The small village of Journans in France's Ain department is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its beloved art festival, "Les Journandises," with a spectacular final edition that brings classic paintings to life. Over a weekend, local residents transform into living recreations of masterpieces by renowned artists including Courbet, Renoir, Vermeer, Matisse, and Rembrandt.
In the streets of Journans, still life paintings become anything but still. Henri Matisse's goldfish and Cézanne's apples come alive under the watchful eyes of delighted spectators. This is the magic of Les Journandises - for one weekend in this small town in Ain, paintings by the greatest masters take on new life. "Here, nothing is frozen, the painting breathes, the paintings whisper, the characters move," announced the herald welcoming the first visitors on Saturday, October 11.
The festival's unique approach involves local residents opening their homes and gardens to host these artistic recreations. For each artwork, a village resident has lent their home or garden as a backdrop. From Vermeer's "The Milkmaid" to Rembrandt's drapers, characters from another era find their anchor in residents' homes. "This is the spirit of Les Journandises - we've been doing this for 20 years, and each time the residents open their courtyards, their houses, their gardens to welcome the artists," explains Cristian Geray, a volunteer with Journans' cultural association.
Les Journandises was born 20 years ago from a simple idea, according to Christine Levy, who has been part of the event's organization since its very first days. "We wanted to introduce all forms of art to as many people as possible," she recalls. After editions dedicated to textile art and Sunday painting, the cultural association of Journans had planned a grandiose final tableau for its 15th and final edition.
The attention to detail in each recreation is remarkable. Whether depicting works by Courbet, Renoir, or Millet, the staging is carefully crafted and the painting is placed in its proper context before the image freezes into the iconic pose. "It's fascinating and touching to see how much the performers have thought about the paintings, their costumes, the staging," observes Christine Levy. "We have directors who made them rehearse, who made them think about how to best show the painting, and each time it's an improvisation."
During the weekend, 80 performers are mobilized to embody about twenty different paintings, from gleaners to washerwomen. The diversity of artworks includes recreations of Jean-François Millet's "The Gleaners" and even Frida Kahlo's "The Frame." "We wanted to give spectators a different perspective on paintings that are often well-known, but that people don't necessarily take the time to really look at," affirms Cristian Geray.
The attentive public has been thoroughly impressed by the innovative approach. One spectator enthusiastically remarked, "I find this extraordinary, this idea is brilliant. It takes us to places we don't see because we don't look at these paintings much, and it does us good." Another visitor exclaimed, "It's breathtaking reconstruction work, it's really magnificent, a very beautiful idea."
In Journans, art is no longer confined to museums - it is lived, played, and shared through this final life-sized tableau. The festival represents two decades of passion for making classical art accessible and engaging for ordinary people, transforming a quiet village into a living gallery where masterpieces come alive through community participation.
