Three Magi by Rubens

One of the special exhibits currently on display at the National Gallery of Art (NGA) is three paintings by Peter  Paul Rubens.  I had read about these paintings in the Washington Post, but forgot to look for them when I was recently at the NGA with a friend.  Earlier this week, I went downtown to go to a sketching group at the Luce Center, but there was a power outage and the museum was closed.  After checking a couple of other spots, I decided to see if the NGA was open and it was, so I looked these paintings up.  It was well worth it.

They are beautiful portraits, done about 1618, in Antwerp, Belgium.  I got more than beautiful art, though, as read the museum notes.  These paintings are an example of a specific tradition regarding the portrayal of the three wise men: Balthasar, Gaspar, and Melchoir.  They represent three ages of man (young, prime, and aged) and three continents (Europe, Asia and Africa.)  

It is interesting to know that Rubens was commissioned by Balthasar Moretus.  At the time, Moretus ran Plantin Press. which was Europe's largest printing press.  Morteus had two older brothers, named Gaspar and Melchoir.  Knowing that added another layer of meaning.

I was drawn to see these, not only because of their beauty, but because this is the first  time these three paintings have been shown together since 1881, when they were sold at auction.  The portrait of the oldest, Gaspar, belongs to the Museo de Arte de Ponce, in Puerto Rico.  The middle-aged Melchoir belongs to the National Gallery of Art and the young king Balthasar is the property of the Plantin-Moretus Museum in Antwerp.  The National Gallery of Art received the Melchoir painting in 1943 as a gift from the Chester Dale Collection on the condition that it would not travel or be displayed at other institutions.  So, this particular exhibit was rare. I may look at them again before the exhibit closes July 5.

Hiking across the bridge to Anacostia

On Saturday, March 21, I hiked with about 15 other "urban hikers" across the Eleventh St bridge to Anacostia.  I took the Metro back, but most also hiked back.

Before leaving the Capitol Hill nighborhood, we stopped by the almost constructed Mormon Meeting House.

This building is just about a block from my house, and has been under construction for some time....since before I moved to Capitol Hill actually.  As it went up, it was an ugly cement structure and I was doubtful about how it would fit into the historical neighborhood.  I now think it looks pretty good.  Putting the brick facade on and the good windows really helped.  I am still a little concerned about it because parking is a huge issue in my neighborhood.  They have an underground parking lot, but it might not be as big as what is actually needed.  Time will tell.

We then went down toward the waterfront and crossed the Anacostia River by the 11th St Bridge.  There are big plans for this area, including some parks that would be built over the river,   As of now, there are two overlooks.  We chose the first one.  The Navy Yard and the central DC area is on one side of the River.

Looking East is ourdestination, the Anacostia Historical District, which is part of D.C.

Immediately after crossing the the bridge, we were in Anacostia.  It was developed as affordable housing and gained a lot of buyers after the Civil War.  Then, during the period known as the Great Migration, many African-Americans settled there after moving from the South, and it really expanded.  Most of the housing is row houses, and I took this picture of some well-known ones, known as Rosie's Row.  

From there, we hiked up to a beautiful home that was the residence of Frederick Douglass.  We didn't go on a tour, but did stop at the Visitor's Center.

I was amused that so many people have grasped Douglass' hand on the bronze statue that it is very polished.

From there, our plan was to hike up to a viewpoint in a park, but the trail didn't look very good.  We went up about a hundred yards, but turned back.   This is how it looked at the beginning, but it petered out.

Luckily, our leader Ed knew another good viewpoint that gives a great view of the Capitol Mall.  This viewpoint is near the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help.   My picture was not very good, because the day was overcast.  I pulled this better picture from the internet.

I then went to the Anacostia Metro Station to go home, and separated from the rest of the group. I didn't see the most well-known Anacostia landmark, though I had seen it before.  It is the Big Chair.  This picture was also pulled from the internet

It was a great hike, and I was glad to be out with a good group from Capitol Hill Village.

Museum Day with Suzanne

My friend Suzanne was here yesterday.  We got to know each other when I lived in Portland and we were both in Portland Plein Air and Studio Painters.  We also used to enjoy life drawing at Hip Bone Studio in Portland.  Suzanne and her husband Walter come to Washington two or three times a year and Suzanne and I always make time to go to art museums together while she is here.  Walter has sto amuse himself on that day.  

