Paris Doors Packed Together
Today we will go back to Paris to visit a place filled with historical reminders of famous people. As some of you know my daughter, Elizabeth, is a writer and professor of English literature. She had a major interest in going to Cimetiere du Pere Lachaise to find the graves of Oscar Wilde and Proust. Who was I to say “no” when she had been so patient with me doing my visual art thing? Anyway, it sounded rather interesting from a visual standpoint, too. So off we went way out to the outer districts of Paris! Here is a view towards central Paris from there:
This cemetery even has a resident cat. This one really knows his/her way around jumping into openings and onto graves. This is a very old place way up on a hill overlooking the city. Here the cat decides to bide time on one of the benches. I suppose climbing the hills is tough on cats, too.
We walked and we walked and we walked up hills and down hills, over cobblestones and climbing steps, for several hours looking for these graves. There are sections marked off, however it isn’t as clear to two Americans as I think it would be to the French. Finally, up the hill we went again, across the way and in the distance I spotted it. Once you are close, you can see it! Look:
Oscar is so loved. There were several people there, reading and taking photographs, too. Do you know what those marks are? Here, look closer:
Yes, the marks are lipstick kisses! There must be a million of them along with notes to the famous writer. Truly, it was a moving tribute. Do you want to know if Elizabeth and I left our own kisses to Oscar? No, the lipstick is pitting the monument (what does that say about what it does to skin?), so we did not want to add to ruin. Also, being a rather neurotic American I wasn’t willing to share those germs (although I would have considered drawing some lips). There were flowers and written words presented like this:
Which were left for the great writer. It was so interesting being able to explore this place. If you are interested, the web site is excellent and gives an amazing virtual trip. You can find a famous person’s grave and gain images right to it. One could spend days, no weeks, exploring in here. See if you can find Modigliani‘s, Gertrude Stein‘s or Colette‘s grave. There are others, too.
Well, all of those crypt doors did not pass me by. Nope, I couldn’t help myself and had to snap a few photos and try my hand at sketching one. Now, this really looks like a door from Alice’s rabbit hole, but that would get me going on a whole other subject. In turn, that would be opening myself up to your learning about some of my more questionable humor, so we will not go there. You use your own imagination.
The truth is, it does have a rather whimsical character about it. I am not one to find cemeteries morbid or to dislike talk of moving to the next plane in life. Truly, this visit was fascinating on so many levels. Does this subject bother you? The more I look at this, the more the curvy doors appeal to me…well the whole crypt appeals to me in the way it appears to move. I guess it tells of the life beyond. What do you think? Do you want me to stop drawing crypt doors?
