SELF-GUIDEDâWALK 1 – A stroll around Saint-Clair
Saint-Clair, even today, is a relatively quiet suburb of Le Lavandou, just far enough away from all the holiday activity of its more developed neighbour. The main road to Saint-Tropèz runs parallel to the old railway line, which itself is now a cycle and pedestrian path, and bisects the old centre of the community. There have undoubtedly been many changes to the village over the past hundred years or so but there are still corners that Cross and Van Rysselberghe would instantly recognise and the latter artist’s home still stands unchanged, more or less.
The local tourist authority has erected 14 information panels around the village which show various work by Cross, Van Rysselberghe and one by Signac. The purpose of this self-guided walk of about two and a half kilometres is to follow a route which takes in these panels, highlighting points of similarity and difference between the scenes captured by the artist and what can be seen today. It has to be said that exact viewpoints are sometimes at varience with the actual painting but they certainly do give an excellent evocation of the place that inspired these two artists. A leaflet giving details of the route and a little background information (in French) can be obtained from the tourist office in Le Lavandou. During the summer season the tourist office has also arranged guided walks around the route at certain times.
It is suggested that the starting point for the walk is where the minor road to the village centre leaves the main road just by the Chapelle de Saint-Clair, a relatively recent building. The first panel (1) shows La Baie de Saint-Clair painted by Van Rysselberghe in 1923 (Private collection/www.the-athenaeum.org). This must have been painted from a slightly more elevated position, perhaps from the road that ascends into the hills behind the village. It shows a panorama of the bay of Saint-Clair with the very distinctive beachside villa on the far right and the Pointe du Nard-Viou. The rocks in the centre of the frame are supposed to look like whales breaking the surface but quite a leap of imagination is required here. The intervening years have obviously seen a significant amount of development and expansion of the community into the area adjacent to the shore which was previously devoted to small scale market gardening but the distant silhouettes of the coastline and the île de Levant are unchanged.
A few steps further along take the Avenue Van Rysselberghe to the right, passing the local bar and mini-market and the second panel (2) will be found. Le Fonds de Saint-Clair, 1924 (Private collection/www.the-athenaeum.org) is another painting by Van Rysselberghe showing a view up into the hills behind the village and although it is not possible to be sure where the artist stood the landscape is fundamentally unchanged. Violet-blue shadows and bright sunlight still play across the rugged terrain bringing the wooded slopes to life and in early spring the scene is clothed in mimosa yellow.
A little further along the road, on the left-hand side, the house of Theo Van Rysselberghe is to be found and this was his home from 1910 until his death in 1926. Here he painted prolifically and entertained a diverse range of artistic and literary figures, some of whom are shown on the next panel (3), located on the side of the house. Featured here is the portrait of his dear friend Henri Edmond Cross painted by their fellow Neo-impressionist Maximilien Luce (previously shown). There is a self-portrait (1916) and also paintings of his wife Maria (1907) and daughter Élizabeth (1896) and portraits of André Gide (1908) and Émile Verhaeren (1915). The house and its grounds would provide the setting for many paintings and today the building is used as a centre for community activity including art classes for children and as an occasional venue for temporary exhibitions. The picture shown is Terrace à Saint-Clair, 1912 (Private collection).
At the end of the road you will find a small store on the left with attractively painted murals decorating the outside and just before this on the right there is a pine tree beneath which there is another panel (4). This shows Les Anthémis en fleurs painted by Van Rysselberghe in 1904 (Private collection/www.the-athenaeum.org). It is not possible to identify the farm building at the centre of the picture and there has been considerable residential development in the last 100 years but the appearance of the upper slopes behind the village is relatively unchanged.
It is now necessary to proceed back along the cycle-way to find the next panel (5) which is located on the grassy central reservation to the left close to where there is a pedestrian crossing on the main road. A leap of imagination is definately required here as there is little to connect the content of the painting to what can actually be seen. This is La Plage de Saint-Clair painted by Henri Edmond Cross in 1901 (Private collection/ www.henriedmondcross.org), and shows three female nudes desporting themselves beneath the pines close to the beach with a sailing boat in the bay beyond. There was probably artistic license at work when he first imagined this scene and that has been compounded by much new building. However the image is an indication of the mindset of the artist, trying to create a picture of contemporary utopia represented by the liberated female form in an idealised setting and underpinned by genuine socialist principles. The subject matter, as we will see, recurs many times in the work of both Cross and Van Rysselberghe.