So I met Suzanne yesterday at the Freer Gallery and enjoyed some of the famous Whistler paintings that Mr. Freer had collected.   Most interesting, to me, is the Peacock Room.  You can read about it at this link:  http://www.asia.si.edu/exhibitions/online/peacock/default.html

The room is dominated by Whistler's painting, "The Princess from the Land of Porcelain," shown in the above photo.  Another painting in the room depicts peacocks fighting and was done by Whistler to document a fight he had with the original owner of the room, Mr Leyland.  As the story goes, Mr. Leyland had agreed to some minor changes to be made by Whistler in the rooom.  However, Whistler ended up make dramatic, expensive changes and that caused a major conflict.  Later, Freer acquired the Princess painting and eventually bought the entire room and had it moved from London to his home in Detroit, Michigan.  When Freer died in 1919, the Peacock Room was moved to the Freer Museum.

     

Suzanne and I also enjoyed a new exhibit, "Fine Impressions: Whistler, Freer, and Venice," which is a series of etchings done by Whistler when he was in Venice.  When Freer saw them, he bought them all as a set and that is what is exhibited.  Yes, Mr Freer had money.  He made his fortune producing railway cars.  I am grateful that he was an art appreciator because these things may not have been collected and then exhibited without his devotion to art.  

We then went to the Sackler Gallery which is connected to the Freer.  We saw lots of Asian art there, including the well-loved "Monkeys Reaching for the Moon."  It is a chain of word monkey in various languages made into links that reach from the top floor to a pond at the bottom and recalls monkeys seeing a reflection of the moon in a pond and trying to reach it.   

We then had a chance to reflect on the very contemporary exhibit "Perspectives: Chiharu Shiota."  It is shoes tied with red yarn and connected at a single point.  I can't effectively describe it.  Here is a picture:

Many of the shoes have notes explaining the significance of the shoe.  It is actually quite beautiful.

We then had a nice lunch at the Pavilion Cafe in the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden.

We were not done yet.  We went to the American Art Gallery and National Portrait Gallery.  Those two museums are also connected.  Double Double Museum Day!!!  We began on the top floor where we saw an exhibit that I believe is permanent.  It is called "Bravo," and consists of of American entertainers by American artists.  Neither of us had been there before and so it was good to see.  I After that, I wanted to show Suzanne one of my favorites.  It is a portrait of Katherine Hepburn.

We went downstairs and found a new exhibit, "The Singing and the Silence: Birds in Contemporary Art," raising issues about extinct birds and the human/avian interaction. Very interesting.  

Still not done with art viewing, we went to an exhibit of works by the photorealist artist Richard Estes.  The work is very detailed and makes you wonder why doesn't he just do a photograph. However, really looking at them makes you realize that he is painting better than the camera (and maybe the human eye) sees.  Also, he takes some artistic liberties and puts in something like mountains when none are there.  It is fascinating, but I am not sure that I "get" it.  While we were there, Walter joined us which was fun.  

We closed with a wood-fired pizza dinner at Ella's and I went home in an Uber while Suzanne and Walter walked back to their hotel.  Nice art day!!!!  And good to spend time with friends.

White House Garden Tour

Twice a year the White House gardens are open for tourists.  I went for the first time today.  I was glad I took the time, and it was free!   I did wait in line about 45 minutes for a ticket, but I think there was no wait later in the day.  The weather was very cool, so it wasn't as crowded as it might have been--though there was a good turnout.  Even though we didn't get to go into the White House, we still had to go through Secret Service security screening.

One of the most dramatic views was from the walk in front of the South Portico toward the Washington Monument.  This is the South Lawn, where the helicopter picks up the President and brings him back.

And this is the South Portico.  We were so close to it!   It was impressive.  Of course, there were many Secret Service guys between us and the front door.

One of the volunteers explained why the picture below is his favorite spot.  It is where the President "commutes" through this walkway from the residence part of the White House to the Oval Office.

Nice commute!!!  And those two roses in the picture were the only ones left.  Also in the rose garden was a podium set up like it would be for the news conferences that are held there.  Pretty small in this picture, but you can see it if you look.  Empty now, but it looked so familiar to me.

The next highlight was going by the oval office, which must have a lovely view of the Washington Monument.



I was amused to see a very tiny golf practice area....looks more like it is for the First Daughters than the President.

Final stop of the tour was the White House Kitchen Garden....still going pretty strong, with some fat tomatoes, though they don't show in this picture.  Today was so cold....I think things will slow down. It was interesting to see that the artichokes also seem to be doing very well.  I thought they only thrived on the Central California Coast, but now I realize that doesn't make any sense.

