Manet, The Ragpicker
Corot, La Cigale
Daumier, Saltimbanques Resting
Study:
Corot, Rebecca at the Well
Bazille, Woman in the Moorish Costume
Cezanne, Uncle Dominique
Cezanne, Tulips in a Vase
Farmhouse and Chestnut Trees at Jas de Bouffan
Degas, the Laundress
Degas, Dancers in the Rotunda at the Paris Opera
Degas, Woman Combing her Hair Before a Mirror
Cezanne Vase of Flowers
Rodin, Vase of Flowers (after Cezanne)
Bernard, Brittany Landscape
Serusier, Syncrony in Yellow
Diebenkorn, Berkeley #24
Vuillard, The Pitch Pine Room
Bernard, Cupboard
Bachardy, Norton Simon
Velazquez, Mariana
Reni, Saint Cecilia
Bellini, Portrait of Joerg Fugger
Giorgione (Titian?) Head of a Venetian Girl
Monaco, Virgin Annunciate
il Francia, Madonna and Child with Saints Jerome and Francis
Botticelli, Madonna and Child with Adoring Angel
Lippi, Saints Benedict and Apollonia, Saints Paul and Frediano
Raphael, Madonna and Child with Book
Memling, Christ Giving his Blessing
van Haarlem, Mars and Venus
Cranach the Elder, Adam and Eve
Venetian School, Scenes in the Life of Christ with Patron Saints
de Landi Madonna and Child
Veneziano, Madonna and Child
di Giorgio Martini, Fidelity
Murillo, The Birth of Saint John the Baptist
de Ribera, The Sense of Touch
Rembrandt, Portrait of a Boy
Hals, Portrait of a Young Man
Verspronck, Portrait of a Lady
Rembrandt, Portrait of a Bearded Man in a Wide-Brimmed Hat
Rembrandt, Self Portrait
van der Heyden, Library Interior with Still Life
Steen, Wine is a Mocker
Fragonard, Music
Fragonard, Happy Lovers
Watteau, Reclining Nude
Chardin, Still Life with Cooking Utensils
Ingres, Baron Joseph-Pierre Vialetes de Mortarieu
Goya, St Jerome in Penitence
Chardin, Dog and Game
Goya, Martin Mariano de Goicoechea
Goya, Dona Francisca Vicenta Chollet y Caballero
I
had a gift given to me last week. I spent two hours at the Norton Simon
Museum in Pasadena. It was a rare opportunity to see a Velázquez
painting (there aren't any west of Texas.)
I
am behind on many things and, like many these days, short of many
things, but with the encouragement of my son, and a free ticket, I took
the time and went.
As
I approached the steps and could see the Rodin sculptures, I started
thinking about how extremely lucky I was. Lucky I could make the time
(rearranging my schedule means more work another day, but it is a price
well paid) Lucky I had the means (museums can be expensive. I was given a
$20 ticket. $20 is food money to many and alas, museums are not their
priority.) Lucky because unlike some in the world right now, I have not
just one museum but a handful to go to (Palestinians have no museums,
they've all been destroyed. In the United States, institutes of culture
such as libraries and museums are under attack.) I close my eyes, say a
word of thanks to the wind, adjust my mask, take a deep breath, open my
eyes, and step inside.
Within
a few steps, I am greeted by an old friend. Vincent waves hi and calls
me over. I tell him, I'll be back in a minute and run to find the
Velázquez only to discover, I'm in the wrong wing and Cezanne beckons.
Museums
are like time travel. You get to sit with artists of the past. They
come alive again through their work. They share their stories. They
allow you to stand beside them, peeking over their shoulder, and reveal
some of their secrets.
Some
are like old friends. They beckon you to return again and again
(Vincent, Cezanne, Rembrandt, Diebenkorn, I am talking about you.)
Others
are new, their work having just flown in and on display for only a
short time. Still, they whisper for you to spend time in their shadow.
They have secrets to share.
On
today's visit, I noticed something new, something I hadn't noticed
before. The paintings that spoke the most to me weren't the kings,
queens, or wealthy patrons. They were the peasants, the workers, the
every day human. Those paintings were alive. They sang and sang loud to
me. They glowed with life and humanity.
What an incredible gift of an afternoon.
Above are all the paintings that I spent time with and took photos of on this visit.
Previous visits can be found here.
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