© Rene Rauschenberger/Pixabay

The tension between country locals and the influx of the neo-rurals (as they’re affectionately called) is rising, as tourists and second-home owners descend on charming French villages to seek solace in the peace and quiet of the country.

However, when you leave city noises far behind, all is not quiet. The countryside comes alive with its own symphony. And, for some people who are looking for ultimate silence, these new choruses don’t fit the picture of paradise.

The Soundscape of the Countryside

Immerse yourself for a moment in some of the sounds of the French countryside:

Would these sounds drive you crazy? It depends on your respect for tradition and terroir. (It also depends perhaps on how early in the morning or how close to home said sounds and smells entered your world.)

Cows in a field in the French countryside showing the importance of rural heritage in France and the new sensory heritage law. (Image © PxHere.)

Moo-ve over neo-rurals.

The Neo-Rurals Are Challenging Rural Heritage

For some countryside visitors, these natural sounds trigger feuds, complaints, and lawsuits.

In Le Beausset in southern France, Mayor Georges Ferrero was asked to kill the town cicadas because they were too rowdy. He responded that the cicadas were the music of Provence, and he built a cicada statue in town to honor that heritage. Their song lives on.

Cicada in the French countryside showing the importance of rural heritage and the new sensory heritage law in France. (Image © PxHere.)

One cicada is interesting. A thousand cicadas are music.

Mayor Francis Durand of Les Bondons in Occitanie was asked to delay the ringing of the church bells, so that vacationers could sleep later. The mayor denied that request saying that the church bells were a part of the village and had been ringing for years. (There might have also been a few words said under his breath.)

Other feuds in the headlines included a complaint against quacking ducks in the Landes region of France (a hub for duck breeding) and irritation over cow bells in the Alps region.

A duck thinking in the French countryside, showing the importance of rural heritage and the new sensory heritage law in France. (Image © VancouverLami/Pixabay.)

I think ducks have a right to quack, especially in the region known for breeding ducks.
Don’t you agree?
© VancouverLami/Pixabay

A couple in the Dordogne was ordered to fill in their pond to prevent the amorous croaking of frogs during mating season (measured at 63 decibels, similar to the sound of a vacuum cleaner). However, several protected species thrive in the pond, so the couple faced an additional dilemma—an issue still being sorted out in the courts.

A frog in a pond in the French countryside showing the importance of rural heritage in France and the new sensory heritage law. (Image © PxHere.)

The amorous sounds of mating season

The Poster Coq: Maurice the Rooster

The underlying differences between urban and rural—what is rightful heritage and what is not— rose to a crescendo in the case of Maurice, the Oléron Rooster.

Vacation home owners on the island of Oléron in western France were neighbors of Corrine Fesseau, the keeper of Maurice (and several other egg-laying fowl).

They sued her in 2019 for the “abnormal racket” of Maurice greeting the day with his obligatory morning cock-a-doodle-doo (a crow called “discreet” by Maurice’s lawyer). Too early in the morning, the plaintiffs said. But Maurice couldn’t help himself. He had his tradition.

Maurice the Oleron rooster in the French countryside showing the importance of rural heritage in France and the new sensory heritage law. (Photo courtesy of Corrine Fesseau.)

Maurice stands proud on his poster.
Courtesy of Corrine Fesseau

The court sided with Maurice (as did more than 140,000 supporters who signed a “Save Maurice” petition and followed a Je Suis Maurice social media campaign). The plaintiffs had to pay damages and legal fees.

Maurice T-shirt showing the importance of rural heritage in France and the new sensory heritage law. (Image from the Oléron shops.)

Support in every form, even T-shirts
From the Oléron shops

Maurice’s lawyer closed by saying, “This rooster was not being unbearable. He was just being himself.” The roosters brought by locals to the courtroom in solidarity agreed.

Although Maurice passed away in June, 2020 (a hero and a symbol of rural life to the end), Maurice II has now strutted in to preserve the heritage of morning crowing.

Cockerel rooster in the French countryside, showing the importance of rural heritage in France and the new sensory heritage law. (Image © PxHere.)

“Je suis Maurice” the rooster supporters of Maurice crowed in solidarity.

Vive La France . . . and Its Special Sounds & Smells

These growing complaints and lawsuits culminated in action by Pierre Morel-à-L’Huissier, a member of the French National Assembly. He crafted a law proposition—The Law Protecting the Sensory Heritage of the French Countryside.

