National Gallery Visit

It’s always fun to visit the National Gallery of Art. We like to go there not only for the weekly photo challenge opportunities, but also to see any new exhibits. We also like to visit both the classic west building and the modern east building and go through the light tunnel that connects them both. This time we started at the sculpture area, then to my favorite Monet section. I often wonder how many of the people wandering through the building live near by. When we were heading to the modern art side we saw a father with his young daughter watching the waterfall that cascaded down the side of the building from the fountains are on ground level. We used to have lunch here when we lived on Capitol Hill. The connecting light tunnel always reminds me of space mountain. There are digital sketch stations set up throughout and usually they are taken advantage of. It’s easy to spend a lot of time there. All I know is that this time of the year is the best time to visit any of the places in the mall. It’s between seasons and it’s just so much nicer! 

Woven Histories Textiles at the National Gallery of Art

We hadn’t been to the National Gallery of Art for a while, so we decided to stop in on one of our morning walks on the National Mall. There was a textile exhibit I wanted to check out. Before we got in the building there was a cleaning crew working from a two level scaffolding. They were washing down the huge sculpture that sits on front of the main entrance to the east gallery building. It was a sight to see! The textile exhibit was interesting in that two of the photos I took were eventually used for my 52Frames weekly photo challenge. Of course, that meant we visited the gallery twice in two weeks because you have to take the photo during the week of the challenge. The colors and the textures of the pieces were varied and really intricate. I rarely stop to read about the works of art - I mostly meander around and take photos of the things I find most appealing. Then I’ll use the photos for this blog and the photo challenges. It’s so great to have this opportunity to discover new exhibits and visit whenever we like. I much preferred the quietness during the pandemic to the a crowds and bustle and hassle of the tourists and visitors now. But as long as we are able to visit we will and this is one good reason to take a ride in to town. 

Hirshhorn Revolutions Exhibit

Anytime there is a new exhibit at the Hirshhorn Museum we try to make an attempt to visit. For those displays that require passes or tickets we rarely go to those. That’s because we go when we feel like - usually in the morning for a walk. And that’s what happened a couple of weeks ago when we drove in to town. After passing through the “ag on the mall” tractors and combines, we headed to the Hirshhorn. First we passed through the Smithsonian Castle and Mary Livingston gardens. There are always beautiful flowers and colors happening there. Then we took the elevator up to the exhibit. It was fairly busy and it was a great opportunity to see some of the treasures of the Hirshhorn from 1880-1980. There were a couple of pieces that we really liked - especially some of the quirky art of interesting people. I was also on the look out for a photo option for the weekly challenge but didn’t have any luck. So most of the photos were good for this blog. Between the Hirshhorn and the National Gallery of Art it’s always such a great opportunity to step inside whenever we are on the mall. It’s one of the reasons my husband loves being so close to town. 

Mark Rathko Paintings on Paper at the National Gallery of Art

We oftentimes take our morning walk in our old Capitol Hill neighborhood. It’s a great way to get out of the house, take a ride down the construction messy GW Parkway, and spend a couple of hours walking about. It’s not unusual to park on the National Mall and start at the US Botanic Garden, then meander by the Capitol Building and grounds, and then walk over to the. National Gallery of Art. There are always new exhibits, and that’s what we came across the other day. It’s the Mark Rathko Paintings on Paper exhibit located in the east building. There is a continuous Mark Rathko exhibit there as well. Neither my husband nor I are impressed with that collection of basically nothing but blocks of color or no color. But I have to say that I really liked a lot of the work in this collection. In particular I liked the colors and the portraits most. It was unexpected, and there were a good amount of visitors checking things out. Then it started to get weird and I didn’t care for it anymore. After that we passed through the underground light tunnel over to the west building where the beautiful works have been put back in their usual spots after renovation. I still love the impressionists the most. And it’s so nice to see them whenever we visit.