Something I knew grows in the South, but had never seen at harvest was peanuts.  I took this picture, but it doesn't seem to show them as well as we could see them.  It was fun.  They looked like you could pick them and eat them, but I guess this is after they are dug up. There were lots of them.  My picture just doesn't show it.

I finished off by going to the White House Visitor's Center.  I highly recommend it.  It appears to be very modest, but there is a lot there.   I loved the timeline that showed how the family leaving the White House moves out the same day the new President and his family move in.  The White House staff is amazing, and makes it all possible.

White House appreciation day for me!

Memorials I hadn't seen before....Hiking in the Rain

This morning, I went for a hike with the Capitol Hill Village hiking group.  The hike was originally planned for Saturday, but it was rainy then....so it was postponed until today.  Guess what?  It was still rainy, but we did it.  There were 8 of us including Ed, the leader.  Ed was also the only guy!

I walked from my home to the park where we met to begin the hike.  I was unprepared for rain because the weather report said there was  only a 30% chance of rain and it would only bring sprinkles.  WRONG!  It rained almost immediately from the time I left my house until just before the end of the hike.

The highlights of the hike for me were two memorials that I had never seen before, the first being the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial.  It was very interesting.  I didn't get great pictures because of the rain, but the one above shows what was a surprise to me.  When we arrived, there was no flame and while we were looking, it flared up.  It is in the middle of a star that has different branches of the service at the tips of the five points.

What I like the most about the memorial doesn't show up too well in this photo:

As I looked across the water feature, it appeared people were walking through water, not beside it....but I couldn't get the right angle.  I think I'll go back on a better day.  It is kind of an amazing effect.

We then walked the length of the Capitol Mall, passing by an art installation that is a face.  It is on flat ground, so we didn't have the right angle to see it.  Evidently the best view is from the Washington Monument, or from the air (which is not open to private planes over the Mall).  Here is what I could find on-line about  how it looks from higher up:

To us, on the reflecting pool side, it just looked like dirt, sand and gravel....with a little grass growing here and there.  The image is called "Out of Many One" and is a composite of young men of various nationalities..."e pluribis unum."

We next walked the bridge in the background of the above photograph to Arlington Cemetery.  It was heavy rain by then, so we didn't pause at Arlington.

We headed to another memorial that was new to me---the Pentagon Memorial.

It was quite interesting, but a little hard to understand.  I finally "googled" it and read to the group that the memorials are arranged from the memorial bench to the youngest to the oldest. The youngest was three years old, and the bench with her name also included her sister and her parents. There are other complicating factors in the arrangement, but it is a very moving sight to see.  The above picture is one I took today.  The weather improved a little.

Here is how the benches look up close.  Today, there was a carnation on each one.

Each has a reflecting pool under the bench.  The gravel seems to creep in to some of the small pools, so there might have to be some modifications for good maintenance.

At that point, we were close to the Pentagon Metro Station.  There is also a huge transit center for busses. Lots of people work at the Pentagon, but today was a holiday, so it wasn't very busy.  We took Metro back to the Capitol Hill neighborhood.

A Brave and Startling Truth

Today was a day to reflect back on the trip to Japan.  My fellow Heiwa pilgrims and I were part of the Sunday morning services.  We sang the song we sang in Hiroshima, "The Breathing Meditation."  The words are simple:  "When I breathe in, I breathe in peace, when I bring out, I breathe out love."  It is in three-part harmony and we sing it in Japanese as well as English.  It was special today to sing with the Jubilee Singers.  I took the picture above during the second service from the balcony.  I participated in the first service.

I was part of a group that read selections from a  poem by Maya Angelou, "A Brave and Startling Truth."  The full poem can be found at:
http://www.cs.berkeley.edu/~bharath2/poemoftheweek/301212.html
It is an amazing poem, and I think captures a lot of the complexity of feelings I and others have about visiting Japan--especially Hiroshima.

Several other peace pilgrims offered "postcards from Japan" to share some of the special experiences we had.  We also had a table after church so people could ask questions about the trip and see some of our mementos.  My contribution was a binder with entries from this blog and some of the things I picked up during the trip, such as local maps and paper cranes.

A few of us then went out to lunch at a very nice French restaurant, "Le Chat Noir."  We had a long, leisurely, delicious lunch and enjoyed further sharing memories of the trip.  I took this picture of my friends Josephine, Margaret, Armele, and Carol.

I wasn't in it, so Josephine took this one with me in it.

A nice Sunday!

