Robinson never intended to do anything more than continue painting (his work has been shown in some of the world's most prestigious galleries, from New York to Cologne) and transform his old wreck of a mill, Le Moulin Brégeon, into a luxurious compound of traditional buildings for visiting Francophiles.
But watching his beloved France succumb to what Robinson considers the worst of modernism spurred him into action.
''A bell jar made of glass, cement, and steel is descending on France," Robinson said. ''It's going to suffocate the visual beauty and poetry of the country."
The defense of France is as important as fighting for the Amazon rain forest, Robinson insists.
''France represents a biodiversity of beauty. The French really thought about the idea of beauty, with all their senses. You see it in their food, their wine, their architecture, their furniture. They even manipulated their language so it would sound pleasing to the ear. And I see it being erased," he said.
Surprisingly, Robinson's passion has struck a chord among the notoriously imperious French.
''We urge him on and we're behind him," says Dominique Tronca, 47, an Association MB member who belongs to a six-centuries-old artisan guild and specializes in traditional woodworking. ''He has the passion to speak up that we don't have. We think our way of life is coming to an end but we don't know what to do about it."
Guests at Le Moulin Brégeon cannot help but absorb some of the proprietor's passion for French tradition and culture. The mill, which has five guest suites with private bathrooms, sits on 20 acres of streams, gardens, trails, and bike paths in the middle of quiet countryside, miles from town. The mill was rebuilt in the 19th century, but when Robinson began renovations, he found traces of an old monastery beneath the foundation dating to the 15th century.