The use of the word heritage was deliberate, as heritage in France has special meaning. It implies protection of something important and culturally relevant that is in danger of being lost. The proposal passed unanimously.

Lamb and sheep in the French countryside showing the importance of rural heritage and the new sensory heritage law. (Image © Sheron Long.)

No one wanted to lose the charm of the countryside.
© Sheron Long

And in January, 2021, the new Sensory Heritage Law passed unanimously in the French Senate, giving local governments legal backup and, hopefully, preventing the kind of lawsuits that made Maurice the Rooster famous.

After the law passed, the Secretary of Rural Affairs, Joël Giraud, added that French rural territories are not just sceneries. They are also sounds, smells, activities, and practices that are part of France’s heritage.

Dog smelling lavender in the French countryside showing the importance or rural heritage and the new sensory heritage law. (Image © Sheron Long.)

Sometimes it’s nice to stop and smell the lavender.
© Sheron Long

I Love The Smell of Rural Heritage in the Morning

If you don’t like the smells of farm animals, if the melodies of cow and sheep bells aren’t in your Top Ten, or if you would rather sleep past the morning rooster wake-up call, you may need to readjust your vacation or home-owning plans.

Oh, I See. To put it more simply, if you can’t appreciate the rural heritage and cultural traditions of the French countryside, then “you are not in the right place.”

Goat with big bell, showing the importance of rural heritage in the French countryside and the new sensory heritage law. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

Tell me the truth. Does this bell make me look fat?
© Meredith Mullins

Soundscapes courtesy of World Sounds and Zapsplat. Thank you to the following sources: The Local Paris, The Guardian, France 24, and The New York Times.

A special thank you to Corrine Fesseau, fighting for the rights of rural heritage and her roosters Maurice I and Maurice II.

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Meredith Mullins 4 Comments

Cultural Heritage & Traditions/France

Jan

Art Discoveries: The Mystery in the Ceiling

by Meredith Mullins on January 25, 2021

A Humbert painting unveiled via curtain, showing art discovers that can inspire travels to the past. (Image © Meredith Mullins and Charlie Meagher.)

What treasure is hidden in this Paris ceiling?
© Meredith Mullins/Charlie Meagher

Follow the Clues & Travel Through History

The world loves stories about surprising art discoveries—treasures that are unearthed via bizarre circumstances and that send the finder on a compelling journey, perhaps including travels through history.

In 1940, four teenagers followed their dog down a narrow cavern and found cave walls filled with hundreds of prehistoric paintings—the now famous Lascaux caves in France.

Cave painting of a horse from the Lascaux caves, showing that art discoveries can lead to new adventures and travels to the past. (Image courtesy of the French Ministry of Culture.)

A dog discovered the famous Lascaux cave paintings.
(Photo courtesy of the French Ministry of Culture)

An Arizona man sorted through things as he was getting ready to move to a retirement home. He found a few posters that he thought might be valuable and invited an appraiser to take a look. The appraiser’s eye wandered to a painting in the corner that had belonged to the man’s sister, a New York art collector. The discovery—a Jackson Pollock—perhaps worth millions once authenticated.
The photographic talent of eccentric nanny Vivian Maier was discovered when a storage locker was auctioned off after her death. It was filled with negatives she had never shared with anyone—street photography of New York and Chicago that captured the stark and beautiful reality of an unposed world.

Unexpected Surprises Close to Home

Often for such rewarding journeys, there’s no place like home.

Douglas and Claudie Hawes were about to move into a house that had been built in 1854 in the New Athens area of Paris.

This corner of the 9^tharrondissement was an upscale neighborhood with Greek-inspired mansions established around 1820 on the slope of the Montmartre hill. The area gained fame for celebrity inhabitants, including George Sand, Chopin, Delacroix, and Gustav Moreau.

As part of the house remodeling project, Claudie’s son removed a large white plastic sheet from the ceiling of the bedroom.

The uncovering revealed a sweeping overhead painting of a nude woman, reclining somewhere between earth and heaven, painted in the romantic realism style of the late 1800s. The painting had been hidden by the previous tenants—an order of monks.

