If you've ever visited the National Gallery in Washington, DC, you know just how vast their art collection really is. That doesn't include, of course, all of the pieces that are hidden away and are rarely seen on exhibit. I was able to spend an entire day there a while back. I could have stayed much, much longer, but with limited time to visit other landmarks, I just spent the day. I took hundreds of photos, and stared at pieces I'd only seen in books, or talked about in Art History class in college. For the first time, I could stand in front of these pieces, and really look at them in greater detail. I could see each brush stroke, and how each one formed an object, a person. Or how vivid, or not, the color was in each piece. You really want the paint to still be wet, and be able to smell the linseed oil. It takes a lot of will power, I believe, just to stand and stare, when all you long to do is reach out and feel the texture of the paint.
The beauty of each piece was not just in the paint, but also in the frames. Even though they may seem gaudy by today's standards, they have a massive, ornate quality that cannot be overlooked. I even preferred the frames sometimes, over the painting, or maybe the painting was just not meant to compete with such a frame.
The photos below is just a very small sample of what I saw. I hope to share more soon. If you've never been, you really should add the National Gallery to your list of "things to do". Enjoy!
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