The French Riviera, that sun-splashed strip of coast which curls along southern France from Marseilles to Menton, is an international playground of sophisticated informality. Christened the Côte d'Azur, this sliver of Provence has long attracted vacationers to its beneficent beaches, its superb climate and the luxury of its cosmopolitan resorts. Joining these carefree fun worshipers recently was impressionist LeRoy Neiman, Playboy's roving ambassador of the palette on assignment in Europe.
Equipped with sketch pad and his own sharp eye for hue and detail, Neiman roamed the Riviera's glittering shores in search of subjects. Like other artists who have drawn inspiration from this favored coast -- Picasso, Monet, Renoir, et al. -- he was deeply impressed by the vivid Mediterranean colors. "It's a region of bright greens, yellows and reds," he says, "playing off against the silver-gray of olive trees, the brilliant white of limestone and the startling cobalt blue of the sea.
"Nice," he observes, "is called the queen of the Riviera; as such she's something of a dowager, a bit faded, but extremely elegant, and still very capable of kicking up her heels. There's a good deal of aristocratic wealth in the hillside villas, the casino and opera house -- and a contrasting youth and bounce in the bikini-clad girls who squeal into the swim of things on the beaches. The two modes of life come together on the Promenade des Anglais, a waterfront esplanade thronged with boulevardiers and their sun-suited companions.
"Cannes is more casual -- and more crowded. Focal point for daylight play is the Croisette, a mile-long stretch of beach bordered on one side by cooling surf and on the other by flower gardens, palm trees and huge luxury hotels. Here, reclining on the white sands beneath multicolored umbrellas, are some of Europe's most abundantly endowed women, bursting with a kind of golden health. All thoughts of time and work seem to have been tossed to the gentle Mediterranean winds."
On these pages Neiman's paintings capture the seductive aura of casual play that is a specialty of the ultraspecial Riviera.
