Wednesday, January 27, 2010

National Gallery of Art







I absolutely love the National Gallery of Art. The architecture is awesome and they have nice paintings and indoor gardens.






Oh, and a lovely eatery on the lower level with a waterfall window.


To say the least, it's an extremely happy place to spend an afternoon walking around, which is exactly what I did last Saturday.

I have a particular liking for paintings out of the Georgian period, particularly the Regency... But you might have suspected as much from a Jane Austen fan. :)

There's something that only a painting can express, a certain elegance and refinement in th taste of the artisan.

I took a few pictures of some of the art I particularly liked, and I'll share a few with you all.

The painting of the Young Girl Reading is a favorite with many, and I like it too... It's interesting I you look at the brush strokes on it how they blend everything together an very nearly trick the eye...



This one is absolutely adorable...



And this guy is probably what Secretary of the Treasury, Timothy Geithner would look like in 1810...



We mustn't forget Napoleon Ier, empereur des Français.


This girl looks very contrary, perhaps a bit like Lydia Bennet... ;)


This is nice too, who would think of posing with a plant?


For some reason this dress looks to me like Regency meets Asia for some reason...


And I'll finish this installment with this nice painting scene...



8 comments:

  1. Cher M. Gist:

    Merci beaucoup. J'ai apprecie la tournee du musee. Ah, je ne peux pas copier les caracteres speciaux avec les marques d'accent. C'est dommage. Maintenant, j'ecris l'anglais...d'accord?

    It is very nice to see a young man of your refinement airing his opinions so articulately here. The art works you have featured are indeed quite lovely, and I was delighted to learn that the painting of the young girl reading is housed in an American museum. Was it done by an American artist? My grandmother has a print of that very painting hanging in her living room, and it has always been a favorite of mine. I even chose it to adorn the calling cards I had printed in college because it seemed so appropos for an English major. Some of the other paintings catch my fancy as well; it's the ones that feature activity, I think, although the portraits are also fine. I like to see people engaged in purposeful activity, and it is a joy to realize that such activity, and even work, can make for a pretty picture. Do you not agree?

    Best wishes to you in your own endeavors, sir.

    Respectfully yours, etc.,
    Miss N.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I have not been to the National Gallery of Art, though it is on my list of place to see the next time I'm in D.C.

    They let you take pictures there?!? I went to the Royal Art Gallery while in London and cameras were strictly prohibited. (And there was security everywhere to ensure you didn't take any!) :-)

    Anyway, loved looking at these pictures.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Melle N.,

    Thank you for your kind words! I'm glad you enjoyed reading my blog and the interview. Didn't Miss Aurora do a lively job?

    Regarding the painting of the girl reading, it's actually by French artist, Jean-Honoré Fragonard. I'll post links later. I do like other paintings too, but I guess I especially like portraits, particularly those from my favorite historical periods.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Brittany, you never saw the National Gallery of art? oh dear... we must rectify this! :D

    Originally I thought you couldn't take pictures... but after re-reading the brochure, it says photos are allowed for personal use, except in special exhibitions. Additionally, they do not permit tripods. :P When I went to the Louvre, the policy was basically, take pictures, but no flash. :) Maybe it's a British thing... I wasn't allowed to take pictures inside of Buckingham Palace, for example. :(

    I'm glad you enjoyed the pictures! :D I may post a few more later, as I didn't post all the ones I took, and there are a few paintings I forgot to take pictures of.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Here are the links for the Young Girl Reading... (La Liseuse)

    http://www.nga.gov/collection/gallery/gg55/gg55-46303.html

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Young_Girl_Reading

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thank you Justin for sneak preview, I am sorry we did not go while I was up there :-( BUT, next time we definitely will!! :P

    ReplyDelete