Three years ago, while visiting friends in the wine-producing Languedoc-Roussillon region of southern France, Timothy McDonald decided he wanted what they had: a chance to experience small-town life in what is sometimes described as an unspoiled and more affordable version of Provence. A year later McDonald home his wife, Kathleen Brooker, took a mortgage on their paid-up Seattle home and plunked down $200,000 in cash for a 15th-century former shop house in the remote agricultural village of Azille (pop. 1,100), 90 minutes from the Toulouse airport. The couple, both in their early 60s, plan to spend several months a year there after she retires someday from her job as executive director of Historic Seattle. (McDonald, a semiretired architectural preservationist, already spends a month at a time there.) While some aging boomers might put a premium on convenience or a place that can accommodate future physical limitations, McDonald and Brooker bought in a town without even a train station and from a contractor whose idea of tasteful renovations included removing the handrail on the narrow staircase of the three-story stone structure. And why not? They’re fit bikers, runners and history buffs who care more about the town’s proximity to Cathar Romanesque sites and enjoying their French, British and Swiss neighbors. “We wanted to have a bigger life, rather than have a bigger home in the U.S., and ironically we found it in a small French town,” says Brooker. Of course, American billionaires and celebrities have always lived large in Europe. Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen reportedly keeps a staff of 12 at his hilltop villa in St. Jean Cap-Ferrat, along the Côte d’Azur. George Clooney‘s 30-room palazzo on Italy’s Lake Como has starred in many A-list parties. What they’re currently finding, says Ronan McMahon, who reports on real estate trends for the International Living website, is that European prices peaked between 2006 and 2008 and are now all over the map. Stratospheric London and Paris prices never fell that much and have headed back up. But an exodus of youth from rural France and Italy has made homes like the one Brooker and McDonald bought somewhat more affordable. But a weaker euro, low interest rates and crashing real estate prices in parts of the euro zone are prompting more ordinary American Europhiles to look at buying a piece of the Old World .  Then there are Europe’s real estate bust areas, which unlike, say, Nevada and Florida haven’t started their comebacks. McMahon’s advice for those areas: Wait until prices have fallen dramatically and be prepared to hold for a while. That makes him bullish on Spain and Ireland but bearish on Portugal’s Algarve and the Greek islands of Crete, Mykonos and Santorini, where prices are down only 30% from their peak. By contrast, along the scenic Ring of Kerry, near McMahon’s Adare, County Limerick, Ireland base, $100,000 can get you a country cottage, a newly built modern home or a building plot with views of the Atlantic. All would have fetched $500,000 at the peak. In Spain deal hunters have been scooping up apartments in failed developments from banks selling for one-third of the 2007?08 list price. A two-bedroom, two-bath apartment on the Costa del Sol with distant views (on a clear day) of the ocean less than a mile away can be had for $100,000. Beyond the state of the real estate market, consider how a purchase fits into your overall finances and whether you’re really game for the practical, legal and personal challenges of maintaining a home in another country and possibly retiring there. Visit the area you’re considering multiple times, rent a place (rather than staying in a hotel), shop for food, do laundry and get the full residential experience, good and bad. Ask yourself what you’re looking for: a base for travel or a charming destination? A primary or second home? Or maybe just a vacation place that you’ll also rent out? Read Full Article: [link url="https://storify.com/genarohilley/the-cindy-shearin-group-everything-you-need-to-kno"] Read More: [link url="http://manhattanvillage.info/"] [img src="chrome-extension://baockdcbjglcifghbgakofkmajnjfkki/images/icon.png"]

European Paleolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic architecture, sculpture, painting and craft general. Has ever known, the earliest European art works appear in the front-end of the Upper Paleolithic, dating from about 2.5 to 3 million years ago, the Earth in the Tamaki ice age. This Paleolithic art, disappeared with the end of the Ice Age about 10,000 years BC. Mesolithic art types increased, with the imbalance of regional cultural development, independently developed art traditions, different degrees of evolution for the Neolithic art..Their performance begin with animal-based, realistic tactics and vivid. One of the most prominent representatives of the Lascaux caves in France and Spain's Altamira cave paintings. The Lascaux cave animals image momentum majestic, full of dynamic, full of rough original flavor and vitality of the wild. Altamira cave painting "wounded bison, depicts the bison injured after huddled struggle, accurate and powerful performance of the structure and dynamics of the animal. oil paintingportrait paintinganimals paintinglandscapes paintingdecorate paintingPaleolithic Art before the Upper Paleolithic, although the lack of evidence of human image imitation performance, but a practical tool for making and improved, has been shown in many aesthetic factors. Such as the hand ax geometric shape, sense of symmetry, edge small modification and nicks, not primary decorative value, and manufacturing tools to prepare for the creation of works of art modeling techniques. Upper Paleolithic traditionally divided into four main cultural:①Aurignacian culture, cultural②Perigord,③Solutrean culture,④Magdalenian culture. Aurignacian culture is named after the Aurignacian caves in France on the Garonne. Named after France's Perigord Perigord culture, they synthesized the early stages of development of Paleolithic art, female figurines found near Velen the Dov cultural layer in Mordovia, is called " Velen Dov Wiener year carved piece of bone, stone, can be found in the hole on the mural corresponding style the famous caves Lascaux is the most important representatives of this stage. Solutrean culture was named after France Thorne - Loire Solutrean, Magdalenian culture takes its name from the French Dordogne Magdalenian hole, they constitute a late stage of Paleolithic art, the typical Altamira Cave in Spain. The Paleolithic art creators Cro-Magnon people, they belong to the Homo sapiens stage with modern constitution (in particular, the capacity of the brain) undifferentiated. When the ice cover of the European continent, many prairie animals concentrated in the south of France and northern Spain, such as the long-haired rhinoceros, mammoths and reindeer, France - Cantabrian even as the center, Cro-Magnon hunting The people live in a natural cave, and accumulation of skills, experience and knowledge in the long-term struggle for production, and strengthen people's understanding of themselves and their living environment, the development of the spiritual and cultural, painting on the cave, as a tool to add decorative carving. This artistic activities spread to vast areas of the formation of the different local differences in style, but as a whole, their significance and style is unified. Some graphics clearly done by one hand, these cave-drawn graphics are made by a small number of specialized (sorcerers).portrait paintinglandscapes paintingdecorate painting  Paleolithic cave art creation process is complete, first discovered some of the paintings in the finger marks on the wall, may imitate bear claw marks left from these 指痕gradually appear simple, local animal images. Early animal hook only the rough outline shape gradually precise tactics increasingly rich; draw a rich sense of volume to Magdalenian culture period with a variety of color, perspective and accurate large animals, vivid gesture. Often rely on rock walls natural of subcarinal gap as modeling foundation. Hole in through the light irradiation, or The uneven stone looks very much like the hole of Home Ownership in the hole depths swaying the fire in daily contact with the animal images. This psychological projection played a certain role in the formation process of the cave art.portrait paintingPaleolithic art, is generally regarded as a hunting witchcraft, drawings or sculpture to achieve the purpose of the to control hunting objects or proliferation of animal resources. Spears and bows and arrows in the era of the Cro-Magnon people, equipped with wooden handle, from the early Paleolithic budding sorcery, as the production of a "concept", then quite complete. Can clearly see that in many cave paintings, unfinished, held a ceremony traces spear kill shot. Some animals engraved arrow bunch spearhead or trap. Many animals are concentrated draw on a particular wall, probably think that these wall magic, a variety of image often overlap with each other, may them like a real animal, once a "kill" you have to re-draw. In the same period of Pets moving appliances arts, also found a similar treatment. Some animals and the image of the painting in the vicinity of the porosity of the rock wall on behalf of Mother Earth genital, which is to promote them birth, regeneration and hyperplasia. Hole area ofdaily life of the people living in the hole to the Ministry of the painting and sculpture often draw deep in the cave means hunting witchcraft ceremony itself is in the land of his mother's womb. Pursuit of realism in these paintings, in order to improve the