More Favorites
I recently had to schedule a quick visit to Washington DC. The trip gave me an opportunity to arrive early, visit a good friend and make a return visit the Smithsonian's Portrait Gallery. My goal was to see the new Obama portraits, but of course, there was something wonderful at every turn. My original 2013 blog post (with additional data about the building and its renovations) may be viewed here.
Roadboy's advice to anyone who loves visiting our nation's capital, and has not yet discovered this wonderful gallery, get your butt in gear and see it!
Located away from the more famous Smithsonians, this gallery is rarely crowded. But, it is walking distance to Fords Theater, DC's Chinatown and the Old Ebbitt Grill (I know it is touristy, but it remains my "go to" stop for crabcakes in DC).
When built, this structure contained the largest single room in the United States. So large, it hosted Abraham Lincoln's second inauguration.
Officially it is the Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture, but locals just refer to it as The National Portrait Gallery.
The gallery is curated to convey our history and I am amazed at how so many of the images in it generate profound emotion. With changing exhibits and art moving on an off exhibit, I find something wonderful every time I visit.
This trip there was a fascinating exhibit called "Black Out" showcasing the art of Silhouette. Now the silhouettes I think of are the kind that used to reside on the walls of my grandma's hallway. Yet, once I walked into this exhibit I found myself completely mesmerized.
Of course the striking new portraits of President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama are the gallery's current showstoppers.
Walking through the Presidents gallery I always find it interesting to see the different styles selected by each
president. The minimalism of Woodrow Wilson, the Abstraction of JFK, the
straight-up power of LBJ and the small restrained portrait of Ronald
Reagan. The Obama portrait is busy, colorful and awash in flowers. To me it
is successful in evoking excitement, optimism and great dignity. Considering they've had to put ropes up to control crowds wishing to get a selfie in front of it, I'd say it is a real hit.
Barack Obama
Kahinde Wiley
Michelle Obama's portrait is undeniably lovely. In it she is draped in a spectacular geometric dress. But, although colorful and dignified, to me, it felt single dimensional, somehow failing to convey the full depth and inner beauty I feel she successfully exemplified(s) to the world.
Michelle Obama
Amy Sherald
As always I found one image after another that evoked introspection and emotion. Here is a small sampling of some of my other favorites from this visit.
The integrity and strength of American labor is perfectly composed in this Lewis Hine's 1921 photo.
Powerhouse Mechanic
Lewis Hine
The lines of the back of the cotton picker with the trailing sack reflect a perfect composition against the sky in this Dorothea Lange masterwork.
Stoop Labor
San Joaquin Valley, California
Dorothea Lange 1938
This is the second time a photograph by Danny Lyon stopped me in my
tracks. You just instantly make eye contact with the young man in the photo. Last spring I viewed Danny Lyon's work for the first time at a
retrospective at San Francisco's MH de Young museum.
Two Years, Burglary
From the Series "Conversations With the Dead"
Prison Farm Labor, Texas
Danny Lyon 1967
As I walked further another Lewis Hine photograph grabbed my attention. In this photo the viewer also locks eyes with the image in the photo. This time it is an immigrant arriving at Ellis Island in 1905. The immigrant's hopes and fears are expressed with stark intensity. In a country where everyone's family arrived as an immigrant, this photo is extraordinarily powerful.
Young Russian Jewess
Ellis Island 1905
Lewis Hine
From past postings many will know I am a devoted fan of American painter Winslow Homer. In this painting "Girl with Pitchfork" he captures an exceptional degree of facial stoicism coupled with the girl's ramrod straight posture reinforced by the verticality of her pitchfork.
Girl With Ptchfork
Winslow Homer 1867
I also loved this photo realistic painting of Toni Morrison. Her inner strength just radiates. This portrait would command attention in any gallery where it resides.
Toni Morrison
Oil on Canvas
Robert McCurdy 2006
Avant garde advocate of American Expat
Gertrude Stein has always been an enigma to me. She seemed to be one of
those celebrities that was famous mainly for being famous. She was frequently
and famously quoted.
Once while visiting San Francisco she met someone from my hometown (Oakland) who pointed across the bay saying they lived "over there". Stein then reportedly to quipped "but there is no there, there"
Once while visiting San Francisco she met someone from my hometown (Oakland) who pointed across the bay saying they lived "over there". Stein then reportedly to quipped "but there is no there, there"
This Oaklander finds it very difficult to forgive her for that.
Gertrude Stein
Terra Cotta 1911
Jo Davidson
As I walked on I came to the Black-Out exhibition of silhouette art. And some of the pieces are just marvels.
Stunning Silhouettes
Kumi Yamashita
Sihouette Detail
Almost as a photographic bookend to the idea of silhouettes this iconic photograph of Martha Graham seemed almost magical.
Martha Graham
From the Ballet Lamentation
Edward Steichen 1931
When growing up may family rarely ate dinner out at sit down restaurants until I hit my teens. My parents were both products of the depression and until the middle 70's visiting a restaurant was a luxury. The exception was a Chinese restaurant on MacArthur Boulevard in Oakland where we ate about once a month. It offered reasonably priced food we loved.
On the restaurant's walls were various prints by American painters. One was of a stark, lonely storefront entitled "Seven AM 1948" by Edward Hopper. The painting perfectly captures the quality of light found only in the morning and whenever we sat at the booth near that print its enigmatic and lonely imagery left me wondering what it was about the composition that drew me to it so intensely.
In the years since I have sought out examples of Hopper's work and they all seem to pose riddles while evoking his trademark, almost epic, loneliness.
This painting "People of the Sun" almost comically portrays a group of seriously overdressed sun worshippers all sitting together, yet painfully seemingly alone on holiday.
People in the Sun
Edward Hopper 1960
Another of my favorite American painters is Thomas Hart Benton. Benton's
larger than life murals were frequently commissioned for public works
projects and major public buildings. His work always stands in testament to the power of color and
composition. This mural is 22' long.
Achelous and Hercules
Thomas Hart Benton 1947
Thomas Hart Benton 1947
His people are conveyed with almost hyper extended and almost rubbery looking arms and legs. Here workers share space with mythical creatures.
Detail Achelous and Hercules
The last image is a funerary sculpture that carefully shrouds the face was commissioned for the grave of "Clover" Adams; the wife of American writer Henry Adams. Irish sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens created something that is both beautiful and creepy. Clover committed suicide by drinking photographic chemicals in 1885. Adams wanted a sculpture that in post civil-war America could express the Buddhist idea of Nirvana.
Adams Memorial
Augustus Saint-Gaudens 1886
A day in this building is always a day well spent.
Roadboy's Travels © 2018
