Pont-Aven, "Pont-Aven School of Artists"

Tuesday – The alarm didn’t go off and we only woke at 08:40. Quickly out of bed for coffee and breakfast of toast followed by a very quick shower. Today we visited “Pont-Aven” another of the French listed villages considered amongst the most beautiful. This was the haunting place of artists such as Emile Bernard and Paul Gauguin. Our first stop as always was the Tourist Bureau where we collected town and walking maps. As the town is small the path was easy to follow. We saw many beautiful stately mansions, some in disrepair and others being refurbished. This must be a vibrant place during the summer months. For lunch we found a smart little place “Le Café du Centre” where we enjoyed a hot meal to warm us up. One building to capture our notice was a little stone toilet build over the river. Before leaving, we visited the church (nothing special) and a chapel which was included in Gauguin paintings. Dinner was soup at home.

Pont-Aven is mainly known because of the group of artists who flocked round Émile Bernard and Paul Gauguin, and who were joined in 1888 by Paul Sérusier. They were collectively known as "Pont-Aven School" (French: École de Pont-Aven).Read more