Le Puy

Adolphe Valette 1876 - 1942

Summary

View of the town of Le Puy in the South of France, seen from a high vantage point. In the centre of the composition is the extraordinary natural monument of The Rock, the chimney of a volcano exposed by erosion, surmounted by the Vault of Michaelmas d'Aiguilhe. The Rock is a craggy spire with almost sheer slopes that dominates the landscape far below; the vault comprises of a small cluster of buildings, including a tower, that perch on the summit of the rock. The gently undulating landscape below, depicted in a rich, warm light, shows a small town settled around the foot of the rock surrounded by trees and farmland. The buildings have whitewashed walls and many have distinctive red tiled roofs. On the horizon is a range of distant mountains depicted in hazy blue tones.