I've reflected upon these questions over the years and am finding, more and more, that art is an integral part of my life. It takes many different forms ranging from communing with paintings and sculptures in a museum, seeing photographs in a gallery, enjoying esthetically sculpted storefronts, beautiful furniture, architecture, gorgeously landscaped gardens.
And today, I found art in motion...
My friend Marjorie, who is visiting from the States, asked me to accompany her to a very hip, fashionable clothing store, L'Eclaireur, in the Marais. I'd never been inside, so I accepted with interest.
We skimmed the very expensive, playfully unusual dresses and tried not to drool on them. Because we were together, we had the courage to go all the way to the back of the store, where we found a sight that made us both stop in our tracks. We turned to each other, eyes big and sparkling, trying not to draw attention to ourselves.
A dark-haired woman, her upper-body tilted away from the rack of clothes she was looking through, wore the most stunning coat I have ever seen. It reminded me of a very sleek, chic version of the Little Prince's coat in shiny black.
After seeing this coat, nothing else mattered in the store. And when the woman headed out the store, so did we. We were compelled to tell her how glorious her coat is.
She was deeply touched, posed for a photo, and then told us a little bit about herself. Her name is Salomé, she works for another branch of L'Eclaireur on rue Boissy d'Anglas, and she is from Georgia (the country formerly part of the Soviet Union).
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The coat she wore was designed by her childhood friend, Ms. Nino Chubinishvili, an up-and-coming designer.
Not only were we a witness to a truly beautiful piece of art, under the guise of clothing, but we also shared a very human moment with Salomé. She told us that living in Georgia had been very difficult, but she would not ask to trade her experience if she were to do it again, because her life was very rich and her friendships profound.
I've never before met someone who so knew her place in the history of her country.
And that's Paris for you. You go window-shopping and you end up with art and a sense of history.
Thanks Salomé and good luck Nino.
