The club recently enjoyed a photographic outing to Château de Rochechouart, where members spent the day exploring this impressive historic building and its surroundings. Although the weather was a little warm, the château provided plenty of welcome shade and cool corners for occasional respite while offering a fascinating mixture of historic and contemporary subjects.
The château itself makes an imposing sight, with its drawbridges, towers and turrets giving it a real sense of grandeur. Inside, however, its historic rooms have been transformed into a museum and modern art gallery, creating a striking contrast between the building’s medieval character and some decidedly contemporary—and at times rather unusual—artworks.
Among the highlights were two rooms where remarkable historic frescoes have been preserved. One features a dramatic deer hunt extending across the walls, while the other depicts scenes associated with Hercules. Although inevitably showing some signs of damage and deterioration over the centuries, the frescoes remain remarkably impressive and provided members with some particularly interesting photographic opportunities.
Lunch was an entertaining affair at the tiny Creperie, Lilozen. Due to there being 8 members in our party together with the numerous visitors for take out, our lone patron was not the quickest in producing our lunch, however he was very courteous and friendly and there was plenty of time for amicable conversations at the table. The food was plentiful and tasty.
The outing produced a wide variety of photographs, with numerous images subsequently shared and discussed at the club meeting. It was another enjoyable day combining photography, history, art and good company.
