de Young Museum – Part 1

Being someone who loves to be among nature and loves the natural world more than the human one, I can’t remember the last time I actually visited a museum.  This year, wanting to change things up a bit, hubby and I decided to get a membership to de Young and Legion of Honor Museums, both fine arts museums in San Francisco, California.

  So far, we’ve been to the de Young Museum twice.  I have to say that though I am not an expert in fine arts, both of us loved looking at the exhibits and each time left with the feeling that we needed to come back. 

  The first part of this blog will be filled with pictures of exhibits taken during our first rushed visit:

  Art of Africa, Oceania and Americas: 

As I’ve mentioned earlier, I had no clue or interest about art from any part of the world other than looking at photography/documentaries/written articles of the natural environment.  However, that all changed the second I laid eyes on those sculptures, those masks and read the explanatory notes.  Let’s just say I want to go back again and learn more about these cultures. 

As a layman spectator, I can’t help but be very taken with the beauty and artistry of these works and the awesome talents behind them. 

The explanation detailing the meaning of a particular exhibit transports one to that culture and you try to imagine the scenario of where and why that object was made.

Animal masks hold a much deeper meaning than just being aesthetically pleasing. They represent beliefs in the power of animals, their spirits, in the natural world.

 

  Though the cultures’ beliefs may differ from region to region, there is also a common thread of spiritual, religious and cultural practices that run through them.  Respect for the spirits of their ancestors can be seen in these works too.

Next, we moved onto the gallery where paintings and sculptures from different artists were displayed.

Elihu Vedder’s painting: The Sphinx of the Seashore, 1879
William Stanley Haseltine’s painting: Ruins of the Roman Theatre at Taormina, Sicily, 1889

In this particular area, you can walk to the side where it will open up to the scene below, the outdoor cafe area with the museum’s outdoor sculptures.

These sculptures are just gorgeous! I can’t get over how gifted these artists were. I am so glad I gave this museum a chance to change my outlook on manmade things.

Randolph Rogers’ sculpture: Nydia, the Blind Flower Girl of Pompeii, ca. 1853

    The paintings are all very beautiful but Frederic Edwin Church’s painting – Rainy Season in the Tropics 1866 (Oil on canvas) was my hands down favorite.  The landscape is turned into a magical scene, the light glinting through the mists while you look through a lens of fantasy and beauty.  You can easily get lost in that painting and feel that mist while admiring the double rainbow over the gushing waterfall!

Frederic Edwin Church’s Rainy Season in the Tropics 1866

  While we were there, we took an elevator to the Hamon Tower Observation level. 

The views all around are stunning!  A must-see if you visit the museum.

That’s it for the first part of my visit to de Young Museum. I hope, like me, you will be able to visit this museum when you are in the area.

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