One of my favorite places in the city... I come here every other month or so, alone, just to clear my mind and relax and be inspired. I love to see the new collections and visit my favorite pieces. It's a great way to get away and reflect have "me" time. I've vowed to make the most of summer hours at work on Fridays and so far I've been happy with the adventures - The Beach Waterpark, the driving range, a massage and this week, the art museum... and the next two will be spent en route to and in England!
Many of the galleries are closed off right now - perhaps summer is a slow season, but I'm really looking forward to what's to come in Gallery 201 - which is usually where you begin after entering the lobby. It used to house ancient Egyptian artifacts and vessels and the like - it will be refreshing to see something new - those things have been there as long as I can remember!
I always stop to admire one of my favorite pieces in the museum's permanent collection, "Rocks at Belle-lle, Port Domois" by Claude Monét. The powerful somber colors of the water hitting the granite rocks is an Impressionism masterpiece.
I also love visiting the Damascus Room - a full parlor room of an affluent Syrian family - it's mind-blowing how they've transported and assembled it again.
The neatest thing I saw on this excursion to the museum was the effort of Conserving Van Gogh. They are working to restore "Undergrowth of Two Figures." It was really interesting to watch the curator scan across the painting as it was shown above on a flatscreen TV. He will capture the changes and use Photoshop to create an image of what the painting looked like when it was first created. He said many of the dyes used then were made from plants or bugs or had a high iron content - Van Gogh's brother brought him paints and were likely not very high quality - so over time they've browned or turned green in spots that used to be pink or yellow. They believe this piece was completed in the last weeks of his life. If you have a chance, the gentleman working on the art is there most days and is very intriguing and interesting to speak with.
It's a lovely place to spend a quiet day out of the heat or cold and to soak up a little awe and inspiration. If I had my druthers, my wedding would be here someday. The café has delicious lunches in the beautiful courtyard with statues and fountains in the background... It's pretty amazing what you'll learn and the sights you'll see - especially in the upstairs Contemporary Gallery where a volunteer once told me it's haunted by a girl who hung herself after she had an affair with her professor when it was the Art Academy. Admission is free and so is parking if you get a spot in the lot across from Seasongood Pavilion.
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