the National gallery

   One of the most impressive museums in Washington DC is the National Gallery. I was really surprised by how many famous pieces they had on display. I actually went here twice, on two different days, the first time running through quickly and the second time running through just as quickly but seeing more than before.

The National Gallery does not belong to the Smithsonian as most others do, but it was still free. It takes a while to get into many of the museums since they check everyone going in. The guards have long plastic wands that they use to sort of poke around in backpacks and bags. Oddly enough giant water bottles were allowed to be brought in, something I would have thought of as a risk to the paintings and artwork on display. The other odd thing is that interestingly enough, the cloakrooms were really hard to find. We found them on our third museum and were finally able to enjoy the art without lugging around heavy handbags and shopping. Most people had bags with them, and no one was checking on the way out. I guess stealing is discouraged by increased security guards rather than lack of a place to put stolen goods- not that I would steal, but it does make one wonder...

As this was my first time in this Gallery I am not sure which of the things I saw are part of a permanent exhibition and which are being featured for a limited time. There was a section on impressionist artists while I was there featuring many of the big names as well as one I had heard of but never actually seen in the flesh, Mary Cassatt. I used to have a book of her work that I checked out from the library several times and I was surprised how flat and pale her faces looked in reality. Again, I haven't ever seen her work elsewhere so I cannot judge it in its entirety but I was a little disappointed. I had hoped for so much more from her as she was championed, at least in my book, as a highly accomplished woman painter in an all men's profession.

Here are just two fun little things I saw right at the beginning:

These are caricatures of members of the British parliament, (a couple centuries ago), How fun it that!

 These paintings Illustrating the Life of Jeanne D'Arc were perhaps the most fascinating in the whole building. The level of design and detail in the individual elements created an almost collage-like effect. They seemed to be made of finely cut origami paper but are in fact hand painted and extremely large.

 Watching the Master Tom Keating on youtube the other day I learned that every school of modern painting has been influenced by the Dutch, including the Italians. I hadn't ever consciously thought about it but as is the case every time I see work by Dutch Masters I understand why. They have a light hand that lifts out atmosphere and treats color differently than other groups.

I was amazed at how small these little pictures by Seurat are. I have a teacup of the bathers but I never realized it was life size.

 The Impressionists are always fun- There were a couple of Van Goghs in different color palettes, which was nice, and several more formal Monets, a nice break from the usual flower motives. In general a nice group of pictures.

 John Singer Sargent seems to be popular at the moment, there was a large room shared by his and Whistlers paintings which were nice to see.

 One of my all time favorite artists is Edward Hopper. He may even be my favorite. I love how he deals with the concepts of emptiness and light. A few minutes before closing I ran over to the modern art side to see the two paintings housed there:

 And that was it, We were released out into the sunshine, weighed down in books and postcards and suddenly hungry after forgetting about food for so many hours straight.

Here is my vote for Best of Show- Niagara Falls.

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