Alexandra’s work in the open air in a picturesque placeÉglise Notre-Dame de la Garoupe

The Church of  Notre-Dame de la Garoupe is a Catholic church located in Antibes in the Alpes-Maritimes department of France, on the Garoupe plateau overlooking Cap d’Antibes. The Garoupe lighthouse is located nearby.

One of the most famous landmarks of Antibes is the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Beaune Port. Our Lady is the patroness of the local sailors of Antibes. The worship of Our Lady of Notre-Dame de Beaune dates back to 981, when locals prayed in the chapel for deliverance from the bubonic plague epidemic. Their prayers were heard and the disease stopped. Since then, every year 10 barefoot sailors dressed in old naval uniforms carry the statue of Our Lady through the streets of the city. This happens on the last Thursday before the first Sunday in July, carries through the streets .

Plein air (from the French plein air – « open air ») is a technique of painting outside the studio, in nature, with natural light. Plein air, unlike traditional studio painting, allows the artist to accurately depict the richness of the surrounding colors and the slightest changes in the color of nature on canvas or paper.

In order to perfectly convey all the richness of nature in natural light, the artist has to take into account many nuances, since in the open air the environment is constantly changing, all sorts of color shades appear and disappear. This becomes especially noticeable in sunny weather or with variable cloudiness.

The history of plein air dates back just over 200 years, but its origins go back to the beginning of the Early Renaissance – in the first half of the 15th century. It was at that time that the landscape genre was formed in European fine art.