inductive effects of witchcraft.oil paintingportrait paintinganimals paintinglandscapes paintingPaleolithic art themes mainly animal figures accounted for a considerable proportion, the the plants image of only a few to a few cases, there handprints and geometric patterns. European bison, wild horses, wild sheep, mammoths, rhinos, deer and some carnivorous animal animals reindeer in the account for a great proportion of the people at that time of life, its horn, bone, skin, flesh and blood are widely take advantage of, but portrayed not by much, probably because the reindeer and warm, clumsy body, easy to kill, the number of the addition, without the aid of witchcraft sake. Similarly, plant production (wooden tools people) And the important dependent objects in life (floral and leaf pulp), but almost did not add portrayed. Characters portrayed often mask covering her face, or personal first beast, this inference when people own image depicting special forbidden. Some may be true portrayal of the shaman practices, some the sorcerer painting in animal concentration in order to reflect the strong control force. Character in the given circumstances as the image of being hurt, and some who inserted more characters (especially in the the art apparatus) is created as the proliferation of racial idol image predominantly female.Paleolithic art distribution range is relatively concentrated, as the center of the cave art in France - Cantabrian even. Southern Spain, the south of the Italian peninsula and Sicily also found that some of the murals of the caves, the earliest cave paintings found in the Ural region of the Soviet Union. Appliances art distribution range is much broader, have been found in parts of Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Poland, the Soviet Union. Appliances art and cave art time and the same style, the Cro-Magnon people in these areas may safari can not find a suitable cave painting or paintings on the rock not been handed down, only appliances arts. Appliances art portable, but also conducive to their spread.oil paintingportrait paintinganimals paintinglandscapes paintingdecorate paintingMesolithic Art after 10,000 years BC. With the end of the Ice Age, the climate gets warmer, land animals and plants have experienced changes affect human life, human culture has changed to adapt to the new environment, resulting in a new form of artistic expression, produced murals, carved chisel, small sculpture. The animal moved north, mainly to depict animals Paleolithic cave art and appliances arts tradition disappeared, replaced by a weak art.portrait paintingMesolithic Art can be divided into three regions. A region is a prosperous region of southern France, northern Spain Paleolithic cave art, the said A Qili culture, leaving little works, its works represent some pebbles on red or black color painting dots and lines, This is Paleolithic Magdalenian geometry during the continuation of the style, but the specific use is unknown.The two regions are the Nordic, mainly rock art. In the open-air cliff boulder painted or carved art works and activities (works portray stones or other materials can be moved). Paleolithic carving found some areas may be created by glaciers during the warm phase safari this crowd, some Stone Age people follow grassland animals moved north to the Nordic. France Ahrensburg found small carved wood patterned portrait, and the southern part of the Rhine and Germany Magdalenian the late cultural and E Qili culture thriving stylized works similarities, about 6000 BC year, there are some semi-realistic drawings carved bone stick.oil paintingoil painting reproductions   In Scandinavia, especially Norway, there has been a vivid realism carving deep Paleolithic the southwest Europe cave art legacy (in 6000 BC to 5000 years before), is the first of the Nordic prehistoric art Phase 1. Later, about 3000 BC, and gradually replaced by a semi-realistic style of painting beast, fish and figures, the shape is more rigid, often depicts animal offal. Using carve concave lines and then fill online techniques, belong to the second stage. Phase 3 began around 2000 BC, is highly simplified program people and animals, the development of this style to the northern part of the Soviet Union and Siberia. These creative people hunting witchcraft. They also found that some of the unexplained symbol is likely to be the initial text. Three regions Levant, eastern Spain. Therefore, the fine arts, also known as the Levant Art. The region after the end of the Ice Age, the living environment has undergone great changes. Flow in open-air rock and cave murals, his mother questions and manifestations are very different from the former. Character-based themes, but not simply performance, which reflects the people's production and labor and social life, such as hunting, mining, sacrifice, execution