National Museum of Women in the Arts - Special Exhibition

National Museum of Women in the Arts
Rotunda

There are so many places to go see in this area.  When I read about a special exhibition at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, I knew I had to see it.  It's called "Women Artists from Antwerp to Amsterdam - 1600 to 1750".  This is the 'Baroque' period of art, ushered in by Caravaggio, characterized by painting real people in a realistic manner.  This is the time of Rembrandt and is also a period during which landscape, still life, and portraiture began to gain popularity since Roman Catholic church art commissions were no longer available to artists in Protestant dominated countries.  

There were many women artists trained during this period by wealthy families whose family business was art, and the work of the women was favorably received by the patrons during their lifetimes.  As the lives of Western women became more constricted by custom, class, and mores during the 19th century, many earlier works by women were simply not included and sometimes their works were even attributed to men during the rise of western art museums.  It wasn't until the 1970's when women began to study and actually look for art created by women which had been lost, accessioned (culled from museum collections)  or misattributed.

Women did quite a few self portraits in this era.  One of the most famous women during this period was Judith Leyster.  Here's two self portraits painted 10 years apart

Judith Leyster - painted in 1630

Judith Leyster, 1640

In both portraits, she is holding the tools of her trade.  During the 19th century, in at least one instance, a Leyster painting was 'culled' from a museum collection.  Here's an example of her work.  

"The Concert" - 1633

In every period, only wealthy women had access to training and the TIME to devote to their art.  I had to laugh when I noticed a beautiful portrait of a woman.  It turns out this is a Princess in exile.  She had lots of time on her hands, so she hired tutors to teach her how to paint.  She painted a copy of a portrait of herself.  The original portrait is by one of her teachers.  Copying the 'master' or instructor was a common teaching technique.

This 'copy' is in one museum, and the original portrait in another.

Another point made in the exhibition was the amount of art produced by nameless women using techniques which were considered 'craft' instead of 'art' during this time period.  The design and hand creation of lace is a perfect example of an art labeled as craft.

Another craft which I'd never even heard of is called cut paper.  Apparently, women created cut paper some of which was fashioned into 'flying' ornaments.  Someone in the picture is holding one such ornament.  Art historians have speculated that the older woman is the creator.

"Watching a Papercut Wind Toy" circa 1697

Because these were so fragile, there are only a few in existence today.  Here is a fragment of one which features a Star of David.

This is part of a larger piece.  No idea how it was made.

During this period, painters from this region began selling 'still life' paintings to patrons.  Here are some examples of my favorite still life paintings:

            Clara Peters - 1650

Maria Tassaert - Still Life with Garland of Fruit

Rachael Ruysch - Vase of Flowers

Ruysch is the most famous of the 'flower' painters.  She had the fortune of having a botanist father.  Speculation is that Ruysch had the advantage of being able to use preserved specimens from her father's collection of flowers and plants.  Here's a close up of the above painting, and you can see the exquisite detail Ruysch was able to produce in her paintings.  Flower still life paintings have never gone out of style.  They can be found in each succeeding century.  

Prior to the advent of photography, painters were contracted to illustrate books of natural history.  Thus, many botany, butterfly, and insect books were illustrated by painters.  Women painters were contracted for many of these projects.  One of the most famous was  Cornelia de Rijck who was renown for her paintings/water colors of insects.  [Aside:  One of the souvenirs I bought in Europe in 1980 was a page out of a botany book which is an original watercolor illustration of a flowering plant.]   

This is not a 'pinned' insect; this is a de Rijck painting

This was a wonderful museum.  This exhibition was first rate.  There were many other great paintings and sculptures in the rest of this museum.  Here are a few which I really liked.

Bennington Birches

Patricia Tobacco Forester

Honor Freeman - Tupperware, transforming a Chaotic Kitchen
(This is made out of porcelain.)

