Just next door to Parc de Belleville, a mysterious figure is keeping watch from the window.
In Paris ‘villa’ usually signifies an enclosed street of small houses and Villa Castel is no exception. There’s a glimpse through the gateway of a short, cobbled street of red brick houses, with potted plants and overhanging vines. It’s not clear what’s happening to the house that fronts the street. The timber bracing has been in place for at least two years though the watching woman is a recent arrival.
Follow this link for a view beyond the gate.
Beyond the Window Box 
April 3, 2016 at 12:58 am
I wouldn’t like my window covered that way if I lived there, but it is lovely to view from the street.
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April 3, 2016 at 8:36 am
I don’t think anyone’s living in that half of the building at present. It looks as though some major repair work is needed.
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April 3, 2016 at 11:24 am
Judith, the woman is from Edouard Manet’s The Balcony painted in 1869, though why she has been painted there is a mystery. The model is the painter Berthe Morisot. I really like your photos and always look at your posts, particularly the almost abstract images. Do you set out with a theme in mind or does it become clear later? Hilary
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April 3, 2016 at 12:36 pm
Thanks for that information, Hilary. Now I’ve looked up the original I can see this is a careful copy, down to the details of the woman’s necklace, though her expression has come out differently. Apparently art critics didn’t like the green railings of the original so perhaps this is an expression of good taste!
I’m glad you’re enjoying the photos. They are usually just views or details I’ve happened to notice in passing, though I’ll go back with the camera later when I’m not in a hurry or it’s stopped raining. When I run out of inspiration the various WordPress challenges set me off in new directions.
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April 3, 2016 at 2:40 pm
I love this…naturally – to fill spaces with relevant or challenging art is a joy to observe. I am really taken by the diagonal wooden blocks across the windows – it is not clear if they are structural or simply obstructing entry. Strange.
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