Cagnes-Sur-Mer is a two-for-one deal, Chateau Grimaldi and the last home of Pierre Auguste Renoir are only five minutes away from each other.
In the ‘banlieue’ (suburb for you Anglophones) known as Les Collettes, which Renoir himself developed, lies a beautiful home where Renoir lived out his final years (1907-1919) with his wife (Aline) and three sons (Jean, Pierre, and Claude). During this time, he painted some of his most famous pieces and developed his talents as a sculptor.
I missed the statue in the backyard, but didn't want that to mean you had to miss out too.....
Here is a view of the front of Renoir’s house. The home isn’t particularly ornate, but it is gracious and of a comfortable scale. The large windows on the right hand side of the upper level is the room that Renoir used as a studio. Renoir also hosted many young talents for periods of time in his home, their bedrooms were located on the lower floor. The upper floor bedrooms were for the family. There was only one bathroom!!! (on the inside of the house, at least…..)
The Front of Renoir's home in the neighborhood of Les Collettes in Canges-Sur-Mer
Personally, I prefer the house from the back. I love the terraces and you get a sense that the house lent itself to entertaining guests on the ground floor. Renoir was a good husband, he gave his wife, Aline, the room on the upper level in the far corner with french doors that opens up to a personal terrace with a gorgeous sea view.
View of the back of Renior's home, the house has beautifully landscaped acreage and a sea view
Strolling around the gardens, there are small posts which display recreations of Renoir’s works where he might have been set up while painting the landscape. For example, below is the path, trees, and carriage house from a painting.
A reproduction of a painting by Renoir and the inspiration, his carriage house
Here is a close up of the carriage house.
Better view of the carriage house
Here I am, sitting in Renoir’s backyard (no big deal…)! It was lovely, tranquil, and cool in the shade of the beautiful trees.
Me in Renoir's backyard (hard to see, but the Chateau Grimaldi is next to my left temple, on the hillside)
Last but not least, I wanted to share a picture of the trees surrounding the house. To me, I feel the trees (including leaves, trunk, and roots) evoke motion and you can see that realized in the palate, brushstrokes, and style in which Renoir painted.
des arbres du jardin Renoir
Exploring the house and gardens provided fantastic insight into the life of Renoir, a French Impressionist painter. I’m really glad I made the effort to see this site, despite it not necessarily being one of the major attractions in the area. Similar to the Chateau Grimaldi, le musee Renoir was only a few euros to enter and there was free parking, so a good stop for a budget-conscience traveller. All in all, it was a productive day of sight-seeing and luckily I didn’t have any major hiccups (had to retrace my steps a few times in the car, but I survived!). By the way, can you tell I’m starting to master the art of uploading pictures?? 🙂
julia's journeys 