You'll Learn More from Chester Dale

This was the response from the wonderfully dimpled old man who was volunteering at the National Gallery of Art when I asked him where I could find Allen Ginsberg's photos- The Beat Generation.  He didn't say "Young lady" but he did look concerned for my artistic education and priorities.  Little did he know that I have an insider at the Philadelphia Art Museum who knows from modernism.  

After seeing the photographers, I can't disagree with the disapproving volunteer, but I think The Beat Generation was fun.  I forget until I see photographs again how much I enjoy just looking at them.  Especially pictures of people.  Ginsberg's pictures from from two periods- one set from the 1950s-early 1960s and another from the 1980s-early 1990s.  Upon rediscovering the first set of pictures 30 years later, Ginsberg added captions to them (handwritten and a bit difficult to read).  The photos of the young Beat poets show them to be small in frame, sleepy, and often in love.  One picture's caption includes: "Neal Cassady and his love of that year."  It is shocking to see Jack Kerouac in early photos and then 30 years later- defiance and strength becomes grumpiness and slouched shoulders.  The photographs take up 3 galleries and each room contains pictures from a single period.  Instead of making a circle of each room and then moving on, I decided to walk along the outside wall making one large circumference.  This meant that I started with the young Beat Poets, saw them aged, and ended up with them young again.  I'd recommend it as one part of a trip to the National Gallery of Art.

Also, did you know Beat is an abbreviation for Beatnik?  Go figure.

Retreat is not Defeat

I started back up with Rosetta Stone yesterday after a 7 month hiatus.  There was no one reason for my retreat- I got a job that required more mental energy, started having company for dinner more often, and suddenly had TV with cable.  But I do want to learn Spanish and so I returned to Rosetta Stone.  It's fun.  You wear a headset with a little microphone and when you say something right you are rewarded with a "Ba-Ba-Baba-Ba."  When you get it wrong you get a "Buh-buh" (similar to the sound of the Blue Line).  So you can now imagine me in my empty apartment mid-day talking to my computer in painfully accented Spanish.  "La nina lee."

The judge who determines whether my pronunciation passes muster seems a bit unreliable. He/She or the Panel allows me to get away with saying "periodico" and then "buh-buhs" me over and over when I try to say "hola."  In response, I try different voices and paces to try to win the judges over so that I can move onto the grammar exercise.

I hope to stick with Rosetta Stone and keep getting slowly better at Spanish.  I'll keep you posted.  Adios!

 

The 70's Brunch

We went to brunch at the Kennedy Center on Saturday.  It was a hot and lovely day.  We found a perfect parking spot and entered through the Hall of Nations.  We went up one level to the restaurant.  We were seated in a circular room with '70s decor- yellow and brown.  And the chairs- fantastic chairs- brown with oversized seats and padded armrests.  There was a keyboard player who occasionally serenaded us.

A glass of champagne- or a mimosa if you're into that kind of thing- is included in the brunch.  The buffet is laid out in the industrial kitchen behind a panel.  I felt like I was walking the wrong way but I was encouraged to persevere.  There were oysters, shrimp, crab legs, all sorts of rolls, ginger carrots, cheese & crackers, bacon & potatoes.  It was a lovely spread.  There is also a dessert bar with cheesecake balls, a monster creme brulee (I've had better in Boston), and mini cupcakes.  

The people watching was as good as you'd expect- all sorts of folks, all sorts of ages.  The couple sitting next to us was well into their 80s and he would cup his ear with his right hand to try to catch all of her comments.  There were blissed out kids around the dessert bar. 

I recommend this brunch next time the Living Social Deal comes around- our waiter spotted us as Living Social-ers right away.  After brunch we walked around and enjoyed the view.  You can't see the Capital from the roof but you can see Lincoln, Washington, and the poor rowers on the Potomac.  

Oh Hello Phillips Collection

I decided to check out the Phillips Collection at 21st and Q just because it's close to Dupont Circle and I wanted to also see Adams Morning during the day after going to a museum.  The neighborhoods are close to each other and I've just recently learned how to navigate between them- as long as I stay on Columbia.

I should've known that greatness was in store when the nice woman behind the desk told me that the museum was donation-only because they are between exhibits.  The Phillips Collection was acting like a Smithsonian and I was happy to play along.  

