Paraza and Revel – Artists of the Canal du Midi
Along The Waterways

Art for Art’s Sake

Cruising along the French waterways, whether you are on a luxury barge or not, can feel like sailing deeper and deeper into a work of art because the views are so beautiful.

One of our favourite stretches of the Canal du Midi passes the village of Paraza: the tree-fringed canal allows glimpses of rolling vineyards and in the distance, on a clear day, you can see the glinting white peaks of the Pyrenees.  It’s a photographer’s dream.

Paraza – Denis Carrière

If art floats your boat it’s worth tying up in Paraza, or if your captain has other ideas you could always hop on a bike and cycle back later (bike and barge tours go very well together).  Handily located on the quay is the gallery Le Clap.  With its whitewashed exterior, pretty blue shutters and waterside location, the gallery is a charming place to visit in itself but is also a great venue in which to find works of art, both pictures and sculpture, inspired by the landscape through which you are cruising.

It was here that we first came across the work of Denis Carrière. We absolutely adore his paintings: they have a deceptive simplicity, but also an angular edge that is reminiscent of artists such as Cezanne and Gaugin, with the same appreciation of light and colour.  Nobody working in this part of the Languedoc can touch him for the sense of atmosphere he creates in his market scenes, his café sketches and above all his pastels of the Canal du Midi, complete with barges and boats of every hue.  If you are very lucky, you might see him at work – we have spotted him in both Le Somail and Capestang. He’s very friendly and doesn’t mind you gazing over his shoulder while he brings the waterways vividly to life.

Paraza is a pretty village to wander round with plenty of photogenic spots to enjoy and be sure to look out for Showroom 16, a treasure trove of what the French call friperie: vintage and retro clothing and accessories. Showroom 16 has slightly erratic opening hours – all part of its raffish style – but its owners Patrick and Fabien live upstairs so won’t be far away.

If all of this has given you an appetite, head on up the hill to the Château de Paraza.  It’s where the celebrated engineer Pierre Paul Riquet stayed when he was building the canal and the current owners produce some lovely wine (we’re a little too fond of their Oh la la! and their Bad Rosie).  During the summer months, a pop-up restaurant operates in the chateau gardens and you can sit under the pine trees and savour a slap-up four course set menu for a mere 15 euros. It’s an unmissable treat –and we’re not saying that just because we know John, the chef.

 

Revel – Gilou Estève

Further west along the Canal du Midi, beyond Carcassonne, lies the ancient village of Revel, notable for its Saturday market and for the impressive C14th market building under which the market shelters, spilling out in abundance into the surrounding streets. Just south of Revel, Pierre-Paul Riquet the architect of the Canal du Midi created its source feeder reservoir, the Bassin de Saint-Ferréol.

But what draws us to Revel, artistically, is the gallery of Gilou Estève. Daughter of a renowned Minervois abstract artist, for the last 25 years she has worked to refine (perhaps not the most appropriate term!) the most charming and skillful ‘Naïve’ approach to painting. Gilou applies her colourful and simplistic art to make all manner of wonderful things – paintings on canvas, pottery, cards, clothing, even pencil cases!

And an illustrated book “Once Upon a Time in the Lauragais” An old peasant talks to the children around him, and reveals to them the treasures of the region. Through the paintings, we travel through time and the typical places of Lauragais, and we discover the activities of the region.

“This book tells about the Lauragais to children
– and adults who have kept a child’s soul“

by Kate Dunn

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