Maurice and Jean are nothing short of two walking encyclopaedias. It is a hot, summer’s morning in Pont-Aven, southern Brittany, and we are being given an exclusive tour of Paul Gauguin’s only remaining atelier in existence. The famed French artist’s workshop resides in the property of a certain Jean, who happens to be a dear friend to our Airbnb host, Maurice.
Maurice, the embodiment of the artistic French male, sports a head of wild curly grey hair, a pair of round red spectacles which in any other country would be reserved for women, and most importantly, a sincere smile which radiates his genuine kindness and interest in others. Jean stays more reserved in his sensible shirt and sober sunglasses. He bought this manor and its land with his wife several years ago, and once in a while welcomes visitors to explore the beguiling space which hosted Gauguin in the late 1800s, as well as several other notable painters such as Emile Bernard and Charles Laval. Jean has an incredibly precise memory, and spews out exact dates as well as unique anecdotes on the life of Gauguin, with pure passion and not pretension. We wander in what feels like a sacred creative space. What have these high ceilinged volumes witnessed, what have these peeling walls and weathered rugs been spectators to, what ideas have churned, masterpieces been conceived and drafted, dreams been realised here? It is here that Post-Impressionism took flight, and during his time in Brittany that Gauguin was inspired to create some of his most successful pieces, including ‘Le Christ Jaune’ and ‘Le Christ Vert’. It is awe-inspiring to walk along these creaky floorboards, and to breathe this air, to run one's fingers along the peeling wall's anonymous sketches, whilst Jean continues to recount his wealth of knowledge.
Astonished, we don’t say much and let him do the talking, the transporting. Afterwards, he invites us to his kitchen where we share a refreshing glass of orange juice.
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