Place du Tertre

Today's the day ..................... to paint a picture

A day of exploring Monmartre and all the delights it has to offer.

This is the famous Place du Tertre where all the portrait painters gather and do their best to persuade you to have yours done - either as a caricature, or as a cut-out silhouette - or, in this case, as a pencil sketch.  It won't take much longer than ten minutes and it will be at a very reasonable price.  Or at least, that's what you get told at frequent intervals.  I just said, "Non merci.  Mon mari est artiste ...." and that seemed to work.

We went to the Museé de Monmartre where there was a special exhibition about the artists/writers and musicians - such as Renoir, Toulouse Lautrec, Icart (see extra), Utter, Maurice Utrillo, Suzanne Valadon, Degas and Satie  - who were all living in Monmartre at the turn of the century and how their work influenced each other.  The living was easy and relatively inexpensive and it was the place to be.  It must have been a lot of fun too - if somewhat wild at times!

There was also an interesting bit about how originally Monmartre was a rural village, quite separate from Paris.  Gypsum was mined and made into plaster for the fine buildings of Paris - and there were several windmills that were used to grind flour.  All these past glories were recorded by artists of the day but are long gone now.  There are just hints in names that survive - like Le Moulin Rouge ..................