As always, I took a zillion pictures.  Please enjoy them.  

https://photos.app.goo.gl/S745QULHfEKSxFbw9

Here Today; Gone Tomorrow

 If you roll my blog back fifteen years, you'll find one where I confided age 60 was making me acknowledge my mortality.  My premise was you can't pretend you're middle aged anymore when you are hitting 60.  I won't rehash that blog, but I was shocked at how I seemed to hit a nerve with my readers.  Lots of comments. 

Roll forward fifteen years, and suddenly, I'm 75.  Well......  I feel lucky to still be alive since I know several friends who just aren't.  At the same time, 60 looks pretty darn good considering the amount my body had deteriorated in the past 15 years.  Here's what I'm talking about:  I'll catalog from best to worst.

1)  Gray hair - I wish I had my Gram's white cotton hair, but no, I have my Cherokee grandmother's iron gray hair, but only framing my face.  My hair looks 40 from the back since it's still dark brown back there.  I really only started getting gray hair at all in the last ten years.  I have one large lock of pure white hair right above my left eye, and I color that swatch with various colors (using hair crayons) to match my outfits.   That's called making lemonade out of lemons.   

2)  Wrinkles - I can brag about these.  They are tiny and can still be camouflaged with judicious makeup.  I've actually had strangers walk up to me and compliment my complexion.  When I say, I'm ____, they always ask, "Where are your wrinkles?"  Depending on my mood, I give my Edwardian grandmother credit for selling me on the idea of covering up when out in the sun, or I make some zany comment and point them all out.  

I started taking my Gram's advice to heart when I was 14 - long prior to being able to buy sunscreen.  I wore long sleeved gauze blouses and long pants together with gigantic hats especially to the beach or pool - including a huge sun hat I got from an Astro's promotional giveaway - which I'm ashamed to admit - I still have.  If I hadn't smoked cigarettes forever, my wrinkles would be even smaller and fewer.  Truthfully, wrinkles or no wrinkles are often dependent on your genes, but lack of sun exposure tops any genetic help.

3)  Incontinence - I'll live with this since I got the prize.  The prize's name is Sarah Lynn.  She jumped up and down on my bladder, destroyed the lining, made me susceptible to UTI's, and incontinence when I laugh too hard, cough, sneeze, run, or jump up and down.  I finished the only 5K run/walk I've ever tried when I was 38 with a big, embarrassing wet spot on the front and back of my pants.  I just pretended it was sweat, and nobody even said anything.  That experience taught me you can just brazen this situation out and dare anybody to be brave enough to make a comment.

4)  Dots, spots, and marks:  While I may not have a bunch of wrinkles, I do have red dots, brown spots, and new freckles.  I actually look like a dot to dot worksheet.  You know, connect the numbered dots, and you have the outline of a picture to color.  If my dots and spots were numbered, I'd have the outline of a witch, or truthfully, of a bitch.  I can't change these, and I'm looking at a red spot that just popped up today.  Sigh..... just part of the fun stuff of your body aging  

5)  Brain slow down - This is the first serious one.  About five years ago, I discovered I'd lost the ability to spell.  Up until this point, I could scribble down a word and tell if it was spelled correctly or not (visual learner, here).  Now, I find I sometimes can't even figure out how to spell a multisyllable word once I get past the first syllable.  I'm so grateful for spell check since I can phonic it, and the smart guy inside the computer can figure out what I'm trying to say.   I always felt lucky that spelling was easy for me.  Now I understand how the folks who've never been able to spell feel. 

Brain slow down #2:  There are the vanished words.  This is worse than the sudden loss of spelling ability.  Here's an example from this blog:  See the word 'brazen' in the #3 item above?  I couldn't think of the word as I was writing the sentence.  I knew exactly what I wanted to say, but my brain couldn't find the word inside my interior dictionary.  I just want to scream when this happens.  The frustration level is sky high.  To find the word 'brazen', I finally looked up synonyms for "lack of embarrassment" and it popped up.  Internally, it dropped into place the second I saw the word.  This also happens when I'm talking.  If I'm with other people, I sometimes practice inside my head what I want to say before saying it to avoid being left high and dry while grasping for a word that won't come.  My grandson told me recently that I knew every word there is.  I just accepted the compliment, while my interior monolog was saying, "Not anymore."

