05 March 2009

La Fête du Citron (Music of the World) - Charleston


A car like this always makes me think of Daisy Buchanan in The Great Gatsby - a novel, written in 1925 by one of the greatest writers ever.

The jazz age, charleston, prohibition - that's what this car, made by the Automobile Club of Menton, represents.

So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.

The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald

18 comments:

  1. toujours plus fort, une superbe voiture de collection. Encore BRAVO

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  2. And there was Scott Fitzgerald's connexion with the riviera..

    Isn't it just perfect? such vibrant colour. I love it.

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  3. What a juicy car! I love these creations.

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  4. I wonder how Fitzgerald would describe this shot and the festival that inspired it. The softened architecture in the background is the perfect backdrop for this particular exhibit.

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  5. Amazing car and photo! Thanks for the literary reference - makes it even more appealing.

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  6. What would the man on the moon have to say if he stepping into this scene?

    .

    Abraham Lincoln
    Brookville, Ohio

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  7. Superbe! j'ai assisté à cette fête en 96 et 97 lorsque j'habitais à Bormes les Mimosas. j'y retournerai un jour.

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  8. Wow, a wonderful art! I love this.

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  9. I am just amazed at the artistry of this festival. I do have one question. Is the air just permeated with the scent of citrus while this is going on?

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  10. Sharon, I'd hate to say yes, when I'm not sure. If it was orange blossom, I'm sure the answer would be YES. Perhaps I'm so used to the smell of oranges and lemons - many streets in Menton are lined with citrus - or maybe I've lost my sense of smell.

    I'm hoping Catherine who was there might answer this. I'll leave a message of her blog and ask...

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  11. Perfect with the Scott Fitzgerald reference, Jilly. The atmosphere of "insouciance" of the 20's.

    Since I live in Paris, I'm not used to the smell of Citrus. In the streets of Menton, I haven't smelt any particular scent.
    But in the Jardin Boviès, where the fête stands, I smell the orange and lemon scent. Maybe, because I was arriving at the end of the 2 or 3 weeks of the show. All fruits were not that fresh !
    It smells good, sooner, in the streets when orange trees are in blossom. That's sure.

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  12. Catherine, thanks so much for that. Yesterday, they were selling off the oranges and lemons outside the Palais de l'Europe - they go for jams and wines I believe.

    Pouring with rain today, you'll like to know!

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  13. But maybe Daisy's car had fewer citrus fruits on and around it? ;-)

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  14. I'm sad to say that I'm not a big reader and The Great Gatsby is the only book I've ever read twice! Excellent post.

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  15. I can see how this reminds you of the Great Gadsby. I must come to the citron festival it looks like so much fun

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  16. Wonderful facsimile of the auto. Daisy Buchanan...haven't thought about her since I retired and stopped teaching the novel. Did I ever tell you that FScott went to the school where I taught in St. Paul, Mn? The school's newspapers are in the archives with his early adolescent writing. Pretty interesting.

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  17. Another nice shot and another great work! People who do this 'sculptures' are real artists!

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  18. Incredible shot and very apt quotation of one of the greatest ever!

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