Four Movies in Four Days

I suddenly had the leisure of a four-day weekend with no big commitments, so I decided to catch up on my movie-watching before the next meeting of my film group, The Cinephiles.  I went binge movie-watching.  I am posting this as a travel report because, unlike watching tv series, such as House of Cards or Orange is the New Black, I had to leave home and go to a theater and I couldn't push the pause button!   Oh, the trials of real movies.....but, of course, there are rewards!  No pictures here, but you can always google the trailers.

On Friday I saw Love is Strange.  It is a memorable movie, sweet and yet very sad.  For those who don't know, it begins with a wedding of two gay guys (played by John Lithgow and Alfred Molino) who have been together almost 40 years.  The movie is compelling because it is about a long-term relationship, but not really about sexual preference.  The wedding is joyous, as it should be, but the gay element comes in because Molino's character is fired from his job as a music teacher at a Catholic School.  The scene of the firing is very restrained and factual.  However, that leads to loss of their apartment and they end up temporarily living (with great difficulty) in two separate households while they look for an affordable apartment in New York City.  This movie is hard to watch because it is so sad.  It is very real, though, and the acting was excellent. I read an interview in which Molina credited Director Ira Sachs for letting them just play the roles naturally.  It is very understated.  There are a couple of times when things slow down and seem to drag, but then I realized what was happening was in what would have been real time.  The sound track is perfect....mostly Chopin, and nicely paced, too.  Good movie!

Saturday's movie was Magic in the Moonlight.  Yes, it is a Woody Allen movie, and I usually don't like those much---except for Midnight in Paris.  The plot involves a magician (played by Colin Firth) who is trying to show that a young woman clairvoyant (played by Emma Stone) is a fraud. Predictably, a romance develops.  The Colin Firth character is so boorish, negative and self-centered that I didn't find him credible.   I think we are supposed to find the conflict between the physical and metaphysical to be a central theme, and thought-provoking.  I found it over-worked, and the romance is simply not believable.   However, our young woman was also being vigorously pursued by a ukelele-playing rich kid who could only be described as a joke.  She chooses the Firth character.  These couldn't have been her only choices.   Firth did get in some good lines, and that was amusing.  He dominated the film, though, which I guess is also predictable.  Most of the action takes place in the South of France in between World War I and World War II and the cinematography is gorgeous....as are the costumes and interiors.  However, I didn't like this movie very much, and the then, as I was leaving, I heard someone describe it as "cute."  Not cute to me, but cute would not have been what I was looking for anyway.

Get on Up! was my choice for Sunday.  I think this movie, about James Brown, was played pretty straight by lead actor Chadwick Boseman.  Brown had a very difficult childhood and the way out was through his music. The man who got him out of jail and into music was at his side almost all his adult life was Bobbie Byrd (played by Nelsan Ellis).  Byrd recognized Brown's genius.  That genius is demonstrated in the movie, especially in a scene where he instructs his back-up band how to use all the instruments (horns and string, for example) to support the rhythm.  The film seems at times to be hard to follow but it is divided into segments that are beautifully labeled.   I have to admit I don't remember those labels, but they dealt with different times in his life.  It was initially confusing because those segments included flashbacks.  James Brown came to be the "Hardest-Working Man in the Business" and the "Godfather of Soul," but this movie is clear in showing that he "took down" some people along the way.  He was egotistical, greedy, insensitive and abusive to women--even the women he loved.  It is an intense, but I think true, picture of who James Brown was.  I think that is what a biopic is supposed to be.

Today I saw The Hundred Foot Journey.   It is a "foodie" movie, but also a good story.  I think the critics panned it, but it is worth going just to see Helen Mirren.  She plays Madame Mallory, an established French restaurant-owner with a one-star Michelin rating.  Her goal is to get two stars. A family from Mombai buys a restaurant across the street from her and opens to serve Indian food.   "War" ensues between her and the father of the Indian family, played by Om Puri.  She is absolutely determined to get the new restaurant shut down.  Hasam Kadam (played by Manish Dayal), the son of the Indian father, is a gifted cook.  He had been taught by his mother, who died in a fire in a restaurant the family owned in India.  He is good at what he knows, and he wants to learn how to cook French cuisine.  He has coaching "on the sly" from Madame's sous-chef and eventually a romance between them will evolve.  A truce in the restaurant war is reached in which Madame Mallory admits that Hasam Kadam has a gift in the kitchen and hires him to work for her.  She furthers his training, and she also gets her two stars.  There is what I consider a charming relationship that develops between Madame and the Indian father, and so I enjoyed it.  Maybe, as a former mediator, I really liked the way the conflict moved from hatred to friendship.