Having reached the tail end of a wondrous journey across Paris, I found myself at the foot of Montmartre, and looked up to enjoy the view of the Basilica of Sacre Coeur, knowing that once I made my way up, I could start taking photos of the city in its entirety. It was during the slow ascent that I came to decide on a few things, namely, I that must return to the city soon and, in the event that it should happen, it would be sacrilege to stay for a period of time shorter than a month.

However, how does one stay in Paris, and for weeks at that, in a city where a bottle of water is a Euro down the drain (or the throat, for that matter)? One would naturally be doing all of the requisite touristy activities, including a walking tour of the Latin Quarter and shopping in the Saint Ouen Flea Market and Rue Etienne Marcel; most of which would require you to spend at least on nourishment. In my reverie, it dawned upon me that I might as well hunt and gather for a living.

It was only when I reached the open-air studio of the Artists Square when the answer dawned on me, perhaps I could try my hand at painting here? The five-minute sketch costs around 10
euro, a few pastels and colored pencils start at 20 euro. A fine enterprise, if one is willing, but I shrugged off the idea when I realized how my works pale in comparison with the Montmartre
artists.

WHERE MARTYRS FOR ART TREAD

Montmartre means mount of mars, signifying ‘mountain of the martyr’ in reference to Saint Denis who was decapitated on the hill. This artists’and bohemians’ quarter is situated in the 18th arrondissemont (district) of Paris. The open square is lovingly called Place du Tertre, which is a few streets away from the Basilica. Artists started populating this square in the 1800’s, easily becoming an artistic center of Paris. Popular arstists who have lived and worked in this area include Pablo Picasso and Amedeo
Modigliani, two among the many creatives who lived in Le Bateau-Lavoir.

The square has seen its share of Impressionism, Cubism, Fauvism, Surrealism and modern painting. A Post-Impressionist, avant-garde
collective called Les Nabis and a highly irrational and iconoclastic art movement called Incoherents were formed in this area,
members of which frequent the square. Artists including Vincent Van Gogh, Henri Matisse, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Edgar Degas, Toulouse- Lautrec, and even the jazz poet Langston Hughes, have found inspiration in the place. Now the square is home to 298 painters, portraitists and caricaturists, all whom share the square under the Montmartre Artists Association.

DELIGHTFUL SQUARE

Montmartre achieved worldwide popularity of late because of the film “The Fabulous Destiny of Amélie Poulain, which, even though the film showed an idealized version of modern Parisian life, still managed to highlight the details that make Montmartre a romantic
place. It is in this note that I let go of my dreams of working alongside the French contemporary painters. Instead, I sit back, and reach in my bag for ten Euros as I ask the man (in French of course) for a discounted charcoal portrait.