I turned an unassuming corner to see a Van Gogh, Monet, Cezane, and then taking up an entire wall was Renoir's Luncheon of the Boating Party.  They put a long, cushioned bench in front of the painting so you can sit and analyze all of the faces and conversations.

There is also a Rothko Room- only 8 people allowed in at a time to preserve the atmosphere.  I had never seen a Rothko before and it was wonderful to see 4 in person.  An artist named Heuser created a response to Rothko called "Pulse"- the 3-D paper images were hung along the stairwell.

My favorite painting was by Marcoussis- Painting #17 on Glass.  I also stood in front of Canyon by Frankenthaler for a long time.  Despite that fact that I was alone in the room with one of the Phillips Collection's many attendants.  That was the one downside of the collection- There were multiple attendants in every room.  All wearing black flats and stylish outfits with a hint of hipster.  I definitely felt watched.  And more than one judgy look was registered in response to a museum goers commentary.  But it was overwhelmingly worth it to see such a wonderful collection.  

I Assume You're all Good Eaters

I went to NYC with my family.  We went on a Pizza Walking Tour.  I love walking tours.  I walked around Europe with mine sister and I am filled with excitement with the week of free walking tours in D.C. comes around.  I have been given walking tours twice as presents.  I collect them.

I do not eat pizza.  I eat a bit of wheat but no cheese.  I do like tomato sauce.  So, the nice tour guide's assumption was wrong.  But mine family helped me out by eating extra pizza and stealthily passing the fresh, unsalted mozzarella cheese along to the next person.  Not eating pizza did not take away from the tour.  I had the chance to walk around Little Italy and the surrounding blocks on a beautiful NYC days.  I saw where they still build the pizza ovens sent around the world.  It was a great opportunity for people watching.  The tour guide talked some history which was awesome.  She was wearing a polka dot dress and transitions lenses.

I will say that I could not compete with the enthusiasm of some of my fellow walkers.  They gasped.  They laughed aloud and exclaimed "Really?"  They were overcome by joy from the tomatoes.  One of them said "Holy Cow" more than once.

As our tour finished, we noticed other groups of food walking tours around us.  I will definitely look into doing another one with my family- it was a great way to spend time together. Although we may never be able to find a walking tour where all of us want to eat what is offered.  

Who Says I Like Right Angles?

I went to the National Museum of the National Indian on a rainy Monday morning.  That L'Enfant Plaza station gets me every time, but eventually I made it to the front entrance.  

I went there specifically to see Brian Jungen's Strange Comfort Exhibit.  He turns consumer objects- golf bags, plastic chairs, Air Jordans- into pieces that look like Native American art. The golf bags become totem poles.  The Air Jordans become masks.  They become expensive and useless and beautiful.  I stood looking at each piece for longer than I expected.

I also saw the Indi(visible)- a small exhibition on African-Native Americans.  I think that term is contested.  It illustrated, through family pictures, maps, and sketches, the intermarriage of Africans and Native Americans during the pre-colonial period.  There was a video with African-Natives speaking about how they try inhabit both identities.  Publicly, they tend only to be identified as African-Americans.  I had never heard of African-Native Americans but, of course, it makes sense.  It made me think of an exhibit I saw at the Philadelphia Art Museum on early Spanish settlers in the Americas- they intermarried without much controversy with the Native population.  All sorts of families emerged.

I enjoyed the museum and the architecture is stunning.  And no right angles which gives me an excuse to use my first Ani quote.

You never want to be the guy marching into Russia

I wanted to see Babies since I saw the preview on Jezebel.  I find babies entertaining that's all. Plus I'm inclined to like documentaries.  So I had to find a movie theater in D.C. that was screening the film.  That search took me to Landmark E St Cinema on Saturday.

The movie, well I left about 10 minutes early because it was a beautiful day outside and I was kind of bored.  But the theater was a wonderful find.  They show movies I thought I'd have to wait to see till I visit NYC.  They sell wine and beer.

My fellow moviegoers were old and friendly.  One particular curmudgeon was conversing loudly with the man who took our tickets.  He was talking WWII strategy and suggesting alternate strategies that could have changed history.  He wondered if Hitler should have marched toward Moscow sooner.  The ticket guy responded: "You never want to be the guy marching into Russia." All of us seated on the bench, waiting to be seated, nodded solemnly.  You can't argue with that.