Day Nine: The Phillips Collection - Smithsonian American Art Museum - Howard University Gallery of Art - Smithsonian National Museum of American History

The first stop of the day was The Phillips Collection, 1600 21st St NW. Selections from the Permanent Collection are in the "old house", while the other half contains "American Masters from The Phillips Collection"

Winslow Homer, "To the Rescue", 1886


Claude Monet, "Val-Saint-Nicolas, near Dieppe (Morning)", 1897


Edgar Degas, "Dancers at the Barre", circa 1900


The Gallery Place-Chinatown stop on the DC Metro, which is the stop for the Smithsonian American Art Museum


The Smithsonian American Art Museum, 8th and F NW - 16-of-my-22 artists!! Bierstadt, Bradford, Bricher, Church, Cole, Cropsey, Duncanson, Durand, Gifford, Haseltine, Homer, Huntington, Kensett, Moran, Richards, and Whittredge!! (Hey, stop this - this is not a contest)(well, maybe a little contest ...)


Aside from a stunning interior courtyard, which is also where we had lunch, this Museum is THE PLACE for my Hudson River School artists. I don't know the backstories (whether they knew they were painting for the National Government, or if the Government just purchased their works on the market), but it certainly seems as if some of their Best Works are here (especially for Bierstadt and Church and Moran!).



Thomas Cole, "The Subsiding of the Waters of the Deluge," 1829 - the condition of this canvas is excellent - it looks like it had been painted yesterday!


Albert Bierstadt, "Among the Sierra Nevada, California," 1868. The note for the painting says:
Smithsonian American Art Museum,
Bequest of Helen Huntington Hull,
granddaughter of William Brown
Dinsmore, who acquired the painting in
1873 for "The Locusts," the family estate in
Dutchess County, New York, 1977.107.1


Albert Bierstadt, "Seal Rocks, San Francisco," 1872. The note for this painting says:
Smithsonian American Art Museum,
Private collection


This painting is not in my database (because it is credited as "Private collection"), but it is certainly a companion piece to "Seal Rock," 1872 at the New Britain Museum of American Art up in Connecticut:


but after some research, it is almost identical to Farallon Island, 1887, at the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania


William Bradford, "Looking Out of Battle Harbor," 1877


Frederic Edwin Church, "Aurora Borealis," 1865


Alfred Thompson Bricher, "Castle Rock, Marblehead," 1878


Childe Hassam, "The South Ledges, Appledore," 1913


After all the beauty I have seen, it certainly seems selfish to ask for more. I know, however, that there are still four BEAUTIFUL Thomas Moran paintings out there! The three VERY LARGE paintings are grouped together in their own alcove:
The Chasm of the Colorado, 1873-74


The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, 1893-1901


The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, 1872 (yes, they have the same title!)


and I call this song: Men At Work!


The fourth Moran is "Rainbow over the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone," 1900


And, after all this, the best way for me to close out the day is at the Smithsonian's American History Museum, with Larry and Sergey's Google "Corkboard" Server, 1999

Day Eight: Fredericksburg, VA - Arlington Court Suites, Arlington, VA - Washington, DC: National Gallery of Art, Hirshhorn Museum, Freer Gallery

Up to Arlington, VA, then the Metro into DC museums


There is a LOT of road construction/repair around Arlington, but Wendy did a GREAT JOB with Google Maps on her cell phone - the GPS companies are definitely going out of business! I picked a hotel just two blocks from the Metro, so after checking in, we went there, bought 2 cards with $15 each on them, and headed into town. Off at the Smithsonian Metro stop, walked across the Mall, and had a nice lunch outside at the Cafe at the National Sculpture Garden

a Calder


and water fountains


and then one building east to the National Gallery of Art!!!!


There are 17-of-my-22 artists here - Bierstadt, Bradford, Bricher, Church, Cole, Cropsey, Durand, Gifford, Haseltine, Heade, Homer, Kensett, Monet, Moran, Richards, Turner, and Whittredge

Thomas Moran "Green River Cliffs, Wyoming", 1881


Frederic Edwin Church, "El Rio de Luz (The River of Light)", 1877


Winslow Homer, "Right and Left", 1909


Winslow Homer, "Breezing Up (A Fair Wind), 1876


Sanford Robinson Gifford, "The Artist Sketching at Mount Desert, Maine", 1864-1865


Leonardo Da Vinci, "Ginevra de' Benci", c. 1474/1478 ["the only painting by the artist in America"]


Jackson Pollock, "Number 1, 1950 (Lavender Mist)", 1950


We then went down to the Hirshhorn Museum, which actually only had misc modern art. Outside, however, was a cool Calder:
Alexander Calder, "Two Discs", 1965


That's all for Day-1-of-3 in Washington, DC.

