Last January I visited Paris to review the
Cubism show at Centre Pompidou and meet with my
André Salmon colleagues to share our work. The trip was exhilarating and festive, especially around Notre Dame, still dressed in its holiday best for Christmas. This year's Crèche display was created in 2017 by Alain Deymier (the village) and Jean-Marie Fontanille (the manger). Here you see 15 meters of Provençal houses, shops, farms, and an inn arranged around the central theme, the Holy Family with shepherds and the 3 Magi, all in astonishing detail. Enchanting.
The manger in the 2019 Crèche
The village in the 2019 Crèche.
A view of the Crèche
A few days later, I decided to find that camera shot of Notre Dame in the distance which takes place in the new season of
The Marvelous Mrs Maisel (on Amazon Prime)
. If you saw the series already, you may remember the scene where Midge Maisel's parents dance in front of an outdoor café in Paris with Notre Dame in the background. I couldn't imagine how the director found a place unobstructed by trees. So I just walked along the Quai de Montbello and the Quai de la Tournelle, looking backward as I sauntered on, all the way to Quai Saint-Bernard, and the Institut du Monde Arab (World Arab Institute). There, I turned toward the Pont de Sully and saw a path by the bridge leading to the banks of the Seine. I followed this inclined terrain down to the Port de la Tournelle along the right bank of the Seine. Lo and behold: a flat empty space came into view with an unobstructed view of Notre Dame. My quest had been fulfilled. Abe and Rose Weissman must have danced here.
Notre Dame from Port de la Tournelle
For more reminiscences of Notre Dame, please click on our "Homage to Notre Dame de Paris" in
Bonjour Paris and Christopher Knight's historical perspective in the
Los Angeles Times.
Standing in the narthex facing the altar
On the ambulatory behind the altar
A view of the ambulatory on the east side
From the crossing facing the Rose Window
A model in the a chapel off the ambulatory
International holiday greetings outside Notre Dame
Notre Dame facing the altar, April 16, 2019
Our hearts are with you, France, as we too mourn the devastation of this symbol of beauty, faith and spiritual transcendence. Contributions to the restoration of Notre Dame de Paris can be made through
Friends of Notre Dame
With love and friendship -
