Sunday, May 1, 2016

Dreaming of Illiers-Combray


This looks like a simple painting, but it was difficult to do.  I painted it quickly, but I had to dream about it before applying any paint.  What's an Illiers-Combray?  The painting is a view of the intersection of Rue Saint-Hilaire and Rue des Trois Maries in the small town of Illiers-Combray.  The tree seen in the back at right is in the garden of Aunt Leonie's house.  Young Marcel's family would exit the gate here to walk the "Guermantes Way."  The town of Illiers added Proust's fictional name for the town "Combray" in 1971 hoping to attract tourists who wanted to search for lost time.

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