A ceiling painting by Ferdinand Humbert in Paris, showing that art discoveries can lead to new adventures and travels to the past. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

The mystery painting in the ceiling
© Meredith Mullins

The signature in the corner of the painting was barely visible, so the artist remained a mystery—a puzzle to be solved years later by a local gallerist who confirmed the signature as F. Humbert. Not a familiar name . . . but an open door to an adventure of discovery.

The ethereal Venus had landed in the right house. The Hawes were an inherently curious couple. They loved the art of research—where each fact discovered leads to several new paths. Where puzzle pieces begin to fit together. Where, as with today’s internet rabbit holes and hours lost in click-frenzied treasure hunts, a dramatic story can unfold and characters emerge.

Claudie and Douglas Hawes, showing that art discoveries can lead to new adventures and travels to the past. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

Claudie and Douglas Hawes embark on new adventures in their search
to discover more about Humbert.
© Meredith Mullins

Discovering Humbert: A Noted Artist of His Time

A google search of Ferdinand-Jacques Humbert (1842–1934) does not reveal much. Such a short bio seems strange for an artist whose work was commissioned for some of the most famous buildings in Paris.

Ferdinand Humbert Self-Portrait
(Public Domain)

This lack of documentation made the Hawes’ research more difficult but also inspired them to write a book that would pay tribute to his contributions. They felt he was unjustly forgotten.

Pantheon Panels by Ferdinand Humbert, proving the value of art discoveries. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

Pro Patria, commissioned murals by Ferdinand Humbert in the Paris Pantheon
© Meredith Mullins

Humbert’s eight panels in the Pantheon are in a place of honor. He captures the history and spirit of the Republic in the work titled Pro Patria (For the Homeland). The paintings took more than 25 years to finish, completed in 1900, because Humbert had to change the designs multiple times to meet the government’s changing priorities.

Idée de Famille, One of the Humbert murals in the Pantheon in Paris, proving the value of art discoveries. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

Idée de Famille (Idea of the Family)—One of the Humbert murals in the Pantheon
© Meredith Mullins

Humbert reaches great heights in the Petit Palais, with two triumphant ceiling paintings—“The Triumph of Paris” and “The Triumph of the Intellectual.” This project took many years as well, interrupted by WW I. He completed the project when he was 81, with the help of his artist son André.

Paintings by Ferdinand Humbert in the Petit Palais in Paris, showing that art discoveries can lead to new adventures and travels to the past. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

Humbert’s paintings reach new heights in the Petit Palais.
© Meredith Mullins

Humbert’s paintings also oversee marriage after marriage in the Salle de Mariage in the Mairie of the 15^tharrondissement in Paris (the City Hall of the 15th arrondissement).

A painting by Ferdinand Humbert in the Salle de Mariage of the 15th arrondissement in Paris, showing that art discoveries can lead to new adventures and travels to the past. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

The Salle de Mariage in the Mairie of the 15th arrondissement of Paris
© Meredith Mullins

More Art Discoveries: The Women in Humbert’s Life

The Hawes continued their research and discovered Humbert’s talent for painting portraits of women as well as his unique teaching role as a supporter of women artists (not so common in the early 20^thcentury), including students Marie Laurencin and Marguerite Carpentier.

As the Hawes worked to identify the subjects of the portraits, they met a gallerist who knew the goddaughter of one of the most frequent subjects. They visited the goddaughter, Monique Bouvier, in the Loire Valley and learned the story of her godmother Geneviève Dehelly, a well-known pianist.

Portrait of Geneviève Dehelly by Humbert
© Meredith Mullins

Monique provided photographs and letters showing the friendship of Dehelly and Humbert. In true soap opera form, Humbert was in love with Dehelly, but Dehelly loved another.

A old photograph in the foreground and Douglas Hawes in the background, showing that art discoveries can lead to new adventures and travels to the past. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

Finding clues in old letters and photographs
© Meredith Mullins

Dehelly’s soulmate was the poetess Jehanne d’Orliac. They worked together as a creative literature/music team, writing and performing together. They are buried together in Tours.

Another piece of the puzzle arrived in the form of the play “La Massière” (Translation: “The Treasurer”). The playwright Frédérick Lemaître was a good friend of Humbert. He wrote about Humbert’s artistic life and added insight into his character (if the dramatic interpretation is to be seen as based on some truth).

