Village Festival (Farandole), Moustiers-Sainte-Marie, France

Dancers have been a popular painting subject.  Whether it is ballet, ballroom, folk or flamenco, many painters have been inspired by forms, movements, emotions and historical/cultural aspects of dancers.

I saw these dancers in Moustiers, a hilltop village in Provence, France.  Wearing traditional costumes of the region, these young women and men entertained us in a village square on one summer afternoon.  They hopped and skipped to the rhythm of a simple flute and a drum.  And girls came around, again in traditional dresses, with baskets in their hands filled with aromatic lavenders, handing a bunch to each of us.

It was my first time to see farandole dancing, a folk dance popular in the Provence region.  I dream of returning to this enchanting part of France every time I listen to Bizet's Farandole (from L'Arlesienne Suite No.2).


Village Festival (Farandole)

Media: Original watercolor on paper
Image Size: 12.5 x 21 in.
Mat/Frame: Yes/No
Mat Size: 20 x 28 in. (color: off-white)
Purchase: Sold