On Wednesday we went to an art museum.
We were supposed to go the day before, but some of us couldn’t find our shoes.
Do you ever have days like that?
So Wednesday it was and on Wednesday we went, to a museum across the river. (It’s rather hard to read the name of it, isn’t it? That’s so you can’t stalk me.)
I gave the kids the standard lecture before we got there. “Don’t touch the paintings. Don’t touch the sculptures. Don’t touch anything. Okay?”
My five-year-old’s thinking, “Well, that sounds fun.”
Not really.
Sure enough, we had no sooner entered my favorite room and I was scaling the heights of aesthetic rapture when…
“I’m bored.”
“Kind of interested, but mainly bored.”
“Okay, really really bored.”
You know that scene in It’s a Wonderful Life when the old guy on the porch complains, “Ah, youth is wasted on the young!”?
Well, the same goes for great art and most 5-year-olds.
Not that I blame them.
Looking but not touching is definitely a learned art.
Still, there were many small magical moments and a couple of great big ones, like when the kids encountered The Carpet Merchant (pictured above). We have a framed print of it hanging in our dining room, so to see the original up close like that…
Well, I don’t think they’d ever thought that there was an original.
But, of course, there is.
There almost always is.
We ended our day in the best possible way, with a visit to the new exhibit. Unfortunately, I didn’t get any photos of The Louvre and the Masterpiece because A. They wouldn’t let me, and B. I didn’t want to.
So there.
It’s a cozy exhibit—just three small rooms—but for me, it was quite magical. They had a Da Vinci there, my friend! They had a Michelangelo! Call me an art geek and I’d agree, but I get giddy in the presence of the Masters.
If you have a chance to see this exhibition, take it. If not, pick a different gallery!
It’s worth the effort to see great art up close.
Happy Friday, everyone! Give the kids a hug for me.
Ed. Note: That last photo was taken during recess outside the museum, where fresh air and breakfast bars proved crucial to the success of this operation.
Oh the fun you 'big city folks' get to have! Looks like so much fun…except for a 5 yr. old, I suppose.
Beautiful art, that's for sure!
Glad everyone found their shoes and could enjoy the day!
I think they have a Vermeer, too, isn't that right? That's what I'm itching to see.
I'm planning to take my 9yo to that exhibit sometime soon — I don't want to miss it! And I think he'll like it too.
Next Tuesday I'm going to take my 6yo and my friend's 7yo, who've been studying art together, to that museum for an hour or two, but I'm not shelling out the big bucks for the special exhibit for them!
Bearing: Get a couple of free passes at the library! That's what we did.
And yes, they have a Vermeer. I swooned.
Years ago when we were still dating DH and I made the trip to Washington DC fro the Vermeer exhibit…SWOON…then we caught the Winslow Homer exhibit the same day…and the rest of the National Gallery that weekend…also a good bit of the Smithsonian….Ahhhhhh.
Several months later we were in Boston visiting a friend and caught the Homer exhibit AGAIN!!!
Keep in mind I've been an art teacher for the last 20 years…first in Public school…now in our Homeschooling community…Gotta love originals!
Glad you had such a good day…after the shoes were found…
I love art museums!!!
Been there with the shoes, youngest hid them 😉
We went to that Musuem with a group of soon-to-be Kindergartners (it was so parents and children could get to know each other b4 school started.) They had docents leading the tour and did a great job with keeping ALL of the 5 year olds attention. I would definitely suggest that, she geared her talk to them and I learned things from her too.
I think it is neat how in that picture of your kiddos looking at the Carpet Merchant, they are posed in a similar way to the people in the painting (well, except for your little blond angel). It makes a sort of neat mirror effect.
I keep meaning to take the kids there, been meaning to for years! sad I know. Thanks for the idea about the library passes, I forgot about those. Don't remember the parking situation there, is it a ramp? Our 12 pass. doesn't fit in most ramps…
It's exposure. Some of that has to be engrained into their big minds 😉
Great photos!
*I must also pay you a compliment on your photography … very nice!
At least she can't touch the paintings from the bench in the middle of the room. The last time we were there the security guards were overly picky about children getting anywhere near the artwork. And heaven forbid they skip or do a little joyful spin!
Do you go to the theatre there? We had to cut out our season tickets this year, thank you very much economy — but we really enjoyed it and I think if we lived closer and it wasn't such a trip we'd still go. 🙁
Beautiful outing! Da Vinci's are my favorite, well, and Botticelli's and Raphael's and Fra Angelico's! But right now I'm collecting Da Vinci giclee prints to do an art wall in the house with white matting and thin gold frames. I only have one so far!
The shoe thing. That's the one area in our home where everyone knows to keep mom out of it! Nothing else makes me lose patience like lost shoes (there's a designated PLACE for them, after all!) So, when a shoe is lost I go into another room while everyone else tries to find it. Works quite well, I must say. 🙂
When my Anthony was about 10 he had been studying Monet in school and they had been producing their own versions of his pictures. I took my two boys to the National Gallery in London where they have a few Monets, including one of the Lillypad pictures. Up until then he had only seen copies and the look on his face looking at the original – he was absolutely stunned – I think I will take that to the grave with me
Re the shoes
We were on a family retreat weekend, packing the car ready to go, when one of my girls who was about 5 came out and said we can't go, I've lost my shoe – this was a very large very rambling, very old Manor house, took over an hour to find her shoe!