Côte d'Opale
Encyclopedia
The French Opal Coast covers the seaside holiday area of the Pas de Calais, from Calais
in the north to Berck
in the south, but also extends to Le Crotoy
. It is known for its beautiful cliff
s such as Cape Blanc Nez and Cape Gris Nez and for its wide area of dunes.
Many artists have been inspired by its landscapes, among them the composer Henri Dutilleux
, the writers Victor Hugo
and Charles Dickens
, and the painters J. M. W. Turner
, Carolus-Duran
, Maurice Boitel
and Eugène Boudin
. It was the painter Édouard Lévêque who coined the name for this area in 1911 to describe the distinctive quality of its light.
Calais
Calais is a town in Northern France in the department of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's capital is its third-largest city of Arras....
in the north to Berck
Berck
Berck, sometimes referred to as Berck-sur-Mer, is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France and lies within the Marquenterre regional park, an ornithological nature reserve...
in the south, but also extends to Le Crotoy
Le Crotoy
Le Crotoy is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France. The inhabitants are known as Crotellois-Geography:Le Crotoy is situated on the D143 and D71 crossroads, on the estuary of the river Somme, some northwest of Abbeville....
. It is known for its beautiful cliff
Cliff
In geography and geology, a cliff is a significant vertical, or near vertical, rock exposure. Cliffs are formed as erosion landforms due to the processes of erosion and weathering that produce them. Cliffs are common on coasts, in mountainous areas, escarpments and along rivers. Cliffs are usually...
s such as Cape Blanc Nez and Cape Gris Nez and for its wide area of dunes.
Many artists have been inspired by its landscapes, among them the composer Henri Dutilleux
Henri Dutilleux
Henri Dutilleux is one of the most important French composers of the second half of the 20th century, producing work in the tradition of Maurice Ravel, Claude Debussy, and Albert Roussel, but in a style distinctly his own...
, the writers Victor Hugo
Victor Hugo
Victor-Marie Hugo was a Frenchpoet, playwright, novelist, essayist, visual artist, statesman, human rights activist and exponent of the Romantic movement in France....
and Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
, and the painters J. M. W. Turner
J. M. W. Turner
Joseph Mallord William Turner RA was an English Romantic landscape painter, watercolourist and printmaker. Turner was considered a controversial figure in his day, but is now regarded as the artist who elevated landscape painting to an eminence rivalling history painting...
, Carolus-Duran
Carolus-Duran
Charles Auguste Émile Durand, known as Carolus-Duran , was a French painter and art instructor. He is noted for his stylish depictions of members of high society in Third Republic France.-Biography:...
, Maurice Boitel
Maurice Boitel
Maurice Boitel Maurice Boitel Maurice Boitel (July 31, 1919 – August 11, 2007 in Audresselles (Pas-de-Calais), was a French painter.-Artistic life:Maurice Boitel belonged to the art movement called "La Jeune Peinture" ("Young Picture") of the School of Paris, with painters like Bernard Buffet, Yves...
and Eugène Boudin
Eugène Boudin
Eugène Boudin was one of the first French landscape painters to paint outdoors.Boudin was a marine painter, and expert in the rendering of all that goes upon the sea and along its shores...
. It was the painter Édouard Lévêque who coined the name for this area in 1911 to describe the distinctive quality of its light.
External links
- Côte d'Opale : Tourism, shopping, B&B
- Le Cap Blanc Nez
- Le Cap Gris Nez
- Le Grand Site des 2 Caps
- Slipping on Côte d'Opale : B&b, Gîtes, Hôtels ...