France, Paris. 2006. Butte Montmartre

Paris is called both the 'City of Light' and the 'City of Love.' It is also the city of great museums, classic facades, stoic monuments, and graceful bridges that titillate the eye, inform the mind, and rejuvenate the spirit. There is another Paris-a Paris of public parks and gardens throughout the city, and still another of secret gardens which are hidden behind walls of privacy somewhat unattainable.

As I explored the urban green spaces of Paris, I became aware of its old weathered trees, variety of flowers, and array of plant life that are an integral part of the Parisian experience and help to define the city's beauty and significance. I thought of what trees see and endure. Their presence have inspired passion and sustained my quest throughout the project.

On a winters day, as I stroll through the Luxembourg Garden, I observe the mood created by gnarled branches of chestnut trees silhouetted and stoic against an opal sky. As I walk along the banks of the Seine, I notice the strong yet sensual intertwining roots of a lone linden tree gripping the earth for nutriments and survival as the river gently flows by. In a late summer's afternoon behind the Notre Dame, I find an intimate garden with beds of roses in full bloom. In the background the flying buttresses and impish gargoyles of the cathedral are seen in contrast to the intricate blossoms. Near the base of the Eiffel tower I discover an old worn tree with its weathered trunk with its out reaching branches that become interwoven with the steel girders of the towering structure. Finally they merge together and disappear in space. At Parc Floral Vincennes obscured under low hanging boughs of a shade tree, I photograph families with active children, lovers entwined, and lone figures lying on lush lawns. In the Fall, I climb the steep stone steps in Parc de la Turlure atop Montmartre. There I find wildflowers blossoming in juxtaposition with the bare branches of a dormant black locus tree. The dome of the Sacré Coeur is protrudes over the ridge like a full moon rising in the wilderness. At that moment, I feel that I am in nature and nature is within me, although I soon realize that all the while I am in a city of street life, heavy traffic, and congestion.
The plant life I have encountered in the parks and gardens give a dimension of meaning to the city of light, the city of love. This is the nature of Paris."

Bruce Davidson, 2007


France, Paris. 2006. Parc Montsouris

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