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France has long been considered a haven for artists. It is culturally rich and inspiring. It’s serene beauty is just waiting to be captured over every hill. Wonderful vistas and coastlines fill European countries, but it is France that has managed to inspire more artists to live and work there.

Every artist requires a different set of conditions to create their best work. ]The lively art communities that grew up out of the local art scenes attracted some of the best and brightest artists to France over time. Follow in the footsteps of these artist to discover some of the places and communities that inspired them.

Put together an art-themed vacation through France that will open your eyes to each artist’s original view. It will introduce you to quiet French towns and off-the- beaten paths found across her cities.

Normandy

Normandy is best known for its military history. However, these beaches were, and still are, a great source of inspiration for hundreds of artists throughout the years. The most notable painter to capture the sunrise was Monet, from the Le Havre harbor. Numerous scenes across Normandy can be found in Monet’s catalog of paintings, including the cliffs, cathedral and river views.

Paris

Van Gogh and Monet were both inspired by the everyday atmosphere of Paris. Both of these two painters painted scences or everyday people and things that they did in everyday life.

Monet is often considered to be the artist to usher in the age of Impressionism, painting the everyday as it happened, instead of trying to arrange it. The Tuileries Gardens were often featured in his paintings.

Interestingly enough, it has become an exhibition space for Impressionists and other artists. Fans of Van Gogh can find him in the back alley bars, cafes and clubs where he first began to notice the people and scenes that he would become famous for painting.

While in Paris, stop to visit the apartment Van Gogh shared with his brother, and then walk to visit where Degas and Toulouse-Lautrec once lived.

French Riviera

If it is inspiring beachside that you are interested in, the French Riviera was the inspiration that Matisse found to his liking. Matisse did not leave Nice once he arrived. It was here that his painting style underwent dramatic changes.

The light of the clean blue sky and the blue of the sea were his inspiration. These scenic images led to him painting bold and beautiful vantage points that looked out onto it all.

Matisse’s most famous paintings, The Bay of Nice and The Open Window, capture the view indoors looking out onto the sea. This is something you can see for yourself with a stay along the coast.

Arles

Van Gogh went from Paris to Arles. It was a much smaller city, but just as colorful in his eyes. It was here that Van Gogh began to paint out the scenes that he had been studying during his time in Paris.

Arles also small and country enough, that he could walk out into the rural surroundings and capture the beauty of the night sky in images. This can be seen in his painting, Starry Night Over the Rhone.

If you are planning to travel to France, stop in to enjoy a drink at the Van Gogh Cafe. You could also take a walking tour of Arles to spot at least 5 other famous images captured in paintings by the artist, Van Gogh.