I've decided I should be better about checking the temperature and general weather conditions before going outside. Not that I'll actually change my habits, I'm just acknowledging the fact that I could be better at it. Take this morning for example. You'd think that since it had been warm for a couple of weeks now and the birds were singing and the sun was shining brightly that spring and warmth would be on their way, right? Wrong. It was negative 4 degrees Celsius this morning and I really could have used a couple more layers, plus hat and scarf. Thankfully, I keep gloves in my coat pockets, but all the same I booked it to school. Over the weekend Sarah and I visited the Musée de Jean Lurçat et de la Tapisserie Contemporaine (Contemporary Tapestries). 
It’s located within the Hôpital Saint-Jean which was a hospital built in the late 12th century in the “Plantagenet” Gothic style. (Honestly, I had no clue what the “Plantagenet” Gothic style even meant, so I looked it up and basically it’s an English variant of classical Gothic architecture…think Chartres cathedral.) As for Jean Lurçat (1892-1966), he was responsible for the tapestry’s renaissance in the 1930s. He was greatly influenced by Cubism, Surrealism, and the horrors of World War I; he was a contemporary of Picasso and Matisse.
It’s located within the Hôpital Saint-Jean which was a hospital built in the late 12th century in the “Plantagenet” Gothic style. (Honestly, I had no clue what the “Plantagenet” Gothic style even meant, so I looked it up and basically it’s an English variant of classical Gothic architecture…think Chartres cathedral.) As for Jean Lurçat (1892-1966), he was responsible for the tapestry’s renaissance in the 1930s. He was greatly influenced by Cubism, Surrealism, and the horrors of World War I; he was a contemporary of Picasso and Matisse. After a visit to the Apocalypse Tapestry of Angers (discussed in an earlier blog), Jean Lurçat created his own interpretation of the masterpiece: 
“Le Chant du Monde” (the Song of the World). The 10 tapestries took about ten years to weave and are approximately 15 by 40 ft. These tapestries are highly symbolic and consist of vibrant images on a black background. The colors were really quite extraordinary. I wasn’t allowed to take pictures, (or rather in the process of taking a picture, I was told by a rather menacing lady that it wasn’t allowed) but that’s ok because the pictures couldn’t possibly do the tapestries justice. Even the postcards they were selling couldn’t capture the brilliancy of the colors.
“Le Chant du Monde” (the Song of the World). The 10 tapestries took about ten years to weave and are approximately 15 by 40 ft. These tapestries are highly symbolic and consist of vibrant images on a black background. The colors were really quite extraordinary. I wasn’t allowed to take pictures, (or rather in the process of taking a picture, I was told by a rather menacing lady that it wasn’t allowed) but that’s ok because the pictures couldn’t possibly do the tapestries justice. Even the postcards they were selling couldn’t capture the brilliancy of the colors. One of my favorite tapestries was called, “Liberté.” It was based off of Paul Éluard’s poem of the same name and was not part of “Le Chant du Monde.” 
I just recently studied Éluard so I was thrilled to recognize his verse woven in tapestry (more on Éluard later). I also liked Kirsten Blasbrook’s work, “The Story Retold.” It was really easy to tell what it was about, essentially the story of Genesis, but the best part was that Blasbrook had woven runes into the sides of the tapestry which spelled out, “Miracle of Life.” (Runes are stick-like characters that form the basis of the ancient Germanic alphabet that was used prior to the adoption of our modern day Latin alphabet.) 
Ok so I’m guessing the existence of runes in modern art might not mean much to you and might sound pretty boring, but it meant a lot to me because in seventh grade I taught myself how to read and write in runes. Long story short, runes are awesome.
I just recently studied Éluard so I was thrilled to recognize his verse woven in tapestry (more on Éluard later). I also liked Kirsten Blasbrook’s work, “The Story Retold.” It was really easy to tell what it was about, essentially the story of Genesis, but the best part was that Blasbrook had woven runes into the sides of the tapestry which spelled out, “Miracle of Life.” (Runes are stick-like characters that form the basis of the ancient Germanic alphabet that was used prior to the adoption of our modern day Latin alphabet.) 
Ok so I’m guessing the existence of runes in modern art might not mean much to you and might sound pretty boring, but it meant a lot to me because in seventh grade I taught myself how to read and write in runes. Long story short, runes are awesome. 
On Sunday, I returned to the castle because it was the last time it would be free. (I lied when I said the museums are free every first Sunday of the month. Apparently this is only during the low season. And the high season is just starting.) I made a second trip to the gift shop and considered buying some chain mail, but it’s really, really, really heavy (gosh I feel bad for knights and their horses) and it was over 200 euros. So I took a picture instead.
Also one of my friends dropped his phone into the moat, but not to worry, as I mentioned earlier, the moat had been transformed into a garden. The only difficulty was retrieving the phone because of A) the walls—which are about twenty feet high and B) the gate. The walls were a no-go, but what’s a gate to a nimble college student? It wasn’t until after he climbed over the gate that the real trouble started. Suddenly, arrows started flying from out of nowhere, the clang of battle could be heard from within, and the shouts of the castle guard rose above the melee warning that … 
alright, so that didn’t exactly happen, but it was rather anticlimactic after he hopped the gate—no one even yelled at him to keep off the grass. However, it does raise the question of how invaders did their invading, especially since the castle walls surrounded the entire city of medieval Angers and extended across the river even. When it was bombed by Allied forces in World War II the ramparts were damaged, but I have no idea how medieval attackers would even begin to take down such a formidable fortress.
alright, so that didn’t exactly happen, but it was rather anticlimactic after he hopped the gate—no one even yelled at him to keep off the grass. However, it does raise the question of how invaders did their invading, especially since the castle walls surrounded the entire city of medieval Angers and extended across the river even. When it was bombed by Allied forces in World War II the ramparts were damaged, but I have no idea how medieval attackers would even begin to take down such a formidable fortress.
Reporting in from Angers, France,
Heidi
Tapestry 1: 'Champagne' from "Chant du Monde"
Tapestry 2: A glimpse of "Chant du Monde"--they never said you couldn't take pictures from the outside looking in...
Tapestry 3: 'Le Vent ou l'Orage' (Wind or storm) not part of "Chant du Monde"
Tapestry 4: central portion of 'Liberte' also not part of "Chant du Monde"
Tapestry 5: 'Naissance du Lansquenet' (birth of Lansquenet, aka German mercenaries) --it says Guernica on there, Picasso anyone?
Medieval map of Angers--the chateau is only the small little castle at the very top on the left side of the river
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