No relaxing this morning! It was 63º when I left Beckley at 7:15, and I got through the fog-filled valleys east to White Sulphur Springs to visit The Greenbrier. In the style of The Homestead, I have always been aware of The Greenbrier, but never had the opportunity to visit it. As you can see, it is right on my way, so this is a perfect opportunity to stop and take a look - the friendly guard gave me a day pass:
the North Entrance is great (especially after 4 nights at Super 8's):
the interior is lovely:
and I had a very nice visit with their Concierge - she loaded me up with postcards and brochures; and the Main Entrance is Very Impressive!
Three hours later I made it up to Winchester, Virginia (the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley) - it had climbed to 92º at noon! They have four pieces I want to see (Cropsey, Kensett, JMW Turner, and Francesco Guardi), but I had not planned ahead for this stop. That is code for:
"I did not contact the Museum ahead of time to see if the pieces are available for viewing."
(The pieces were not on display; but it was right on my way to DC, so I did not lose any time.) I got into Washington at 1:30 (98º) and got to my SpotHero parking garage without any problems. The National Gallery of Art was 3-blocks-down-and-4-blocks-over:
The primary reason for going to DC is the Hubert Robert (1733-1808): A Visionary Painter exhibition, at The National Gallery of Art from June 26 to October 2. I love how he incorporates everyday life amongst towering ruins of past empires; plus, Ellie saw this Exhibition at The Louvre on April 13 earlier this year, on her visit to Paris. Although no photos were allowed in the Exhibition, there were two Beautiful hangings right outside the gallery:
I had previously purchased the Exhibition Catalog
so I was already familiar with what I was going to see. I made note of 37 specific pieces that I love - some were HUGE! This is The Fountains, 1787-1788, one-of-four from The Art Institute of Chicago:
The painting is over 8 feet tall by over 7 feet wide, and the four pieces are displayed around an intimate circular gallery. I have to make a "Big Paintings" app - it is stunning to see these large excellent works of art!
Once again, the veracity of "If you want to see Art, you have to go out and actually See The Art." holds true. There is a painting in the catalog (they had a copy in the gallery) that is very dark and somber (in the catalog), but on-the-wall it is bright and alive and almost joyful. I'll have to write a blog with all the appropriate images.
Other highlights at the National Gallery of Art include:
Andrew Wyeth - Wind from the Sea, 1947
John Singer Sargent - Repose, 1911
Alfred Thompson Bricher - A Quiet Day near Manchester, 1873
J.M.W. Turner - Venice: The Dogana and San Giorgio Maggiore, 1834
Claude Monet - Woman with a Parasol - Madame Monet and Her Son, 1875
Canaletto - The Square of Saint Mark's, Venice, 1742/1744
Master of Saint Giles and Assistant - Episodes from the Life of a Bishop Saint, c. 1500
(I don't know how many of you caught the detail in the center of the painting - a man laying on hands and casting out a demon)
The National Gallery of Art has taken over from the Corcoran Gallery of Art, which went out-of-business in 2014, and I like the new displays much better than the Corcoran's "Salon style".
Albert Bierstadt - Buffalo Trail: The Impending Storm, 1869
I then went a few blocks north to the Smithsonian American Art Museum - it closes at 7:30 PM! I won't repeat my blog of April 29, 2014, so here are some other highlights:
Louis Comfort Tiffany - Market Day Outside the Walls of Tangiers, Morocco, 1873
Samuel Colman - Clearing Storm at Gibralter, about 1860
Jasper Francis Cropsey - Greenwood Lake, 1875
WOW - then an hour-and-a-half north to the Super 8 in Jessup, Maryland (just southwest of Baltimore). Excellent dinner at Five Guys - 369 miles driven today. Thank you God for these wonderful Adventure Days!
Music today - I started with the windows rolled up, so I was able to listen to some New Music:
Taken by Trees - East of Eden, 2009
The Tallest Man on Earth - Dark Bird Is Home, 2015
Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band - Ultimate Hits: Rock 'n Roll Never Forgets, 2011 (2 cds)
"Roll Me Away" lyrics:
Stood alone on a mountain top starin' out at the Great Divide
I could go east I could go west it was all up to me to decide
Just then I saw a young hawk flyin' and my soul began to rise
And pretty soon
My heart was singin'
Avicii - True, 2013
The Mountain Goats - Transcendental Youth, 2012
Little Big Town - Tornado, 2012
(I enjoyed this one so much I listened to it twice!)
Shameless Plug: if you enjoy this blog, you may like my other one about Hiking the 4,000 footers in New Hampshire (I have done all 48-of-48 thru July 2016!!)
hyperlink: dixonheadingnorth
http://dixonheadingnorth.blogspot.com/
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