National Galleries of Art

I like art, I really do, but when I found out we would be visiting the National Galleries after class last Friday I was less than thrilled. It’s not that I don’t appreciate the cultural opportunities that D.C. offers (for free), it’s just that the thought of walking around a museum after an early Friday morning didn’t excite me.

But then I met our guide. I couldn’t decide if she was more of a Meryl Streep from the The Devil Wears Prada or a not-evil version of Cruella deVille from 101 Dalmatians. But regardless she was interesting. She walked like she owned the place, and when we got to a piece she explained it as if it were a story. It made me realize the function that many paintings played when they were first created; they were tools to tell stories about the places and people they depicted. They weren’t made to just be looked at, but rather to convey something. 

When we got to a portrait, the tale she told was about the subject, not just the brushstrokes and paint thickness. It was about the greater context of the work, but told in way that related to our everyday. It wasn’t a history lesson, but a history story.

I actually intend to head back to the museum to see the Miro exhibition, but to be honest I’m motived less by my interest in Miro than by my desire to spend more time in the museum itself. It’s a beautiful building, and there’s something special about the people who collect, maintain, and explain the pieces to the public that makes me want to return.

-Devin Benson