art, how i have missed thee!



frans hals' "young man holding a skull (vanitas)"



i used to be a frequent visitor at the institute of the arts in minneapolis. my trips there were usually alone, often when i'd taken the day off of work or in the evening when bryan was working late, and i was familiar enough with the collection that i could head right for the one piece or area that best fit my mood for the day. since living in christchurch, where the small and fairly mediocre art museum has been occupied by the city council since the earthquake in february, i have had to resort to guidebooks for other great museums in an attempt to satisfy my artistic longings. the one that was most dear to me was the companion guide to the national gallery in london, which depicts and describes their 200 best paintings in detail, and which i read cover to cover during the months that i was unemployed.

so with that bit of background knowlege, maybe you'll understand how exciting it was to get to visit the national gallery today and see nearly all of those great works in person. while the crowds clustered around the monets and van goghs, my heart was thrilled at the sight of a few favorites by slightly lesser-known artists - frans hals' "young man with a skull" in its wide black frame, fra filippo lippi's "the annunciation", slightly smaller than i'd imagined, and robert campin's beautiful portraits of a husband and wife that feel much more modern than their 15th century creation would suggest. two hours there just wasn't enough...but it was for bryan, and it was for me when the crowds really started pressing in, so we had to move on. now i really can't wait to hit up the great galleries in d.c. over the next few months...

-rachel