We started with our noses nearly touching impressionist paintings, such as Frank Benson Weston's Calm Morning and stepped backward, one foot at a time, to watch blurry lines and strokes of color morph come into sharper focus.
Next, we realized that M.C. Escher's 13-foot Metamorphosis II required a stroll from one end to the next to call out each image that emerged from letters to squares to larvae to wasps to birds to fish to birds to squares, and back again.
Then we stumbled upon Phantasmagoria, a collection of work known for its trickery that invited audience participation. With the push of a button, serene landscapes were illuminated to reveal bursting volcanoes and a kindly gentleman courter was discovered to be a dreadful, shrieking skeleton.
In the most popular exhibit of the day, Takashi Murakami's bold flower petals were strewn across the floor as we entered the Kingdom of the Golden. His vibrant colors and sharp lines inspired an energetic dance alongside traditional Japanese scrolls that rolled out action plot lines from far left to far right.
Later, when one of us had lost all steam and sought the exit, we meandered through several more exhibits, step by step, before we found the door. Our eyes were open to art today, but our feet led us where we needed to go.
This evokes so many museum memories, walking. Sometimes to a work I came to see that I'd seen pictures of that blew me away seeing it for real...other times, exploration...serendipity...
ReplyDeleteI'm enjoying the artistry of your Massachusetts series! Each slice is delightful from up close and from far away.
ReplyDeleteFrom “noses nearly touching impressionist paintings” to “scrolls that rolled out action plot lines,” I am with you! We visited the Baltimore Museum of Art, and boy did we get a satisfying eyeful and workout!
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