It’s no secret that Mr. Handsome loves art. Before meeting him, I had only gone to one or two art museums. My parents weren’t really into them when I was growing up, so that rubbed off on me. But when Mr. Handsome took up oil and acrylic painting as a hobby, we became frequent visitors to art museums and galleries.
Last fall, we were able to browse both the Boston Museum of Fine Arts (during a trip with Mr. Handsome’s family) and the Art Institute of Chicago (during a trip with my family).
Mr. Handsome really enjoyed the works by Claude Monet (especially his many paintings of water lilies and haystacks–Monet really had a fascination for those two subjects). When we returned home, he was inspired to try his hand at impressionism and created a beautiful fall scene.
I, on the other hand, fell in love with the 17th century paintings from the Dutch Golden Age. The incredible detailing makes them look like photographs.
And here are a few other paintings that we enjoyed. Do you recognize any of them? Do you enjoy art museums?
Anonymous
I don’t enjoy art museums, but I did enjoy these few paintings. I also enjoy viewing Mr. Handsome’s paintings. Just curious, I didn’t know museums allow people to take pictures inside.
Ellie
I was also surprised that we were allowed to take pictures. They just said no flash photography was permitted.
Anonymous
I recognize them. My parents had huge coffee table books of art when I was growing up and I looked through them a lot.
What always gets me whenever I see famous works in museums is how much smaller they often are than what you might expect them to be. In books, the given sizes are somewhat meaningless.
Tell H to look into illustration art – magazine covers, advertising illustrations, book illustrations, etc. That’s a whole other genre of art than what you find in the average fine art museum. Go back to Victorian times when offset lithography began. Watch things change as the Art Nouveau and Art Deco movements began. You can find those art forms mirrored in architecture from then, too.
Fascinating stuff. Someone’s thoughts put on canvas or paper for all to experience. Speak volumes without uttering a word.
Side note: I know a man who owns 60 original Warhols. Was a friend of his.
Ellie
Wow! What an incredible personal collection! Do you have a favorite Warhol? And illustration art is a great idea. We do need to look into that.
I was also surprised by how small most of the paintings were. There were a few really large works, but most of them were right around the same size, all very small.
Ellie
Barb
Thank you for sharing your visit to the art museum. I would love to give expression through painting, as Mr H does, but that wasn’t a gift God gave me. (Believe me; I’ve tried.) But that’s ok. I appreciate others’ gifts in that area. I love all the art works! It would be difficult to choose just one. Can you show us the fall impressionistic painting? Impressionist art is wonderful but looks so difficult. My favorite art works are religious painting, any style, from early art to the present. I am constantly inspired by others’ expressions of God’s love and Christ’s service. Have you read Henri Nouwen’s book, “The Return of the Prodigal Son?” It’s based on Rembrandt’s amazing painting and is so insightful.
Ali
I was an art major in university and now hold a BFA in Visual Studies 🙂 Did you check out any of the contemporary exhibits in Chicago?
Ellie
We did. I think we saw everything. I’m more of a traditionalist, but the contemporary stuff was fun to see too.
Ellie
Anonymous
You’ve got to look up Iris Scott, a finger painting artist from the NYC area. Watch videos of how she does it. It’s all so…fluid. Brain to finger to canvas.
Ellie
Just looked her up. Beautiful work! Thanks for the suggestion.
Ellie
Johnna
I recently learned of the art of Grandma Moses. Very interesting story.
Ellie
Sounds interesting. I’ll have to look that up!
Anonymous
You don’t know about Grandma Moses?
Ellie
I don’t. Her work looks familiar, though. It’s very nice!
Ellie
Anonymous
Ienjoyed the Smithsonian art museums on a family trip to Washington DC…especially the American landscapes and portrait gallery. The detail in the paintings are fascinating!
On another note, my friend and I are planning a short 2.5 day trip to Boston. Any suggestions of what not to miss? Thank you!
Ellie
You’ll have a wonderful time! If you like history, Plymouth is a neat place (https://nashvillewife.com/exploring-400-year-old-plymouth/). Lexington and Concord are also interesting. For all of those, you will need a car. The Boston Freedom Trail is downtown Boston and does not require a car if you are staying in the city. It is not to be missed. I would do that before you do Plymouth, Lexington, or Concord. If you like art, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts is wonderful. Let me know if you have any other questions. If anyone else wants to chime in, feel free.
Ellie
Amanda
I love art museums. I grew up walking distance from an especially good one in Pennsylvania, and we had a family membership, so I could go any time I felt like it. My school took us to Washington DC every year for a museum trip, usually the National Gallery, and I got to see incredible things there, including a massive exhibit of the Dutch masters. I know just what you mean about the use of light in their works. This exhibit focused on Rembrandt (Night Watch in person is truly spectacular), but other Dutch painters of the era were also represented. I also got to see a big impressionist exhibit that had several panels of Monet’s waterlilies, some of his other works, and lots of other impressionists. I was especially drawn to paintings by an artist Signac, I can’t remember his first name. I also really love the work of Marc Chagall.
I recognize American Gothic and the Renoir painting of the woman and child, but the other paintings you asked about are unfamiliar.
I would love to see the impressionist painting your husband did.