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I found this postcard in one of my image boxes. It is one that I bought, which is a habit I have when I go to museums or galleries. I've never heard of the artist who painted the scene, and I am certain it wasn't his work I was viewing, even though I bought the card at the gift shop of whatever museum I was visiting.
It was certainly the hydrangea that attracted me. Also, the sea - but it isn't the Mediterranean. I’m pretty sure the painting is set by the English Channel, in a tourist town like Deauville or Dieppe - the postcard has not title. The sea isn't that turquoise blue of the southern Mediterranean, with plenty of warm yellow in it. It is more of a colder, harsher blue. Also, the scene is clearly in spring, but there is still the lingering feeling of winter, with the long dress the woman is wearing, despite her summer hat, and the rough waves on the water.
The artist, as I found on the back of the card, is Jean-Pierre Cassigneul. And almost all his paintings are overflowing with flowers, populated by women in these large hats. They remind me of Michelle Pfeiffer in Chéri, and her array of hats she had for every occasion. I wish we could wear hats like that these days. Summer, though, makes for a good excuse to wear such extravagantly large hats, using the pretext of sun coverage to avoid the bemused looks of our non-hat-wearing public. We don’t know what we’re missing.
