Today, as mentioned this morning, we visited the Villa Savoye, designed by Le Corbusier, in the strange town of Poissy. It seems all of the high-rise apartment buildings attempted to half mimic Savoye, but didn't quite get it right. The house was quite different than all the photos in the art history textbooks. There was much more landscaping than I had expected, and the house itself was still somewhat in disrepair. Thankfully we had perfect weather today, so we sat on the grass in front of the villa for a student presentation before going in.

Once inside, it is almost like a maze, with an oval staircase right in front of you and rooms that have no symmetry or seeming purposeful placement as you walk in. The idea is that this is a new architecture that uses ideas from antiquity, but redefines what a building should do. Therefore there is pretty much no ornament, and the house is very simple with very clear lines and right angles, except for the previously mentioned staircase and the rounded back part of the house on the first floor. This curve was meant to be exactly the angle a car in the 1920's could turn, and the overhanging second story served as a covered driveway. The rooms were quite sparse inside, and I do wonder whether or not a lot of furniture is missing, or if it is part of the aesthetic. Because it was in decay, along with the very strict architecture, it was nearly impossible to actually imagine living there. Unlike other buildings of the time with little ornament, like the skyscrapers by architect Mies van der Rohe, this was not meant to value function over form. Indeed, looking at the kitchen, it most definitely follows form and almost completely ignores function. I know I sound quite critical of the building, and while it was certainly not my favorite style or field trip, the villa can really be appreciated in its context of the time. Le Corbusier's idea was that this was supposed to be a machine that was simple and morally purer than the houses that were popular in the preceding centuries. It was also cool to be inside a monument usually only seen in textbooks or architectural magazines.

Later today, after another lovely mid-afternoon nap, I decided I would go sit in front of Notre Dame and just sketch. I told myself I could sketch whatever I wanted and I brought all the art supplies I have with me. I did indeed do two sketches, and after each one, I looked at my watch and was stunned to see that an hour had passed by. I really have gotten used to those 3 hour studio classes at school! I didn't finish the sketch of the central portal of the Cathedral because it got too dark (I was a bit mystified. It seems that the sun never sets in Paris in the summer!) but I tried to do a looser sketch of the seine at night. Below are both of my attempts. I had a man watch me draw the river and said something lengthy in French. When I said, in French, that I don't speak very well and I didn't understand him, he asked in English, where are you from? I answered, and his only response was 'oh', looked at me for another minute and walked away.

Now this exact scenario has happened to me many times since I've been here. Why are suddenly so disinterested when I say I'm American? It's quite disheartening. I really am curious as to what they said. Anyways, I did get a thumbs up from an Asian tourist who sat and watch me on the Cathedral sketch. Haha, I love to see the responses I get while drawing in public. Some people try to discreetly pass by you twenty times, so they can peep without looking like they are peeping. There are others that can sit and watch you for who knows how long and not say a word. And then there are the groups of people (who, no matter where you go, never speak any language that you do) who horde around you, and point and ask you questions you don't understand, and drag their friends over to come see, and leave you very little personal room so actually continue working. I used to get annoyed by any response, but now I think it's kind of fun to see the reactions.

The plaza was also crazier than usual, and I realized when a parade of police cars drove by with their sirens on, that this is because it is the night before Bastille day. I've already heard plenty of caution from my professor about the crowds and chaos everywhere, so I really do hesitate to go far from the apartment tomorrow. We do, however have class in the morning, on the Right Bank, where all the chaos supposedly will be. This is a decision of my professors that I sincerely question, as she leaves us to get back home ourselves. I'm sure the party-ers in my program will be right in the craziness having a blast. I know there will be an air show tomorrow with the countries military planes flying in formation overhead. I know this because we saw (and heard) them practicing last week in the Tulieries. There is also supposed to be a big parade, and this year Africa is the theme. I heard there will be Cameroon military stuff in the parade. Between this and the end of the World Cup, there is a ton of excitement everyone here! I'm glad we'll be here for this holiday, because in a way, it almost seems to fit into my class, in terms of learning about French culture and traditions. Wow, I really am a nerd.

I'll post here my two sketches a couple photos of the house. There wasn't enough land around to get the entire exterior, so forgive the corner shot, that I thought best showed the linearity and geometry that makes the villa so distinct. One museum tomorrow and then a bit of a day off. Then the last two days we'll have really jam-packed all day classes. I can't believe I have 3 days left! But I just started feeling comfortable in this city...at least I don't go home in 3 days. Can imagine my roomies are feeling pretty nostalgic about it. Ok, I officially wrote enough for tonight. I'm not sure even I could make it through a blog post this long in one sitting. Bonsoir everyone! Happy Bastille Day in the morning!