While walking, I think about France, and some of its iconic art. I think of that painting of three peasants gleaning a field for food in The Gleaners by Millet. As I walk by garden after garden, I picture Monet painting his garden at Giverny. I remember some of Monet’s paintings capturing the smoke and metal of the great semi-enclosed Paris train stations (although nothing like the train stations of Laon or Reims). In all of his works, Monet used fine, light brushstrokes. Walking through the fields with month or two-month old green barley and wheat individual stems beautifully moving in unison with the wind, I wonder if Monet was inspired by that barley and wheat. Or, I think of Pissarro painting not just Montmartre in Paris like other great painters, but also his painting local rural life and the small village scenes. Wonderful, wonderful tradition of great French painters.

I won’t see any of that art, sadly. I will see art though plenty of art. Here are some photos of folk art, private as well as municipality sponsored art. Enjoy.

Street art of Laon. I love how the paintings often has one individual looking straight at me.

From elsewhere in France.

From Chateauvillain.

From elsewhere in France.

Not to be outdone, Laon had a jazz saxophonist sign.

From Tergnier.