Now continue a little further past the park and chapel on the right and cross the road by the underpass (in very wet weather this is liable to flood!). On the other side the next panel (6) will be found at the start of the unmade road called Chemin des Naïades – yet another allusion to the classical past when Greek settlements dotted this part of the coast with their principal centre at Nice (named after the goddess Nike). The road might just as aptly be named after some of the characters in our artist’s creations and this panel shows another work by Cross entitled Le Bois, painted in 1906–07 (Musée d’Annonciade, Saint-Tropèz/www.henriedmondcross.org). A group of latter-day nymphs amuse themselves in a woodland glade and the area hereabouts may well have been the original setting for the picture but this shabby road running alongside the stream, between more recent buildings is now far from inspiring. Also this languid brook became a raging torrent in the autumn storms of 2012 causing considerable damage to adjacent properties and making a real mess of the beach at the end of the road. Follow the road until it reaches the shore.
Because of restoration work being carried out to the bridge and the adjacent properties this area was in some confusion at the time of writing with the next panel (7) a little difficult to access but hopefully the situation has now improved. It shows Le Lavandou by Paul Signac (Musée d’Art Moderne Richard Anacréon, Granville/www.ville-granville.fr) and was undoubtedly painted on one of his frequent visits to see his friend Henri Edmond Cross. It is a watercolour rendered in his distinctive, almost calligraphic style but there is just enough detail to pinpoint the view. The pine trees no longer grow right by the beach but the suggestion of a building in the middle of the picture can be identified with the very distinctive villa on the headland, painted cream with turquoise blue shutters. This was newly built in the 1890’s and can be seen in several paintings by Cross and Van Rysselberghe.
The walk now takes us along the Boulevarde de la Baleine in the direction of the cream-coloured villa on the headland. When you reach the Brasserie de la Plage on the right the next panel (8) is located on the beach directly opposite and this shows Les Iles d’Or by Cross, painted between 1891 and 1892 (Musée d’Orsay, Paris/www.musee-orsay.fr). Although this may not be exactly the spot where the artist placed his easel all the essentials of the picture can still be seen. This is a tour de force of the neo-impressionist style and perhaps Cross’ most daring work. It is almost abstract in its simplicity, being composed of horizontal bands of colour representing sand, sea, distant islands and sky and yet at the same time it is an entirely convincing evocation of a moment in time on a hot, sunny day with the water gently lapping the beach at the artist’s feet.
Just a few steps further along at the back of the beach the next panel (9) is to be found and this shows Van Rysselberghe’s interpretation the same scene in Rivage et île du Levant (Private collection/www.the-athenaeum.org) painted in 1904 (the panel mistakes the date for 1924). At this time the artist had adopted a much freer style, moving away from rigid pointilism and using strokes of varying size and a palette of vibrant blues and pinks.
Proceeding further along the promenade the next panel (10) will be reached and this is described as La Plage de Saint-Clair painted by Cross in 1907 (Musée de l’Annonciade, Saint-Tropèz/www.the-athenaeum.org). However this painting is more usually known as La Baie de Cavalière, which would locate it further along the coast and the details of the picture are difficult to identify with what can be seen from this viewpoint.
However, there is a painting known by the first title, painted in 1896, which very much corresponds to the scene here. The artist would have positioned himself in the shade of the beachside pines with the baleine rocks clearly seen in the bay and the île du Levant, a hazy pink silhouette, on the distant horizon. (Private collection/www.wikimedia.org)
Now continue uphill past the cream-coloured villa on the headland and where the main road is reached there is a small viewing area and there you will find the next panel (11) which shows Cap Bénat by Van Rysselberghe (Private collection/www.the-athenaeum.org). You are most unlikely to see such an elegant sailing vessel these days but the profile of the coastline and islands is instantly recogniseable.
