Monday, June 11, 2007 C
"Beautiful Buildings"
10:21pm
Today I took many pictures of the Castle, the Sackler, the African Art Building and the round Hirschhorn building. Modern and old, they all have their charms.
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Monday, June 11, 2007 C
"Beautiful Buildings"
Today I took many pictures of the Castle, the Sackler, the African Art Building and the round Hirschhorn building. Modern and old, they all have their charms. |
As was this one, also, just before we entered the Castle...
In addition to a nice eatery, the Castle houses highlights from the various museums...
The Castle as seen through a Sackler gallery window...
There are many places to sit and rest in garden settings through out the grounds...
| This is the Arts and Industries gallery, which is currently closed for renovation. It was the original home of the National Museum, "designed in a High Victorian style by the Washington architectural firm of Cluss and Schulze, it opened in 1881 in time for the inaugural ball of President James A. Garfield," according to the website. |
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The Sackler was mostly closed, preparing for a show to open June 24, 2007. We did discover an educational display in the connected International Gallery about the French, English and Indian wars in the 18th century. Things that had been forgotten due to being boring facts and figures were brought to life. After viewing that exhibit, we went to the African gallery. "The National Museum of African Art is America's only museum dedicated to the collection, conservation, study and exhibition of African art in all its forms," according to the 'GoSmithsonian' booklet that aided our visit. I just took one photo of one African piece, but the memory of all of them stays in my mind.
 Saltcellar Benin kingdom, Bini-Portuguese style, Edo peoples, Nigeria, 16th century, Ivory
 The Drummer, 1989-90, Bronze by Barry Flanagan, Britist, b. Prestatyn, Wales, 1941
 Brushstroke Painted aluminum, 1996, enlarged and fabricated 2002-03 by Roy Lichtenstein, American, b. New York City, 1923-1997
Julia pointed it out to me, for I did not see it. When this sculpture is seen from the front, rather than the back which you see here, the brushstroke is of an 'h' for the 'h' in Hirschhorn! It is all in the calligraphy, which she keeps telling me I should study. Oh, I know it could help, for my writing is SO unartistic, lacking a good flowing line. And furthermore, I noted earlier at the Saul Steinberg exhibit, he gave much credit to the aid of his calligraphic studies. Meanwhile, back to my recollections of June 11, 2007... However, the most distinctive feature of the Hirschhorn is its unusual round shape. It's built like a tall five layered donut, which surrounds an interior fountain: |
I found in among Tuesday's pictures a frontal view of the Hirschhorn, also showing Lichtenstein's 'h'!
That porch area seen in the picture above is a good place from which to view the National Mall...
The tents and trucks are there because preparations for a folk festival were taking place...
© Joan Lansberry