6)  (Now, we're getting into the SERIOUS stuff.)  Pain.  There's no way to sugarcoat this.  My family's Achille's heel is osteoarthritis.  I'm so grateful it's not rheumatoid, but there's also no magic medication for the pain of osteoarthritis.  On any given day, I have pain in my toes (when I can feel them), my knees, my hips, up and down my back, both shoulders, and my hands.  I wake up in pain; I go to bed in pain.  I've learned that as I've gotten older, it's all gotten worse.  I've also learned that no one wants to hear about it.  Occasionally, in private, I weep from the constancy.  In public, I try to pretend it doesn't exist.  I know all the tricks to hold the pain at a level I can live with.  At age 40 I couldn't imagine this pain; at 60 I saw it on the horizon.  Now, at 75, it's just a way of life.  Bah, humbug.  Don't pity me.  I can name several friends who have it much, much, much worse than I do.  Actually, if you took away the osteoarthritis, I would be in great shape, and I have the medical tests to prove it.  Still, let's talk about the elephant in the room.

Mortality.  At age 75, I'm not just older, I'm elderly.  It's all downhill from here.  At age 60 I had just crested the hill; at 75 I'm picking up speed rolling down the proverbial hill at an alarming rate.  Thus, I have been contemplating my death.  I always like to be prepared.  Death comes to all of us.  No one gets out of this life alive.  Not saying the word, or not thinking about it won't hold it off.  And, you can't take anything with you when you go.  One of my favorite plays was written by George Kaufman/Moss Hart premiering on Broadway in 1936 '.  It's called, "You Can't Take it With You".  It's all about the idea that wealth and things really won't make you happy.  Happiness comes from engagement with other people and from experiences.  

I've never been a material goods person.  My idea of decorating through most of my adult life was to put up another bookcase.  My clothes have always been home made, bought on clearance, in garage sales, or thrift stores.  I prefer experiences to stuff.  Downsizing from a four bedroom house to a 10'x20' storage unit really brought home to me how little all the 'stuff' we drag around with us really matters.  We've downsized twice, and it's time to contemplate what stuff we are dragging around that we don't need.

What is painful is watching my friends facing THEIR mortality, and some of them cashing in their tickets.  Dying is the easy part.  Being left behind to deal with the loss and grief is what is really difficult.  Of course, some deaths easier than others.  At this point, I just wish easy deaths for elderly people I know, and if I had my druthers, I'll take one of those for myself.  

I don't think I'm afraid to die.  However, it might like being pregnant - you never know how you'll really feel until you're facing it.  I do believe there's more than the worms after you kick it.  Maybe that's wishful thinking, but I'm up for another adventure.  Even worshiping science and technology like we do today hasn't changed my mind a bit.  I think there's something 'more' after this earthly plain.  I'm also sure it can't be described and catalogued. 

One thing that does keep happening to me is the realization my every experience may be for the last time.  Maybe it's seeing the ocean.  Maybe it's a favorite dish I don't eat very often.  Maybe it's an intensely personal experience.  Maybe this next trip will be the last one.  With that in mind, I'm trying to be more in the moment.  If you talk to really elderly people, they live in the day, in their current experience.  They don't worry about either the past or the future.  Just think, it only takes being ancient to understand how to be mindful and in the moment.  So, that's my goal.  Trying to enjoy what life I have left.

Reality:  Here today; gone tomorrow.  Looking back with regrets is just stupid.  You can't change it.  Why dwell on it?  I've found as I've aged into elderly it's easy to be depressed about missing friends, the state of the world, or what has been lost.  It's much harder to look for the silver and gold happening all around and seizing it.  So, look around when you put this essay down and focus on something you can see which makes you happy or brings up a treasured memory.  Life is short.  Eat the cake.        

   

AI and AGI

 I am so tired of screens.  I am so tired of the constant barrage of new technology.  I am so tired of interacting with machines which are more tedious to deal with than the dumbest human.  

