Art Museums

Oops! I didn't even realize I hadn't posted about this! I've been getting really caught up with my craft blog that I guess I've been neglecting this one. Or maybe because I don't really post crafts here anymore there isn't anything to post about. :P

Anyway! This last weekend I spent with my parents and we watched chick flicks, went to art museums, and had a Big Bang Theory marathon. The first and last items don't really produce pictures, so I'll primarily be talking about the art museums!

A huge perk of living near D.C. is that there are an endless (or so it seems) amount of museums that you can spend your afternoon in. This particular trip was geared toward the Littlest Brother for a project he was working on for school. We spent most of the afternoon perusing around the museums and taking pictures.

I tried to improve my photography skills, but alas, my mother is much more gifted in the photography department than I am.

I took A LOT of pictures of my favorite works or art, but I'll try not to bore you and give you the feeling that you are in a museum too. So I'll only share a few of them. This was "Dishes with Oyster, Fruit, and Wine" by Osias Beert the Elder. The detail is absolutely amazing, I spent a lot of time just staring at the brush strokes.

This is the only Da Vinci in the United States, it's called "Ginevra de 'Benci." Once you get over the eeriness of it, it's actually quite a beautiful painting. I guess with pale skin and an unsmiling face it's not too hard to look a little eerie.This was David's favorite painting.

I was in awe with this beautiful magnolia painting, "Giant Magnolias on a Blue Velvet Cloth" by Martin Johnson Heade. (I think more titles of paintings should be this straightforward!) The velvet backdrop looks real enough to touch and I could almost smell the flowers.

It was a beautiful day so we spent some time outside enjoying D.C...

And creating our own art. :)

I had a little more difficulty really appreciated the pieces in the modern art museum. Call me a jerk, but I really don't see how pencil and chalk scribbles on a bare white wall is art. To really appreciate I like to see that real work went into it and/or the artist is really trying to convey a powerful message. To me, a perfectly white canvas just doesn't do that. However, there were some pretty cool pieces that I did enjoy. This one was "Jasper" by Chuck Close. Get a little closer...

Now that is cool. I wish I had that kind of talent and eye for color.

I never really thought of light as art, but this one helped me see otherwise. It was mesmerizing to watch the patterns and lights change. This one is "Round Rainbow" by Olafur Eliasson.

This one I just thought was funny. That's pollen. Yes, all of that yellow stuff is pollen. On the floor. And it's art! Who knew? :) "Pollen from Hazelnut" but Wolfgang Laib.

This was my dad's favorite from the sculpture garden. This is "Needle Tower" by Kenneth Snelson. I wanted to stand under it and look u just like he did when he ws a kid, but we didn't think they would let us get that close to the art. Bummer. :(

I took so many more pictures, but like I said, I won't bore you with them. Hopefully I'll have some more exciting things happen in life soon to share. But until then, happy Friday! :D