Turn right and proceed along the main road, Avenue André Gide, until you reach the roundabout and then turn right into Place des Pins Penchés or Place of the Leaning Pines. Such a romantic name for what has now become a car park – in the words of Joni Mitchell, “they’ve paved paradise and put up a parking lot”! However, the scene of a century ago can still be brought to mind. It is here with the trees standing in their pools of shade, white sand sloping down to the water’s edge and sunlight dancing on the waters of the bay that best exemplifies the spirit of the place that captivated Cross, Rysselberghe and others for so many years.
There is a panel here (12) on the raised platform with the telephone kiosks but strangely this shows Le Four des Maures,
a work painted by Cross in 1906–07 (Musée de la Chartreuse,
Douai/www.the-athenaeum.org) depicting a scene that cannot have been
painted from here. The title suggests it is located at the eastern end
of the village overlooking the rocky shore and looking towards the
headland at La Fossette in the distance. It is a late work by the artist
and is a fine example of divisionism executed with vibrant spontaneity.
Reference has already been made to Bords méditerranées by Cross (‘New Impressionists in a New Arcadia’) and À l’ombre des
pins by Van Rysselberghe (shown here – private collection) and this place probably provided the setting
for these images, amongst many others, and better illustrate what the
artists found so special and captivating.
Now return to the main road and turn right and after a few steps the next panel (13) will be found in the central reservation. This shows Eucalyptus by Van Rysselberghe painted in 1906 (Fondation Catherine Gide/www.the-athenaeum.org). It is difficult to be certain where this picture was painted and although there are occasional eucalyptus trees in the area it has been suggested that this is set in the environs of Saint-Tropèz. It is from a period when the artist was experimenting with freer brushstrokes to capture the play of light through foliage and the sword-shaped leaves and distinctive bark of the eucalyptus were a useful vehicle in this endeavour.
To see the final panel (14) it is necessary to cross over the road to the cycle path and walk just a little further. It shows Amandiers en fleurs (matin) painted by Van Rysselberghe in 1918 (Private collection/www.the-athenaeum.org). The land rises quite steeply behind the pathway and it was from a slightly more elevated position that the artist would have seen the view of the bay with the distinctive villa on the headland and the grove of flowering almond trees in the foreground. The passage of time has swept away the peasant economy replacing it with developments largely devoted to tourism but much of the atmosphere that Cross and Van Rysselberghe found so intoxicating can still be found in quiet corners and with a little imagination it is still possible to see through the artist’s eyes, sometimes dimly but sometimes as clear as the day the brush first touched the canvas.
This completes the stroll around Saint-Clair but it is certainly worthwhile lingering a while, by the beach or in the lanes, to soak up a little more of the atmosphere of this special place.
SELECTED PAINTINGS AND WHERE THEY MAY BE SEEN If works mentioned in the text do not appear in the lists they are in private collections.
Henri-Edmond Cross Le Bois, 1906–07 (Musée de l’Annonciade, Saint-Tropèz) Les Iles d’Or, 1891–2 (Musée d’Orsay, Paris) La Baie de Cavalière, 1906–07 (Musée de l’Annonciade, Saint-Tropèz) Le Four des Maures, 1906–07 (Musée de la Chartreuse, Douai)
Paul Signac Le Lavandou, c. 1895 (Musée d’Art Moderne Richard Anacréon, Granville)
Theo Van Rysselberghe Eucalyptus, 1906 (Fondation Catherine Gide)
It is suggested that the starting point for the walk is where the minor road to the village centre leaves the main road just by the Chapelle de Saint-Clair, a relatively recent building. The first panel (1) shows La Baie de Saint-Clair painted by Van Rysselberghe in 1923 (Private collection/www.the-athenaeum.org). This must have been painted from a slightly more elevated position, perhaps from the road that ascends into the hills behind the village. It shows a panorama of the bay of Saint-Clair with the very distinctive beachside villa on the far right and the Pointe du Nard-Viou. The rocks in the centre of the frame are supposed to look like whales breaking the surface but quite a leap of imagination is required here. The intervening years have obviously seen a significant amount of development and expansion of the community into the area adjacent to the shore which was previously devoted to small scale market gardening but the distant silhouettes of the coastline and the île de Levant are unchanged.
