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Showing posts from February, 2019

Meeting God at the Art Museum (Part 2)

(If you missed Part 1, click here to go back) After some of what I picked up from Monet, I then circled back to the previous gallery where I'd missed the works of Toulouse-Lautrec.  I knew very little about him, but I saw a crowd sitting and standing around a huge painting and a guy talking about the artist and this work.  I was curious, so I began to eavesdrop, as I am apt to do. He was in the middle of showing how Lautrec had initially cut out the part of the painting with the green-faced woman in it.  She is off to the side, with a distressed look on her face, and not exactly an attractive part of the painting.  One could understand that he wanted her out of the image.  Then he went on to tell the story of who this woman was and what we know of her.  I found her story fascinating. She was a kind of show-girl - dancer, singer - stage performer, and she was out to make it and become someone - maybe sought fame or applause.  He said we really know very little about her.  She

Meeting God at the Art Museum (Part 1)

On Friday I had the privilege of joining the 5th graders on their field trip to the Art Museum.  I say 'privilege' though taking my day to go be with a bunch of kids wandering around nice pictures isn't generally my cup of tea.  I relish time away from people, and don't gravitate towards large groups of people.  That said, I do want my kids to know that I took time to be with them on days when I could, and that I entered their experiences, even if I find it a bit exhausting.  This is the introvert me talking.  There were so many things I picked up on by wandering around art, and some were quite profound.  I didn't expect to encounter so many life-truths on a grade-school field trip. We started in the impressionist department, and observed the art.  I am not one who has a deep appreciation for visual art.  I think, 'Hmm, nice painting.' And then move on.  As a side note, it is such a joy to watch the kids gaze on these historic, classic works and discuss t