Just unplug, turn off, refuse to play.  That's certainly the kneejerk reaction.  That could be done ten years ago, but now?  Probably not possible.  One needs an electron sword to cut through the voice activated code to simply make an appointment, talk to your bank, your subscription holders, or any government agency.  Want a phone number to talk to a human?   That's possible only when dealing with the smallest and most local of companies.  

Our new electronic tool, Artificial Intelligence, [knicknamed "AI"] while currently in its infancy, is beginning to shape what information we can find on queries to the all powerful computers we carry around, and hold on our laps.  Enter a question in your Chrome search bar, and you are instantly spun off to AI Gemini (AKA 'deepmind") which is Google/Chrome's AI tool.  Googling is becoming an archaic term.

You can recognize this new tool by the Google colors in a diamond shape.  Gemini is being marketed as your personal AI assistant.  If it useful?  Yes.  Very.  However, you have to retrain your thinking and become more sophisticated in thinking what electronic usage can do.  The first use is probably the most dangerous.  Gemini summarizes the info about a question from multiple websites and presents the information in written form.  Here's an example:  Query - What is an archaic term in English for eating?  

Gemini (AI) answer:  Several archaic terms for eating exist, including "victual," "sup," "dine," "gormandize," and "swallow." These words were commonly used in the past but are less frequent in modern English. (Then, there's a breakdown of the meanings of each word.   

Here's what's happening with users.  The questioners look no further than the Gemini summary.  Instead of scrolling through a list of websites, they simply accept the AI summary.  Did you notice the 'mistake' in the summary.  Dine is currently used in modern English.  It's basic definition is 'to eat'.  AI is not infallible.  Remember, this tool is just starting to be explored in real time by real people.  Who're going to be the explorers?  The answer will not surprise you:  PRETEENS and TEENS.  

If my assumption is true, then public school systems will have to radically change.  From my own personal experience, I can tell you radical change doesn't happen in those systems.  There's a prevailing fear of technology especially as regards to reading/writing/fact gathering.  Teachers are beginning to get the inkling they can be replaced in the future by AGI. 

What's AGI?   Artificial Generative Intelligence - that's the machine intelligence which can LEARN based on its accumulated data.  Are AGI's going to take over the world and make humans redundant?  Yes, but only in certain situations.  However, not in the sci-fi, fantasy way you think.  

Here are some ideas on what AI and increasingly AGI will be used for.  Teachers being trained learn "Bloom's Taxonomy" - think of that as levels of thinking, and lessons are supposed to take this taxonomy into account.  Here's what Bloom's looks like today without taking into consideration AI or AGI.

The three bottom categories are characterized as lower level thinking - especially the bottom two.  Now, think about 'remember' (these are facts).  Think about 'understand' (put facts into context).  What does AI do?  Regurgitate facts and summarize context.  How is most school taught?  Visually which relies on memorization and context.   Can you see the problem?  In shorthand, if you can look it up, you don't need to memorize it. 

Most school systems are still teaching memorization and context through high school!  No wonder older kids are bored witless especially in classes they don't see the need for or which don't expand their evaluation, judgment or creativity skills.  Are teachers embracing AI/AGI?  Absolutely not.  They consider these tools as advanced cheating skills instead of advancing technology user skills.  

Now, think about everyone who enters data into a system.  Within a short amount of time, this job in its many facets will be taken over by AI/AGI.  Think data entry clerks, beginning coders, manufacturing (robots), some lawyers, some stock market analysts, fast food workers, etc.  If you punch it into a keyboard or cash register, AI/AGI has its sights on those jobs.  Goldman/Sacs thinks about 9% of jobs done by humans will be replaced within the next 20-25 years.  And, this list includes teachers who refuse to adapt.  

I've been saying for years that we are in the midst of an Electronic Revolution.  It's counterpart in the past was the Industrial Revolution.  The Industrial Revolution changed where we lived, what we lived in, what we wore, how and what we ate, where we traveled, and what tools we used during our lifetimes.  The IR began about 1760 and ended about 1914. That's over a period of about 150 years.  