Portrait of Genevieve Dehelly with dramatic hat by Ferdinand Humbert, showing how art discoveries can lead to new adventures and travels to the past. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

Humbert’s tribute to his love and favorite portrait subject
© Meredith Mullins

The Mystery Portrait

The Hawes interest in Humbert grew with each new discovery, so they decided to acquire their own original work. A portrait, “Young Woman with Pipe,” came up for auction in Germany. The Hawes were the winning bidders.

They believed the model to be perhaps a prominent subject for painters of the day. But who is it? The mystery, for the moment, remains.

Young Woman with Pipe by Ferdinand Humbert in France, showing that art discoveries can lead to new adventures and travels to the past. (Image © Douglas Hawes.)

“Young Woman with Pipe” is now a part of the Hawes collection.
© Douglas Hawes

The Adventure Continues

The Hawes continue with their treasure hunt, but will bring these first chapters to a close as they finish their book for publication this year.

Ferdinand Humbert's painting on the ceiling of the Salle de Mariage of the 15th arrondissement, showing how art discoveries can lead to new adventures and travels to the past. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

Ferdinand Humbert’s painting on the ceiling of the Salle de Mariage
of the 15th arrondissement
© Meredith Mullins

Oh, I see. As proven here, art discoveries can spark a journey and can open up worlds that have not yet been explored.

With that inspiring goal, let’s celebrate the start of 2021. Here’s to a new year, full of adventures, intriguing discoveries, and exploration both virtual and real.

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Meredith Mullins 6 Comments

France/France (Paris)/Travels to the Past

Aug

Great Gardens of the World: Les Jardins d’Étretat

by Meredith Mullins on August 3, 2020

A UNESCO World Heritage view (and Monet’s favorite spot in Étretat)
© Meredith Mullins

A Nature Discovery with a View

Where am I?

Am I in Alice’s wonderland or a labyrinthian meditation garden? Am I dreaming that hedges are crashing like waves on the hillside, or am I lost in a fantasy tunnel of green?

Perhaps all of the above. Great gardens open doors to creative experiences.

Enchanted gardens inspire the imagination.
© Meredith Mullins

Gardens hide behind tiny doors or down Alice-discovered rabbit holes. They surprise us beyond dilapidated fences that seem to say “go farther only if you dare.” And they present magical mazes that offer the alluring puzzle of being lost in time and place.

Does anyone else see a dancing flower?
© Meredith Mullins

Enchanted gardens are laced through literature. And they have brought inspiration to writers and painters throughout history.

One such special garden is Les Jardins d’Étretat—a nature discovery with a breathtaking view of the sea . . . and a neo-futuristic design that offers a glimpse into the future.

Oh, I see. “The garden is a perpetual artistic experiment,” as landscape architect Alexandre Grivko says of his 21^stcentury creation.

A garden with a view . . . of the sea, of the cliffs, and of the future
© Meredith Mullins

Monet’s Other Garden

The Jardins d’Étretat have a historic link to Claude Monet, as well as other painters such as Boudin, Courbet, Delacroix, Manet, Polenov, and Corot.

The gardens sit at the top of the Falaise d’Amont on the Alabaster Coast of Normandy, famous for its weather-etched limestone cliffs and natural rock arches (and listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO).

The light, the clouds, the sea, and the sculpted landscape have been an inspiration for generations.

Monet painted these cliffs beginning in 1868, creating more than 50 works of the Étretat area.

As a tribute to Monet (painter, avid gardener, and friend), the French actress Madame Thébault created a garden near her villa at the Amont clifftop, planting her first tree in 1903 and nurturing, among other things, a vast collection of orchids.

Her garden was her solace, away from the demands of the theatre. And it became a welcome haven for her artistic friends.

A Neo-Futuristic Experiment

Fast forward more than 100 years. Russian landscape architect Alexandre Grivko takes on the daunting but creative challenge of restructuring and reimagining the abandoned garden, while honoring its historical significance.

The garden becomes an experimental laboratory and an artistic expression of the coast of Normandy.

More than 1000 tons of soil were hauled up the cliff and more than 100,000 plants were planted—all in less than two years.

Grivko followed famous French landscape architect Le Nôtre’s rapid design of the Versailles gardens by limiting the plant species.

He also followed Vito di Bari’s “Neo-Futuristic City Manifesto,” which focuses on the integration of art, technology, ethical values, and nature—to provide a higher quality of life.