A few steps further along take the Avenue Van Rysselberghe to the right, passing the local bar and mini-market and the second panel (2) will be found. Le Fonds de Saint-Clair, 1924 (Private collection/www.the-athenaeum.org) is another painting by Van Rysselberghe showing a view up into the hills behind the village and although it is not possible to be sure where the artist stood the landscape is fundamentally unchanged. Violet-blue shadows and bright sunlight still play across the rugged terrain bringing the wooded slopes to life and in early spring the scene is clothed in mimosa yellow.
A little further along the road, on the left-hand side, the house of Theo Van Rysselberghe is to be found and this was his home from 1910 until his death in 1926. Here he painted prolifically and entertained a diverse range of artistic and literary figures, some of whom are shown on the next panel (3), located on the side of the house. Featured here is the portrait of his dear friend Henri Edmond Cross painted by their fellow Neo-impressionist Maximilien Luce (previously shown). There is a self-portrait (1916) and also paintings of his wife Maria (1907) and daughter Élizabeth (1896) and portraits of André Gide (1908) and Émile Verhaeren (1915). The house and its grounds would provide the setting for many paintings and today the building is used as a centre for community activity including art classes for children and as an occasional venue for temporary exhibitions. The picture shown is Terrace à Saint-Clair, 1912 (Private collection).
At the end of the road you will find a small store on the left with attractively painted murals decorating the outside and just before this on the right there is a pine tree beneath which there is another panel (4). This shows Les Anthémis en fleurs painted by Van Rysselberghe in 1904 (Private collection/www.the-athenaeum.org). It is not possible to identify the farm building at the centre of the picture and there has been considerable residential development in the last 100 years but the appearance of the upper slopes behind the village is relatively unchanged.
It is now necessary to proceed back along the cycle-way to find the next panel (5) which is located on the grassy central reservation to the left close to where there is a pedestrian crossing on the main road. A leap of imagination is definately required here as there is little to connect the content of the painting to what can actually be seen. This is La Plage de Saint-Clair painted by Henri Edmond Cross in 1901 (Private collection/ www.henriedmondcross.org), and shows three female nudes desporting themselves beneath the pines close to the beach with a sailing boat in the bay beyond. There was probably artistic license at work when he first imagined this scene and that has been compounded by much new building. However the image is an indication of the mindset of the artist, trying to create a picture of contemporary utopia represented by the liberated female form in an idealised setting and underpinned by genuine socialist principles. The subject matter, as we will see, recurs many times in the work of both Cross and Van Rysselberghe. 
Now continue a little further past the park and chapel on the right and cross the road by the underpass (in very wet weather this is liable to flood!). On the other side the next panel (6) will be found at the start of the unmade road called Chemin des Naïades – yet another allusion to the classical past when Greek settlements dotted this part of the coast with their principal centre at Nice (named after the goddess Nike). The road might just as aptly be named after some of the characters in our artist’s creations and this panel shows another work by Cross entitled Le Bois, painted in 1906–07 (Musée d’Annonciade, Saint-Tropèz/www.henriedmondcross.org). A group of latter-day nymphs amuse themselves in a woodland glade and the area hereabouts may well have been the original setting for the picture but this shabby road running alongside the stream, between more recent buildings is now far from inspiring. Also this languid brook became a raging torrent in the autumn storms of 2012 causing considerable damage to adjacent properties and making a real mess of the beach at the end of the road. Follow the road until it reaches the shore.
Because of restoration work being carried out to the bridge and the adjacent properties this area was in some confusion at the time of writing with the next panel (7) a little difficult to access but hopefully the situation has now improved. It shows Le Lavandou by Paul Signac (Musée d’Art Moderne Richard Anacréon, Granville/www.ville-granville.fr) and was undoubtedly painted on one of his frequent visits to see his friend Henri Edmond Cross. It is a watercolour rendered in his distinctive, almost calligraphic style but there is just enough detail to pinpoint the view. The pine trees no longer grow right by the beach but the suggestion of a building in the middle of the picture can be identified with the very distinctive villa on the headland, painted cream with turquoise blue shutters. This was newly built in the 1890’s and can be seen in several paintings by Cross and Van Rysselberghe.
