Roussillon

Small hill showing the different colors of ochre that can be harvested. Usually they will harvest only yellow ochre and then bake it in a kiln to create darker reds and oranges.

Same hill, different angle.

Just showing how steep the village terrain was.

Some of the buildings in the village, note the contrast in appearance with Lacoste.

"Painted Desert" A cliff inside the ochre mine showing the variation of pigment in the soil.

For my Art History class we started to study the works of impressionist and post-impressionist painters that were inspired by their surroundings when they lived in the South of France. Naturally, understanding how their paints and pigments were created, or should I say harvested, was crucial to understanding where they got all their bright colors from.

Roussillon is a village near Lacoste in the South of France that has become famous over the past century for harvesting its ochre. It is now one of the main providers of ochre for the world. The village buildings were all built using the natural resources found around the town, so the entire village is made of orange, pink, red and yellow buildings. It is a beautiful town recognized by its pink appearance from far distances.

Matt described the layers of ochre built into the cliffs as similar to a painted desert. :)