In Virginia! Steve and I headed down here to celebrate Matthew's graduation. Matthew is my cousin and he has just finished high school. Today we went into Washington DC- and got to tool around The National Gallery! I love that place! I'd like to share some pieces I enjoyed today that I thought you might like too...
Here are my favorite paintings from the early Italian Renaissance. First,
Portrait of a Youth by Botticelli. See how exquisite Botticelli is with color? He really packs a bright wallop! And yet with such class.
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This is
Madonna and Child by Domenico Ghirlandaio. Those Italians! I love how they painted so brightly up until Raphael. This painting is a great example of fresh color use: the sky blue and pink Mary wears, and Jesus in that periwinkle. All ensconced in goldleaf! Oo and what a rich trim she has on her cloak!
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Welcome to
Ginevra de'Benci by Leonardo Da Vinci! On the back of this painting Da Vinci painted a juniper plant that's swirled about with the logo, "
VIRTUTEM FORMA DECORAT," or
"Beauty adorns virtue."
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Also hung out with the American Impressionists! Late 19th Century and early 20th Century. I didn't know I was going to get to see such precious pieces- my favorites again!
First,
Repose by John Singer Sargent. This is actually a small painting, and close up it appears to be just a sketch. Yet, when stepping away from it, Sargent's mastery really comes out, because what originally appeared to be a sketch up close morphs into a complete and vibrant painting with distance. His brush strokes are so economical that the finished piece is miraculous in its simplicity! How could so few brush strokes accomplish so much?
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Here's a piece with phenomenal forms. It captivated me. It's
The Mother of Pearl and Silver: The Andalusian by Whistler. So much finesse. In person, this piece is darker- the background looks black- making it appear as if she's emerging out of pure darkness.
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Whew! Well that does it for me! Do you know that some people returning from European travels post-1800 were diagnosed with a certain psychological disease? Yeah. Doctors said their disjointed state on return to America was due to "beauty overload." I hope we catch it too!