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A not so kind introduction
Ancient
history and
musée de l'Annonciade
Modern
history and stars
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 SAINT-TROPEZ
is a nice little village to visit off-season. You want to sound as a genuine
villager? Pronounce “Séetropée”. The modern discoverer of this so active,
picturesque and busy port was painter and sailor Paul Signac. The painter wanted
to find out where his forefathers (then under Italian rule) had lived. He
arrived on his yacht “Olympia” in 1892 to take a look. He never left….. He
painted his most remarkable works here. Wasn't it here that the exceptional quality of the light,
the violence and variety of the colours could only educe creative painters? And
not only painters, but poets, writers, all adoring he sweetness of life, the
good food, the tasty" rosé" wine. A scenery ideal for inspiring and
excite the artist's emotions.
Signac didn’t not only paint Saint-Tropez, he assembled all his friends like
Bonnard, Braque, Cross, Derain, Van Dongen, Dufy, Marquet, Matisse, Seurat, De
Vlaminck and Vuillard.
Guy
de Maupassant was enthusiastic : if you can translate this you will
appreciate,
it's too difficult for me : " C'est la une de ces charmantes et simples
filles de la mer....On y sent la peche et le goudron qui flambe, la
saumure,...on y voit sur le pave des rues, briller, comme des perles, des
ecailles de sardines." Which means, thanks to the charming and helpful
translation of Mrs.Forrest, "Here we have a delightfully
simple daughter of the sea.... Fishing smells, the scent of burning tar and pickling brine..... whilst on the
cobblestones sardine scales gleam like pearls". He
was a great romantic writer that Guy de Maupassant (Boule de Suif, Bel-Ami).
Composer and piano virtuoso Franz Liszt was also charmed.
But the present fame of Saint-Tropez is due to the female French writer Colette
who lived there between the two world wars and wrote enthusiastically about the
village in her book “La Treille Muscate”. She led a combat together with
Cocteau and Mistinguett for the authentic conservation and restoration of the
small port, being in a bad shape.
In the twenties St.Tropez started his trendy style and became " a la
mode". It was famous for his so-called " docker joints for rich
tourists". Picabia, Erroll Flynn, Anais Nin were frequent visitors.
Juliette Greco, Daniel Gelin, Annabel Buffet etc...arrived after WWII ,
in group or alone, straight out of Saint-Germain des Prés. In St. Tropez they
were called the existentialist gang. A
special mention to Roger Vadim who made a for that time very daring picture with
his mistress, BRIGITTE BARDOT, in 1956: “Et Dieu crèa la femme.” with a
still very young Jean-Louis Trintignant and the typical Teutonic face of Curd
Jurgens: how long ago it seems now and what a source of melancholy!!
The
real mediatic take-off can be dated with the sixties and the new attractions: Francoise Sagan, Eddie Barclay and the whole show-business world.
After that, an endless defile of stars had to show itself in Saint-Tropez,
sipping a glass of champagne at one of the chique terraces like Charles
Aznavour, Bernard Buffet, Juliette Greco, Jane Fonda, Katherine Hepburn and
Jeanne Moreau.. The fans followed and are still here…the stars disappeared…
Bibliography:
Mary Blume, "Cote d'Azur. Inventing the French Riviera" (Thames and
Hudson, London 1982), Stephen Liégeard, "La Cote d'Azur" (Ed.Serre,
Nice 1988 a reprint), " Roman remains of southern France ", by James
Bromwich (Routledge London 1993, "Guide du Routard
1999",(ed.Hachette), "Dorpjes rond het St.Tropez schiereiland",
by J. Helperszoon (Alk 1996), Calvin Tomkins, “Living well is the best
revenge” (E.P.Dutton)-“Les Pointillistes en Méditerrannée”, by
Ger.Dumortier ed. Livres
Bruxelles 1998), “St. Tropez baai en hinterland », by Joop van
Nieuwenhuizen (ed. Hansma, Maastricht 1995)
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the city
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