We went to the Washington, D.C. area for a wedding at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. The wedding happened in the beautiful main chapel. There was ice on the ground and it was quite cold, especially for the bride and bridesmaids who were dressed in sleeveless gowns. The service itself was Catholic. The thing went off rather well, it was really lovely, even though I despise weddings in general. The reception was at a country club that seemed fairly far from the wedding. There was food and dancing and speeches. I was not allowed to quietly read a book at the table.
On Sunday we drove into Washington, D.C. and parked in the National Mall. It wasn't crowded at all. Naturally, the main purpose of going to our great nation's Capital was to see the National Gallery, which is a sort of proof that great amounts of money can buy the best art. The much of the collection comes from the collections of Andrew Mellon and Joseph Widener.
The museum was a surprise to me architecturally, as it is based on the Pantheon in Rome. The Pantheon is simply one of my favourite buildings bar none. We visited it in the summer of 1998, and marveled at the dome made of concrete, this incredible example of architecture, once a Roman temple, now a Catholic church. So the National Gallery really made me happy, with its great oculus and domed hall. They have a fountain beneath the oculus and there were spring flowers all around (hyacinths, tulips, daffodils). It struck me as ironic that one of the paintings we wanted to see was the Interior of the Pantheon, Rome by Giovanni Paolo Pannini. Unfortunately, it was not on display.
The National Gallery is the best American museum of Western art I've ever been to. There are many paintings there that I had admired but not yet seen, so it was exciting to finally be there.
Their collection of Raphael Madonnas is not as extensive as the Berlin Gemaeldegalerie, but the quality of the Washington collection is markedly better. The Alba Madonna is especially beautiful with its harmonious colors and triangular composition. This tondo is one of the loveliest Raphael Madonnas I have seen, along with Dresden's Sistine Madonna and Florence's Madonna of the Chair.
The Rembrandt collection includes many portraits, the best of which has to be the Self-Portrait of 1659. The sadness in that profound stare. I also found the Apostle Paul and the Portrait of a Lady with an Ostrich-Feather Fan very beautiful.
The National Gallery has managed to get its hands on quite a few Vermeers, considering that there are only about 35 paintings in existence, and the National Gallery has four (if the Girl with a Flute is counted, though it is only "attributed".), only the Metropolitan Museum of Art has more at a grand total of five. Though I don't care for the Girl with a Flute, the Girl with the Red Hat, nor A Lady Writing, the Woman Holding a Balance is simply my favourite Vermeer of all. The painting has a gravity and striking clarity to it. The paintings are all very small and are in a room that doesn't get natural light like the other rooms of the gallery.
They also have quite a collection of Goya portraits, including one of Therese Louise de Sureda and one of Senora Sabasa Garcia. These two are my favourite portraits by Goya, both women look very dignified, grave, and Senora Sabasa Garcia almost is defiant in the way she holds her shoulders.
After the museum we went to dinner with friends at the White
Tiger
Restaurant, an Indian place with nice decor and good food.