Grivko’s goal was to test new plant-care strategies so that the garden could withstand the climate challenges (wind and salt air) and to experiment with sculptural plant trimming in innovative ways.

The plant shapes are organic and true to the land forms of the area. You’ll find the waves of the English Channel, sea spirals, whirlpools, oyster farms, and, of course, the cliff formations—all in a variety of ever-greenery.

An Open-Air Museum

Although the garden is not large (just under 4 acres), you have the feeling that endless meandering could be possible. The space presents permanent and temporary displays of sculpture by international artists. The permanent collection was a part of Grivko’s design. The temporary exhibit brings new work to the garden every year.

The seven named gardens each offer something unique. The Jardin Avatar is the first new discovery by the entrance. This garden features The Clockwork Forest (where you turn the key in the trunk of a tree and music begins to accompany you on your journey).

Who wouldn’t be tempted to turn a giant key in a tree in an enchanted garden?
(Sculpture by the Greyworld Group in London)
© Meredith Mullins

This area also exhibits the temporary sculptures of American Gianna Dispenza’s “The Space Between” and Chinese Shuengit Chow’s “Mobile Music House.”

The Mobile Music House is made of aluminum skins from drink cans to show
that beauty can be found in everyday objects.
© Meredith Mullins

The Jardin Impressions comes next, with its timeless view of the Étretat cliffs, permanent exhibits of comfortable wood lounging chairs, a lounging boat (apropos to the coastal location), and a temporary sculpture entitled “L’été” (Summer) showing the cycles of life and seasons.

A perfect way to merge with nature, pausing in wooden furniture
that is much more comfortable than it looks (by German Thomas Rösler).
© Meredith Mullins

The Jardin Emotions is the most recognizable part of the garden with its set of polyester/resin heads showing the range of human emotions.

The faces are floated in greenery that reflects the underwater world and mollusk-like shapes of Marie Antoinette’s first oyster bed, said to have been in the waters just below this Étretat cliff.

What emotions do you feel?
(Sculpture by Samuel Salcedo from Spain)

The “Drops of Rain,” as they are called—by Spanish artist Samuel Salcedo—range from expressive to creepy, depending on your personal interpretation.

Let’s just say I wouldn’t want to spend a night in the garden with these fellows, no matter what their emotional depth.

The Jardin d’Aval sends you into wonderland, with The Tree Hugger Project made from fallen tree branches by Agnieszka Gradzik (Poland) and Wiktoy Szostalo (Lithuania), a long table and benches made from one solid oak block by German sculptor Thomas Rösler, and flowers made of greenery that look like they are about to burst into song.

Next on the path are the Jardin Zen, for a meditative pause amidst walls of bamboo and white rhododendrons; the Jardin La Manche with topiary mazes; and the Jardin d’Amont that takes you to the highest point of the garden, with greenery trimmed to look like the Normandy cliffs.

A Rabbit Hole and a Vision of the Future

As you wander through the Jardins d’Étretat, you might feel as if you fell through time and space into a different world. Whether real or imagined, you did.

As one of the great gardens in the world, this nature discovery is a brilliant integration of technology, ecology, and art. It shows a strong link between earth and sea.

And best of all, it is an artistic creation that is rooted in one of the most artistic places of all time—the Étretat coast. It is the past, present, and future all in one. Monet would feel right at home.

For more information on the Jardins d’Étretat, visit here. For more information on landscape architect Alexandre Grivko, visit Il Nature.

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Meredith Mullins 15 Comments

France/Nature Discovery

World Views:

Category Archives: France

Protecting the Rural Heritage of France

No BS: New Law To Preserve the Sounds and Smells of the French Countryside

The Soundscape of the Countryside

The Neo-Rurals Are Challenging Rural Heritage

The Poster Coq: Maurice the Rooster

Vive La France . . . and Its Special Sounds & Smells

I Love The Smell of Rural Heritage in the Morning

Art Discoveries: The Mystery in the Ceiling

Follow the Clues & Travel Through History

Unexpected Surprises Close to Home

Discovering Humbert: A Noted Artist of His Time

More Art Discoveries: The Women in Humbert’s Life

The Mystery Portrait

The Adventure Continues

Great Gardens of the World: Les Jardins d’Étretat

A Nature Discovery with a View

Monet’s Other Garden

A Neo-Futuristic Experiment

An Open-Air Museum

A Rabbit Hole and a Vision of the Future