Now, compare it to the Electronic Revolution.  Most historians suggest the true beginning was the invention of the microprocessor in 1971.  Now, 55 years later, look where we are.  And, if you consider the revolutionary tool the iphone, it was invented less than 25 years ago (2007 - iphone 1).  [Aside:  notice that iphone is not capitalized. Capitalization  rules are being changed every time we text.] 

Notice the difference in the rate of change - The Electronic Revolution is progressing three times faster than the Industrial Revolution.  The old saying, "You can't put the toothpaste back in the tube" pretty much says it all.   If you think you can be a luddite (a person against new or modern technologies), think again.  Just because you're old, or you haven't bothered to try to 'keep up' even on the most superficial level won't do anything except isolate you from the main stream of society in developed countries.  People who insist on trying to turn back the clock just wind up with a broken clock. 

Welcome to the Electronic Age coupled with the Nouveau Gilded Age.  I'm explore that historical concept in my next blog entry.

P.S.  This blog was written utilizing AI technology.  

PPS. Age is not an excuse anymore to tune out, turn on, and drop out.    

London

 I know everyone is sick of blogs about my trip, so you can all silently cheer this is the LAST ONE!  We flew from Athens to London for a final five days of vacay in London.  Our focus was museum oriented.  [Aside:  Well, that's a big surprise isn't it?]

The trip to Athens and seeing the Parthenon made us start our London museum exploration at The British Museum to see the Elgin Marbles and other odds and ends the British helped themselves to in Greece at the beginning of the 19th century.  Lord Elgin set the precedent by getting the government out of Constantinople, which was ruling Greece at the time, to agree he could take anything carved or sculpted.  He took anything he wanted and packed it off to England - thus "The Elgin Marbles".  He immediately helped himself to the only intact column sculpture left standing at the Parthenon.  [Full disclosure:  The Parthenon was shattered when a Venetian artillery shell exploded an Ottoman powder magazine inside the Parthenon during a war between the Ottomans and the Doge of Venice]  Since the British considered themselves to be superior to other nationalities, Lord Elgin undoubtedly thought of himself as a preserver and protector of these antiquities.

The British Museum also reconstructed the friezes from the outside of the Parthenon.  Most of the material are the original sculptures.

These friezes went all around a huge room

In addition to the sculptures picked up around the Parthenon, the British brought back entire tombs and other sculptures from the zenith of ancient Greek culture

I also loved the animal sculptures

I went so crazy taking pictures at the British Museum, that I actually depleted my iphone battery to less than 5%. I had to borrow Drake's phone to take my outside pictures of Trafalgar Square.  The British Museum is one of the cornerstones of Trafalgar

Yes, I'm wearing a workout shirt because it was much warmer 
in London than we anticipated.  This is overlooking Trafalgar Square

The guy standing on top of the column
is Lord Nelson, the Admiral in
command of the sea battle at Trafalgar.
He died during the battle

If you want to see the pictures from the British Museum, click on the link.  I will admit I got carried away.

The British Museum

And, if you think I got carried away at The British Museum, I went nuts in the National Gallery of Art.  Wonderful pictures from Medieval times forward.  Vermeer:

There were three hanging Vermeer's including this one.  Drake and I really like 16th century Dutch paintings such as Jan Steen painting not religious scenes, but rather pictures of the common people doing ordinary things.  As Protestantism surged, commissions from the largely Catholic rulers dried up for the Dutch.  Here's an example of Jan Steen entitled "The Effects of Intemperance".

The other subject the Dutch loved was 'the sea'.  Considering the geography of The Netherlands, I'd be amazed if they didn't love sea pictures.  Here's an example from Jacob van Ruisdael.  

This is also the time of Rembrandt, and the National Gallery had some wonderful pictures.  I did take a photo of his most famous self portrait, but it was this picture which caught my eye.  Rembrandt illustrated a story from the Bible concerning Balthazar and the mysterious writing on the wall.  I especially like the startled looks when the writing appears on the wall.   

