The Weather Outside

This morning, we woke to the sound of trucks salting the roads.  Overnight, the cold temperature (in the teens) and some moisture in the air combined for a dusting of snow.  Below are a couple of photos taken from our terrace.  

Museums: National Gallery of Art #2

Our visit to the National Gallery of Art continues in the East Building.

The East Building typically exhibits modern and contemporary art, plus large temporary exhibitions.

When we visited, we learned the museum was hosting a small exhibition of modern art, including important works by Jackson Pollock.  Needless to day, Greg was very happy seeing many Pollock paintings.

Pictured below is Pollock's Mural.  The myth about the painting goes something like this:  Peggy Guggenheim, Pollock's patron, was planning an art exhibition and dinner for important people in her apartment.  She wanted to show a new work by Pollock.  She kept asking Pollock "Where's my painting?"  Pollock procrastinated, until the day before the event.  Then, over the course of one day, he started and finished Mural and delivered it to Peggy Guggenheim's apartment.

Sometimes, a myth is true, but not in this case.  The truth is that Pollock spent weeks working on the painting.  Scientific analysis confirmed that Pollock worked on the painting, allowed it to dry and then reworked it, painting over parts he had already finished.  So, in this instance, the myth is busted.  Still, the painting is an amazing work of art.  

   

Below is a portion of Lavender Mist, enlarged to show the detail. 

Thanks for visiting the National Gallery of Art with us.  Let's return soon.  There is much more to see.  

Museums: National Gallery of Art #1

If you love great art, then one of the best museums to visit in DC is the National Gallery of Art.  

The original National Gallery of Art, the West Building, was completed in 1941.  The West Building is impressive, outside and in, and exhibits fine art over the centuries, including modern art.  

The East Building of the gallery was designed by famed I.M. Pei and was opened in 1978 and exhibits modern and contemporary works of art.  

We recently visited the National Gallery of Art and started in the West Building.  Check it out.

 A lovely work of art in the rotunda of the West Building.

When we visited, the museum was hosting a temporary exhibition featuring Johannes Vermeer and his contemporaries. The exhibition provided a glimpse into daily life in Holland in the mid-1600's.  

When Greg looked at Woman Holding a Balance, he concluded the subject matter of the painting was deeply religious.  Perhaps 12 months of viewing Renaissance religious artwork has skewed Greg''s view.  You can decide the picture's deeper meaning for yourself.

The permanent collection of the National Gallery of Art has great works of art by the masters.  A few are pictured below.

The Japanese Footbridge by Claude Monet (1899)

It turns out that the National Gallery is now pet friendly.  Check out the painting below.

Some random hottie pointing to a pet pig in the painting.  

Next Up:  The East Building

Random Things in DC #2--Holiday Edition

We wish everyone a happy holiday season.  We are enjoying the season here in D.C. Below are some random photos.

If anyone has super-sized nuts, we know where you can them cracked.

The west front of the U.S. Capitol decorated for the holiday season.

At dinner on Christmas Eve, we were celebrated by some harmonizing elves.

Of course, there has to be a picture of a nativity scene.  The scene above reminds us of the many miniature and life-size presepe we saw in Italy last year.  

Happy holidays!

Street Art in DC #1

If you have followed this blog, we know already that we enjoy street art.  Florence, like NYC, had a lot of street art, which we shared on this blog.

Here in DC, street art is not as prevalent, at least, not in the neighborhoods where we have ventured.  Of course, we know DC surely has a lot of street art and we will find it.

The other day, while walking in the DuPont Circle neighborhood, we found some art.  It was not on the street, but under it.  

Let's first jump into the Way-Back machine and travel back to DC in the 1950's.  Then, street cars were prevalent in DC.  To ease traffic bottlenecks in the city, the street cars traveled underground in parts of the city, including DuPont Circle where an underground station was constructed.  The street cars stopped running in the mid-1960's and the underground station was closed but not demolished.  The tracks and platform are still there.    

Fast forward, the station was recently reopened as DuPont Underground, a performance venue with a subterranean art gallery featuring local artists.  We toured the station and snapped some photos.

Some random hottie viewing art on display, plus high quality graffiti art on the station walls  

A large mural painted on the wall of DuPont Underground

One of the many works on display at DuPont Underground 

Street art under the street.  Who knew?

Georgetown Glow #1

Georgetown Glow is a holiday light art exhibition spread around Georgetown, not far from our apartment. 

During some of our evening strolls, we have seen different installations. Two are featured below. 

Aqueous:  In a Georgetown park bordering the Potomac River, we found Aqueous, pictured below. 

What made Aqueous fun was being able to walk on it, which caused the lighted pathway to shift from blue to red.  Below, Susan is pictured doing her impression of Michael Jackson in the Billie Jean video, making the walkway change color under her feet. 

Susan as MJ

MJ

The resemblance is uncanny.   Don't you agree?

My Light is Your Light:  Another installation that we liked is called My Light Is Your Light, located in front of Grace Episcopal Church on Wisconsin Avenue in Georgetown.

We learned that the artwork is a tribute to refugees which was inspired by the artist's work as an interpreter for refugees from Syria, Iraq, Sudan and Somalia.  Seeing the artwork in a churchyard during the holiday season made viewing the artwork more poignant. 

Wildlife in DC

The other day, we spotted some unexpected wildlife n DC.  While strolling along the waterfront in Georgetown, we can upon a vast frozen expanse.  There, we saw many native children bundled in winter coats.  They were skating with penguins!  A most extraordinary sight so far from the South Pole.  The penguins were smartly dressed, not to mention talented.  While standing at attention, the penguins pulled the natives across the ice with seeming ease.  It was a strange, happy sight.  

Susan refused to join the fun.  It turns out that Susan, who has a mortal hear of snakes, also has a mortal fear of penguins.  Greg suspects the fear is based on some childhood trauma at the zoo.  

Who knew?

Random Things in DC #1

It's the holiday season in DC.  Wherever we walk, we see signs of the season, like the ones below.

In the heart of DC, we went shopping at Macy's, which is located in the former Hecht's department store building.  Like the Macy's at Herald Square in Manhattan, this Macy's had windows decorated for the season.  Below is a scene depicting Santa's workshop, with a happy shopper holding a bag of holiday booty. 

Speaking of Santa, while we were strolling in Georgetown, we spotted Santa hanging from a window ledge.  Since the big day has not yet arrived, we guessed that either Santa was burglarizing the house to supplement the output of the elves in his workshop, OR Santa was stepping out on Mrs. Claus and had to quickly exit the bedroom out the window when the husband unexpectedly arrived.  Thief or philanderer?  You decide.  

Happy holidays!

"Say hello to my little friend." #2

Susan has made a new friend in D.C.  

The friend (pictured below) was hanging in the subway, rather than in his usual crib at the National Zoo.  

Susan spotted him (we think he's a he; it's hard to tell) and decided to give him a bear hug.

Some random hottie and her little friend

It's a good thing Susan doesn't resemble a bamboo stalk   Otherwise, Susan would be lunch. 

P.S.  Do you want to see our little friend in action?  Then, click here.