Almost a full week on the road already has passed (hopefully tomorrow I’ll have some time for a quick recap of my experience in the US and A so far 🙂 ). On Friday the rain hit the DC area, followed by something I suspect is quite a problem around here, particularly during the summer months: an insane level of humidity.
Anyway, the rains clearly did not bother me much, since I ended up spending most of the day (and a couple of extra hours on Saturday morning) checking out the impressive collection of the National Gallery, which includes several masterpieces of French impressionism (and some great stuff from more recent times). In particular I quite enjoyed the choice of placing 2 paintings with a similar motif by Monet and Derain next to each other, to appreciate even more the different and yet similar approach to colour and perception of these 2 great artists.
The visit to the NGA gave me however also another chance to discover new artists and expand my knowledge of American art.
From this perspective, the real highlight of the visit to DC was however the Smithsonian American Art Museum, where I ended up spending a few hours yesterday afternoon. Here one can truly appreciate the richness of American art, tracing its evolution from its European roots and influences, but that quickly found its own voice in presenting the reality of the new continent, inspired by the incredible sceneries and the melting pot of cultures.
On one side, I loved to see more the traditional, romantic themes in the glowing portraits of John Singer Sargent and the decadent melancholy of the turn of the XIX-XX century of Dewing and Thayer.
But even more of a delight was seeing the depiction of modern life, the big cities of lights and industrial work, but also the alienation and the longing for something lost (or something that was never there) often seen through the eyes of new Americans that were born somewhere far away in Europe or Asia and came to the US in search of refuge and a better life.
