Today Mom, Dad, Dan, Zephan, Tamzin, and I explored the Boston Museum of Fine Art. We bounced around a bit so things that would be together in the museum are not together in my photos.
They had some Christmas decorations.
"Oh my god Becky, look at her butt."
Dante and Virgil by Baron Henri de Triqueti (1862)
La Japonaise (Camille Monet in Japanese Costume) by Claude Monet (1876)
I love this painting. I had no idea Monet did anything like this.
As you can see here, it's a fairly large painting.
Endlessly Repeating Twentieth Century Modernism by Josiah McElheny (1966)
And some closeups of the endless reflections.
Gainsborough has Blue Boy, George Romney has Brown Boy.
AKA John Bensley Thornhill as a boy (1784)
Pitcher by Karl L.H. Müller (1876)
"This pitcher embodies several nineteenth-century American themes: immigration, western expansion, gambling, and beer-drinking. [This] side illustrates a scene from "The Heathen Chinee," an 1870 poem by Bret Harte, in which a California miner confronts a Chinese migrant over cheating at cards. The poem was a condemnation of prejudice. The other side depicts King Gambrinus, the mythical king of beer. The whimsical animals - seals, polar bears, walruses? - may refer to the purchase of Alaska in 1867."
The hall of bored women. The lady in the chair is Sappho (1863) and the standing one is Medea (1868-80) both are by William Wetmore Story.
And a painting of the room of bored women.
Museum Epiphany III by Warren and Lucia Prosperi (2012)
Parakeets and Gold Fish Bowl by Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company (1893)
It was designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany for the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago.
Isabella and the Pot of Basil by John White Alexander (1897)
Her true love's head is in that pot. Romantic, no?
Also apparently basil is the symbol of true love.
At Dusk (Boston Common at Twilight) by Childe Hassam (1885)
Woman Reading Before a Screen by Mary Stevenson Cassatt (1879)
A Chihuly spotting!
Portrait of H.R.H. the Prince of Wales at a Review, Attended by Lord Heathfield, General Turner, Col. Bloomfield, and Baron Eben; Col. Quinton in the Distance by John Singleton Copley (1809)
I was amused by the "sense" of perspective in this.
Need people to be far away? Just shrink them down.
Legends of the Hidden Temple! Who will win? Blue barracudas?
Portrait Mask by Olmecs (900-600 BC)
It turns out that Batman villains originated with the Central American natives. Here we have Two-Face. AKA Human-head effigy jar from they Mayans - Guatemala (600-850 AD)
And this one's the Penguin. AKA Hunter effigy vessel by the Chancays (800-1450 AD)
Not quite Catwoman, this one's actually a Jaguar effigy vessel from the Virú (200 BC - 1 AD)
Also a squirrel/rodent from the Cupisnique (300-200 BC)
And a lobster, because, why not? It's from the Moche (200-600 AD)
Guernica to Wounded Knee by Stan Natchez (2012)
Raven Steals the Moon by Preston Singletary (2002)
Button Blanket by Maxine Matilpi (2016)
From Burt Dow, Deep Water Man by Robert McCloskey (1963)
"Then Burt opened a left-over gallon of yellow deck paint and started sloshing it around, dribbling a-little-bit-here, a-little-bit-there. He was beginning to enjoy himself - probably because it was the first time he'd ever had the chance to express his personality in paint."
I'm in a Mary Stevenson Cassatt painting!
Back to the Chihuly!
Lime Green Icicle Tower by Dale Chihuly (2011)
It's 40 feet tall, weighs 10,000 pounds and has 2,342 individual glass pieces.
The Dressing Table by John Wilson (1945)
Another Chorus Individual (in the cul-de-sac) by Frances Stark (2007)
Welcome and Unwelcome by Frances Stark (2006)
We had agreed to meet back up to get something to eat at the museum cafe.
Afterwards Mom took Zephan to see the Jackson Pollocks. He was not impressed. In his words, "Grandma. I could do that." Dan was pleased with this response.
Later in the evening we went to the Boston Winter Christmas market.
Downtown was all lit up.
And a bit crowded, but it was pretty.
Dan climbed the snow pile and declared himself king.
Of course the kids also wanted to climb the snow pile, so I tried to help.
It was very slick in places, but we managed it.
This concludes our adventures for today.