and life in rural scene. Animal images on the screen still accounts for a large proportion, between the animal and the animal, as well as contact. The size of the image is generally in the range of 15 to 20 cm, the smallest less than 2 cm, a handful of Paleolithic cave paintings on animal. Using a monochrome flat coated image of people and animals, color uniformity, the pigment is hematite, kaolin, tune resin. Hook line shape, lines skilled. Levant rock paintings are painted in the ceremonies in the "Holy Land". These "Holy Land" has been extended to use the Roman era.Often choose specialized rock wall repeatedly drawn several different periods, different content paintings stacked. The earliest the Levant special witchcraft concepts Mural power. Levantine rock art is merely a reproduction of life of the people, or to commemorate the war or major events.The art on the basis of the Paleolithic Levant produced a huge leap forward, not only reflects the complex psychological connotations, more focused on the composition process, and was already evident in the pursuit of the aesthetic aspects of the screen. oil paintingportrait paintinganimals paintinglandscapes paintingdecorate painting Neolithic art in the north of the Alps, the prevalence of a huge stone to build a building, its wall geometric decoration, this art is called megalithic culture, is one of the human type of prehistoric culture created in are distributed in many parts of the world. European megalithic culture in the Neolithic, it without mortar adhesive, entirely with stones Leiqi. This stone building generally divided into 4 types: stone circles, stone pillars, megalithic tomb and temple (1) stone circles. Surrounded by a large stone, in Ireland and the UK, to Stonehenge, in southern England, the most famous. "Stonehenge" in Old English, Italian for "hung up stones. It in equidistant upright boulder, resting on giant Dan Hengliang as the center of the circle to the middle of the stone altar, a total of three circles of stones erected a circle in the peripheral lap trenches, which sprinkled the white soil, ditches Tateishi circle between some after calculation and then setting scattered stones. Stonehenge is a place of religious ceremonies. 2 east of standing stones between empty and near the trenches and a straight line, just on the rocks that constitute the hand painted oil paintingoil paintingoil painting reproductionsProspective summer solstice sunrise azimuth inferred stonehenge sun worship. The②pillars. The huge stones upright, the highest of up to 20 meters high and weighs 300 tons. Some few pieces of poly stand together, plenty of several blocks lined up the ranks. The the French Brittany pillars ranks the most spectacular, a total of more than 3,000 boulders arranged at intervals of three kilometers long. Explained there are several pillars use: one that is as a place for religious ceremonies, said sector, said to commemorate the deceased.③megalithic tomb. Some built on the ground, some buried under a large mound, often as a family tomb. Are distributed in northern France and Scandinavia, the United Kingdom, Ireland, the structure mostly level masonry, Muding, and beam. Megalithic tomb of Mubi and part of the pillars, engraved with patterns, geometric patterns rendered as Yunlei Wen, spiral pattern, diamond-shaped pattern of concentric circles pattern. The④Temple. Relatively complete building is constructed with stones, which enshrines statues. Island of Malta's megalithic temple is the most representative. The megalithic culture also includes the small carved statues of the the giant stone portrait the same period, and the megalithic temple. The former more than the original shape of the stone a little chiseled from the odd shape; latter mostly female body image, emphasizing reproductive organs, is held reproductive worship worship idols. Its style and Neolithic rock art in common.oil paintingportrait paintinganimals paintinglandscapes paintingNeolithic rock art in Europe, completely out of the realist tradition in Paleolithic cave art and appliances arts, has foreshadowed the situation in the Middle Stone Age. European prehistoric art development to the Neolithic dominant trend is gradually stylized nutshell, symbolized in the Nordic prehistoric art can see the evolution of this process gradually. The prevalence of the realistic style of the Levant region, but also has to coexist symbolic artistic tendencies, this tendency may be originated in the Eastern Mediterranean, and later extended to the Iberian Peninsula.Concentrated in the south and southwest of Spain, many geometric and stylized graphics cliffs and caves. Portugal, northern Spain, have also been found, also unearthed a statue, chiseled stone tools and pottery with patterns.www.oilpaintingproducer.com

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