Day Seven: Charlottesville, VA - All Saints Anglican Church - Virginia Museum of Fine Arts - The Maritime Museum - Fredericksburg, VA

290 miles



First Stop Sunday morning: All Saints Anglican Church, Charlottesville, VA


Second stop was the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, VA. They have a lovely collection:
a portrait by John Singer Sargent;
landscapes by Asher B. Durand, Frederick Church, Thomas Cole, Martin Johnson Heade, and Thomas Moran;
a couple of horse paintings by Albert Bierstadt;
assorted paintings by Winslow Homer, Edward Hopper, Claude Monet, Vincent Van Gogh, Edgar Degas, and Pablo Picasso;
and a Henry Moore sculpture outside.

My two favorites here are by Claude Monet and Thomas Moran

"Irises by the Pond", 1914-1917, is a (relatively) large canvas by Monet, and is displayed in a room decorated as it may have been in Paul Mellon's home. It does a beautiful job of taking your breath away


"Bridalveil Fall, Yosemite Valley", 1904, is a wonderful example of Moran Western paintings - combining color, light and texture to bring a beautiful vista to vibrant life


Which brings us to the editorial part of this blog. Maybe the art that moves me most is art that does not just accurately portray the landscape/waterfall/mountain range/seashore, but does more - it makes the view more alive than it really is (or at least more exciting/alive than you would see if you were there). They tease out that little piece of color, expand on that little shaft of light, and make the whole scene come alive. Their talent is in continuing to make it believable, and not degenerating into a cartoon. The further you try to take it away from "realism/reality", the stronger your talent must be to avoid the "cartoon". This may be why I love JMW Turner and Claude Monet - to me, they are the ones who have talent strong enough to pull it off.

and, of course, it is REALLY NICE that these museums are Beautiful Buildings located amongst Beautiful Landscapes (lunch in the sun with Henry Moore sculpture in the background)


The afternoon took us down to The Mariners' Museum in Newport News, VA. Although none of the five pieces of art I was hoping to see were on display, we enjoyed ourselves with our one-hour visit.


a very nice Cartography exhibit, with ancient maps


a room with low light and spotlights on ship models




Wendy thinking about sailing off into the sunset


and it was A LOT OF FUN to see the Sunfish in their "International Small Craft Center", with boats from around the world! (Don't forget to email Alex and Tim!)


Up to Fredericksburg for dinner with John and Lonnie, then a good night's sleep.

Sunday, April 27
Red Roof Inn, Charlottesville, VA
1/2 hour -- All Saints Anglican Church, Charlottesville, VA
1 1/4 hour -- Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, VA
1 1/4 hour -- The Mariners' Museum, Newport News, VA
3 hours (in traffic) -- Fredericksburg, VA

here is today's playlist:

Paul Simon - Rhythm of the Saints


John Mayer - Heavier Things


Dave Matthews Band - Live at Red Rocks (2 cds)

Day Six: Darden Reunion activities

My 35th reunion at Darden (UVA Graduate Business School)

The day is Beautiful!


After a quick breakfast, we attended "Professional Image in the Age of Social Media", a "class" run by Connie English (MBA '91), Director of The Armstrong Center for Alumni Career Services at Darden. Good thoughts/discussions about integrity and consistency-of-message, and self-branding.

Then the Dean gave the State of the School Address


A nice barbecue lunch with friends, then over to The Fralin Museum at the University


Unfortunately, due to limited space, none of the five paintings I was hoping to see were on display. So back to the school for an afternoon class: "Character Matters", taught by Alec Horniman (who taught when I was here, although I never had him). Back to the hotel to change for the evening activities, then back to the school for a very enjoyable evening catching up, exploring old friendships, and strengthening new ones.

Day Five: The Homestead, Hot Springs, VA - Natural Bridge, VA - Charlottesville, VA

Left the Homestead at 9:30, pulled into the Red Roof Inn in Charlottesville at 2:30. 161 miles driven today.



Starting with a beautiful Scenic Overlook


we made our way down to Natural Bridge, VA


I love comparing the natural formations with the art that they inspired. This is Frederick Church's painting of the Natural Bridge, that we will see tomorrow at UVA's Fralin Museum


Walking under the Natural Bridge, we made our way up Cedar Creek Trail


and wound up at Lace Waterfalls


Yes, it was a lightly rainy day while we were there - the big downpours came later on the highway and in Charlottesville. Just crashed for a few hours, then a wonderfule evening at a Darden classmate's who settled in Charlottesville in 2000. More Darden stuff tomorrow!

Friday, April 25
The Homestead, Hot Springs, VA
1 1/2 hours -- Natural Bridge
1 1/2 hours -- Red Roof Inn, Charlottesville, VA

here is today's playlist:

The Rolling Stones - High Tide and Green Grass


Carly Simon - Hello, Big Man


The Eagles - Hell Freezes Over (2 cds)


The James Gang - Rides Again (because Joe Walsh is "currently" in the Eagles)


Rickie Lee Jones - 1st album


America - 1st album