Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Washington DC

National Portrait Gallery, Augustus Saint-Gaudens
Today was my kind of day.  It was saturated with art. As I've stated before, the hotel is in a prime location, and we were able to walk about 5 blocks to the National Portrait Gallery.  We began our visit with the  "Portraiture Now" series' seventh installation.  Last year we saw the sixth installation of miniature portraits that were amazing in their detail and realism.  This exhibition looks at the narrow boundaries that once defined drawing and portraiture with artists who explore the melding of painting, video, writing, computer technology and photography as well as drawing.  All the artists are meticulous in their work, probe the psychological make up of their subjects and use scale to a very effective degree.  Please take a look at their works here.  Each artist is listed to the side with links to view the works.  
We took a long look at the early works that documented the beginnings of our country from the earliest settlements through the Civil War and Reconstruction.  Particularly, I remember portraits and busts of Pocahontas, Abigail Adams, Booker T. Washington, John Brown and Elizabeth I.  
The American Art Museum is attached to the Portrait Gallery.  We crossed over to see an exhibit , The Civil War and American Art, that examines how American artists represented the impact of the Civil War and its aftermath.  There were amazing works from the Hudson River Valley artists, Bierstadt, Church and Gifford, and, for me, a new look at Winslow Homer. Here is a video trailer of the show.   There is a large, beautiful atrium that connects the two museums.  We sat there for a lunch and rest before heading out to the National Gallery
The National Gallery, about 20 minute walk, took us past the Naval Memorial.  It had lovely high relief sculptures circling a open area.  The National Gallery is exhibiting Pre-Raphaelites, one of Wayne's top see list schools of art.  He fell in love with them while attending Oxford University.  They hold several levels of engagement for him.  This show was a curator's coup.  Neither of us have seen such a large grouping before.  There were 130 paintings, sculptures, works on paper and decorative art objects.  It was a fabulous show.  
We ended our day with dinner at Caiba (pronounced Say-Bah), a Latin American restaurant near the hotel.  You can see my interesting fish dish on flickr.  We had Italian Cream Cake for dessert back at the hotel provided by Aunt Juanita.  A perfect ending to a perfect day.  Flickr Pictures Here.

Monday, March 4, 2013

Washington DC

National Women in the Arts Museum:  Freya Grand Landscapes
We are in DC staying at our usual Hilton Hotel which is in a perfect location for us.  We are about .5 mile from the mall and the White House.  After checking in and eating at Cafe Mozart, another regular dining spot when we are here, we walked 2 blocks to The National Women in the Arts Museum.  In a small gallery on the first floor was a show by Freya Grand of landscapes she painted from visits to remote uninhabited places in Ecuador, Peru, Scotland, Ireland, Botswana and the Pacific Northwest.  I am glad we saw this as Grand develops the compositions of her paintings and drawings in her studio.  This means she is using photography and memory to paint the idea and emotional content in the landscape rather than an exact replication.  She certainly captured that idea in her paintings of Scotland.  Having just been there it was so clear how she had captured the essence of the place. 
We met Adam at the hotel for dinner and caught up on family, work and future plans.  Flickr pics.

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Woodbridge, VA

Driving Cat
We've been doing nothing but driving the last 2 days, 7 hours from Anna Maria to Walterboro, SC and 9 hours from Walterboro to Woodbridge, VA.  There were some traffic issues that slowed us a bit.  (And there was the funny incident of the driving cat.)  We had a grand welcome at Juanita's and Carlton's.  Sandra and her beau, Todd, were there.  Juanita, the grandest hostess of all, had a full meal cooked for us.  Discussions were lively as always with them.  We criticized the sequestration which is personally affecting Butch and Sandra, analyzed the newest and oldest of movies, elaborated upon the Ai Weiwei show at the Hirshhorn.  A soothing end to a long day of driving. 

Friday, March 1, 2013

Perfectus



Christy and the Sarasota Art Center
Today was the final day of a wonderful and most relaxing month on Anna Maria Island.  I have high marks for the culture, one of civility, cheerfulness and openness.  We were told that the house we have rented for next year would be available for a visit today.  Before noon we picked up the key and drove over.  We are thrilled with it.  The flickr link includes a video of it.  Following the house visit we drove over to Sarasota.  They have a small community Art Center we visited last year and were impressed with.  Again this year the members juried show was hung as well as two invitational shows.  The members show is surprisingly good, the best being unusual takes on a subject or creative use of materials.  One of the invitational shows is an annual event in which artists from around Sarasota produce pieces of fashion from avant-garde materials.  The most interesting pieces were ones which surprised me when I realized what the materials were, i.e. a glittery gown made from pasta shapes that I first thought was threads and metals.  The second invitational, Child's Play, challenged artists to portray their formative years where "they were most likely a bully, victim, bystander or up stander-with the later being the least popular group. ... Some objects represent joy, other works, images of confusion and sorrow.reflect upon their formative years, they were most likely a bully, victim, bystander or up stander-with the later being the least popular group."  From the Art Center we walked up the street to a gem and jewelry show.  I anticipated jewelers selling unique and intriguing pieces.  Instead, it was vendors selling low end beads.  Back home, we're all packed and ready to hit the road tomorrow.  First stop Walterville, SC.  Pictures and video at flickr.