I woke up still sleepy from a restless night. My body is still adjusting to the six hour time difference between here and the States, plus we have some pretty rowdy neighbors who think they're nocturnal. All of this combined with the drizzle that persisted all day long and a little homesickness creeping in, made for a tiring day.
BUT on the bright side, I got to visit the National Gallery today.
The National Gallery is one of the top 5 art museums in the world and houses the most encyclopedic selection of paintings in a museum in the entire world.
I could have spent all day roaming the halls of this amazing art gallery. The building itself was a piece of artwork with its tall ceilings covered in gold, vaulting and wood work, velveted wall paper and mosaic floors.
I ended up getting separated from the group for most of the trip, partly on accident, mostly intentionally. I love walking around art museums by myself. I like to take my time to appreciate the art, look at the details, and understand the story. Needless to say, I had a wonderful time.
There were several moments that I caught myself on the verge of tears because a painting captured my attention with such severity. Plus, I couldn't believe I was seeing some of these paintings in person. I love the Impressionistic artist Claude Monet, and they had almost an entire room dedicated to his paintings. I spent a lot of time standing close, stepping back and appreciating the color and interpretation of his work. I also, enjoyed the Dega's oil pastels of dancers. Degas captured the movement and life of a performing artist so brilliantly in a still life renderings.
I carried my notebook with me in the art museum and jotted down some thoughts and questions I had while wondering the great halls. Here they are in there rough form:
-Is there some reason art and religion are so interconnected, beyond the fact that for ages spiritualism and the natural world were thought of as one? What is the real reason behind this?
-How does painting communicate?
-Individual people have individual ways that they see the world. We all have a lens of experience that effects, whether for better or for worse, how we function in the world.
-Painting is yet another form in which we can communicate story.
-Painting transports you visually, to worlds that you will never see. It's a type of transportation.
Those thoughts rumbled around in my head as I toured the gallery, took the subway, did my homework, drank my coffee and ate my pastry.
Call me a nerd, but I like to think about those kinds of questions, "The Questions of Life." Humans are incredible creatures. We create art, have knowledge, function independently, communicate..the list goes on.
Ok.
I'm done for the night.
As the English would say, "sorry" for my rambling on.
Until next time,
Bethany Berger
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