It felt like every major artist was represented in this museum.  Peter Paul Reubens, Titian, Caravaggio,  had multiple pictures from this era.  Caravaggio is one of Drake's favorites.  Caravaggio was a scoundrel who changed art - he was the first to use live models and paint light in a new way.  He died very young - stabbed to death as a result of a bar fight, so there are only a few known pictures.  Here's one called "The Supper at Emmaus".  

If you like 'flower pictures', here's one painted by a female artist.  Not only was it hard for a woman with artistic talent to obtain training, but women of a certain class were expected to stay home.  Thus, most pictures by female artists were restricted to what they could observe inside their houses.  Rachael Ruycha definitely had talent.

There were Gainsborough's, Reynolds', Sargent's, El Greco's, Constable's and Velazquez paintings.  I could go on and on - but you can see as many or as few as you would like by clicking on my photo link:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/tqcSCxTjAcpatmTF7

I found another museum which was filled with two hundred years of 'collecting' by one aristocratic family whose fortunes were buoyed through marriage to an American heiress.  This museum is called "The Wallace Collection", and it was chock full of furniture, chandeliers, knick-knacks, clocks, sculpture, and paintings.  Lord Wallace's museum displayed in his London home was the inspiration for Henry Frick to display his own collection.  

Somehow, Lord Wallace managed to obtain the quintessential painting of the Rococo period - that time of excess just prior to the French revolution at the end of the 18th century.  It's called "The Swing"

Every room in this multi floor mansion in the heart of London is decorated within an inch of it's life.  Then, there are other rooms filled with weapons and an armor clad knight mounted on his armor clad horse.

At this point, I wondered what else  could possibly in this museum.  The second floor was a gallery of salon hung paintings by Reubens, Murillo, El Greco, Rembrandt, and Velazquez.  

If you love beautiful porcelain, fabulous furniture, lovely paintings, miniatures, and ornate knick-knacks, you will love my pictures of The Wallace Collection.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/fNsvvsKWz8ESJBKT8

By this time you'd think I'd be finished with art museums, but there were two more which captured our fancy.  The first was Tate Britain.  This is basically a collection of famous painting by mostly British artists.  We were really lucky to see an exhibition of Constable paintings.  Constable was beloved during his lifetime together with Turner.  Here's one of my favorite Constable paintings.   He loved the theme of Man vs Nature.  

Here's a Turner painting called "The Field at Waterloo".  The carnage at Waterloo was as extreme as some of the American Civil War battles.  Entire villages flocked to see the casualty lists printed and posted by their local newspapers.  In Turner's picture there are bodies piled on bodies as far as you can see.  

As well as gorgeous paintings, the Tate Britain is a beautiful building.  If you're interested in classic British art, click on the picture link.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/PRXpZCqDU1hYqKR76

The final museum in London was The Victoria and Albert.  This is a museum of 19th century curiosities.  It contains a mish/mash of art.  I especially liked the porcelain collection.  I went a little nuts in this area.  Here's an example:  

If you like clothes, there's a knock out exhibition of clothing through the ages.  

Tie Dye anyone?  This is just one window of 50 or so.  If you want to see more, click:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Edzh6ndrRh464nfV6

We enjoyed tooling around Central London in the traditional black cabs.  It takes cab drivers an average of two years to master "The Knowledge" - knowing every road in London.  A London cab driver doesn't use GPS, he uses "The Knowledge".  You give him an address or even a building, and he drives right to it.   We did most of our building/fountain/sculpture viewing from the cabs, 2/3rds of which are now electric hybrids.    

Churchill in front of Parliament

The Queen's Park - they mean Victoria.  

There's another collection of pictures similar to the above:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/jvch1yJdmzsVtUA47  

The final photo album is a collection of flowers and landscapes in both the Mediterranean and in London

https://photos.app.goo.gl/GxbexGKMUbcMwcZQ9

of all the pictures I took on this trip, this one, the sunset at sea, is fitting for the end of this entry.

 

 

 

 

 

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