The walk now takes us along the Boulevarde de la Baleine in the direction of the cream-coloured villa on the headland. When you reach the Brasserie de la Plage on the right the next panel (8) is located on the beach directly opposite and this shows Les Iles d’Or by Cross, painted between 1891 and 1892 (Musée d’Orsay, Paris/
Just a few steps further along at the back of the beach the next panel (9) is to be found and this shows Van Rysselberghe’s interpretation the same scene in Rivage et île du Levant (Private collection/www.the-athenaeum.org) painted in 1904 (the panel mistakes the date for 1924). At this time the artist had adopted a much freer style, moving away from rigid pointilism and using strokes of varying size and a palette of vibrant blues and pinks.
Proceeding further along the promenade the next panel (10) will be reached and this is described as La Plage de Saint-Clair painted by Cross in 1907 (Musée de l’Annonciade, Saint-Tropèz/www.the-athenaeum.org). However this painting is more usually known as La Baie de Cavalière, which would locate it further along the coast and the details of the picture are difficult to identify with what can be seen from this viewpoint.
However, there is a painting known by the first title, painted in 1896, which very much corresponds to the scene here. The artist would have positioned himself in the shade of the beachside pines with the baleine rocks clearly seen in the bay and the île du Levant, a hazy pink silhouette, on the distant horizon. (Private collection/www.wikimedia.org)
Now continue uphill past the cream-coloured villa on the headland and where the main road is reached there is a small viewing area and there you will find the next panel (11) which shows Cap Bénat by Van Rysselberghe (Private collection/www.the-athenaeum.org). You are most unlikely to see such an elegant sailing vessel these days but the profile of the coastline and islands is instantly recogniseable.
Turn right and proceed along the main road, Avenue André Gide, until you reach the roundabout and then turn right into Place des Pins Penchés or Place of the Leaning Pines. Such a romantic name for what has now become a car park – in the words of Joni Mitchell, “they’ve paved paradise and put up a parking lot”! However, the scene of a century ago can still be brought to mind. It is here with the trees standing in their pools of shade, white sand sloping down to the water’s edge and sunlight dancing on the waters of the bay that best exemplifies the spirit of the place that captivated Cross, Rysselberghe and others for so many years.
There is a panel here (12) on the raised platform with the telephone kiosks but strangely this shows Le Four des Maures,
a work painted by Cross in 1906–07 (Musée de la Chartreuse,
Douai/www.the-athenaeum.org) depicting a scene that cannot have been
painted from here. The title suggests it is located at the eastern end
of the village overlooking the rocky shore and looking towards the
headland at La Fossette in the distance. It is a late work by the artist
and is a fine example of divisionism executed with vibrant spontaneity.
Reference has already been made to Bords méditerranées by Cross (‘New Impressionists in a New Arcadia’) and À l’ombre des
pins by Van Rysselberghe (shown here – private collection) and this place probably provided the setting
for these images, amongst many others, and better illustrate what the
artists found so special and captivating.
Now return to the main road and turn right and after a few steps the next panel (13) will be found in the central reservation. This shows Eucalyptus by Van Rysselberghe painted in 1906 (Fondation Catherine Gide/www.the-athenaeum.org). It is difficult to be certain where this picture was painted and although there are occasional eucalyptus trees in the area it has been suggested that this is set in the environs of Saint-Tropèz. It is from a period when the artist was experimenting with freer brushstrokes to capture the play of light through foliage and the sword-shaped leaves and distinctive bark of the eucalyptus were a useful vehicle in this endeavour.
To see the final panel (14) it is necessary to cross over the road to the cycle path and walk just a little further. It shows Amandiers en fleurs (matin) painted by Van Rysselberghe in 1918 (Private collection/www.the-athenaeum.org). The land rises quite steeply behind the pathway and it was from a slightly more elevated position that the artist would have seen the view of the bay with the distinctive villa on the headland and the grove of flowering almond trees in the foreground. The passage of time has swept away the peasant economy replacing it with developments largely devoted to tourism but much of the atmosphere that Cross and Van Rysselberghe found so intoxicating can still be found in quiet corners and with a little imagination it is still possible to see through the artist’s eyes, sometimes dimly but sometimes as clear as the day the brush first touched the canvas. 
