"The Pont d'Avignon and the Palace of the Popes" by Rollo Paterson (1892 - 1978)

 

"The Pont d'Avignon and the Palace of the Popes" by Rollo Paterson,
1927, Avignon, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France.
Oil on cardboard, 56 x 44 cms.
Private collection, Malaga, Spain.

Rollo Paterson travelled to Europe where from 1919-1939 he painted a series of, atmospheric plein air landscapes. He travelled through France and Italy and he meets a variety of painters, of French art. Travelling through the Côte Bleu, Les Alpes Maritime, and Brittany, he notes the great caravans at the fairs, and decides to build himself a caravan he can tow with his car to the places he wants to paint, and in search of new landscapes that serve to him as subject for his paint. It is also ideal to be able to take his own work with him. In 1925 he builds his first caravan, and visits places like Paris, Avignon, Lyon, Aix-le-Bains, Chamonix, Menton, Nice, St. Raphael, St. Tropez, etc... etc...

In 1927 Paterson depicted the Pont d'Avignon many times, he made many drawings and paintings of this bridge,   Paterson depicted the structure from different sides but this angle he thought it was the best.

The Pont Saint-Bénézet, also known as the Pont d'Avignon, is a famous medieval bridge in the town of Avignon, in southern France. A bridge spanning the Rhone between Villeneuve-lès-
Avignon and Avignon was built between 1177 and 1185. This early bridge was destroyed forty years later during the Albigensian Crusade when Louis VIII of France laid siege to Avignon. The bridge was rebuilt with 22 stone arches. It was very costly to maintain as the arches tended to collapse
when the Rhone flooded. Eventually in the middle of the 17th century the bridge was abandoned. The four surviving arches on the bank of the Rhone are believed to have been built in around 1345 by Pope Clement VI during the Avignon Papacy. The Chapel of Saint Nicholas sits on the second pier of the bridge. It was constructed in the second half of 12th century but has since been substantially
altered. The western terminal, the Tour Philippe-le-Bel, is also preserved. The bridge was the inspiration for the song Sur le pont d'Avignon and is considered a landmark of the city. In 1995,
the surviving arches of the bridge, together with the Palais des Papes and Cathédrale Notre-Dame des Doms were classified as a World Heritage Site.