Art

Last Friday I took myself off to the Nelson-Atkins Art Museum  (you can see more here ).  

When I was a child beginning in grade 4 (ca 1958) our class visited the museum every year.  I imagine each year we saw a different part of the museum but I don't remember much about that (except for the fact that the very big painting of John the Baptist had dirt under his toenails.)  What I do remember was sitting on the COLD marble floor in my Sunday dress, white anklets and black patent shoes while we waited for our guide.

I have been several times over the years, although not lately.  

Maybe you remember that I am currently totally obsessed with Chinese television on You Tube (thank goodness for English subtitles!) I've learned some interesting things about China, and a few Chinese words.  Still what I know about China would not fill a thimble!  The Nelson-Atkins has the finest collection of Chinese art outside of China so that's what I went to see.

There is a Buddhist temple in one room.  Beautiful ancient statutes of the Buddha.  I marveled at the detail and thought about the time required to make them. Just outside the temple is a collection of ceramic animals. Camels with riders and horses, Just exquisite.  The artist in me was just amazed by them!

 And then there's the jade.   Chinese Jade (nephrite) ranges from nearly white to green and is so hard it can not be carved but must be ground.  I can only imagine how long it took to finish the extremely detailed dragons.  ( I did buy a post card and tried to scan it but my scanner refuses to work!)

There are a few pieces of furniture as well, including a canopy bed.  The only one of it's kind known to exist.

Museums can be very fussy about photos so I didn't take any pictures.  (If you want to see photos look here ) Then, when I got home and was reading the map it said you could take all the pictures you wanted, duh.  I'll take some when I go back.

I will be going back.  The place is huge and I need to take it in chunks.  The Chinese collection alone took 1 1/2 hours!  At the end of that time your eyes hurt from reading labels!  So next month I'll go see the Impressionist Exhibit.