Diamonds in the Desert, Pt. 2 -- The DIA

Walking down Woodward Avenue, from the St. Regis to the Detroit Institute of Arts in the slush was no pleasure. But once we got inside, good things began to happen.

First, the sold-out "Rembrandt: Faces of Jesus" exhibit had openings at 3:30 p.m. That was a bonus. (More about that in the next post; it's exceptional.)

But even if we hadn't been able to get in, the DIA is more than worth the $10 admission -- or free for members! After all, when you can stand centimeters away from a Van Gogh self-portrait, that's worth more than the price of admission! I gasped.

You will find beautiful puppets.

I'm a sucker for puppets and I loved these marionettes. I'm told there are puppet shows in the atrium periodically. I'd love to see one of those.

There are astounding paintings by great masters of American Art (Frederick Church below). His mastery of light in the landscape is magnificent.

Portraits tell stories and are loaded with symbolism. (The fish in the bowl and the wallpaper crowns over the little girl's heads represent privilege and protection from the world outside.) This is John Everett Millais' "Leisure Hours" (1864). Love the rich texture of their dresses.

There is furniture...

....and beautiful wood carving.

The night before we left, we watched a movie called "Modligliani" -- I was excited to walk into a gallery and see a "Modi" staring back at me! (This was dated 1917-1920) The story (which may or may not have had its own elements of fiction) brought the work into a more vivid context for me.

Warhol? Sure! (and Picasso, too!)

And what about European painting masters? Rick's favorite is "The Wedding Dance" by Pieter Bruegel the Elder in 1566. One of the things about this particular painting and many others in the museum was that it was purchased by the City of Detroit for the museum. That was then... this is now. These days, the city isn't purchasing much.

Like 'em bright? Matisse did!

Female impressionists? Who can argue with Mary Cassatt? ("In the Garden," 1903-4)

The gentlemen? A number of Renoir, Pissaro, Monet (below).

Religious? Fra Angelico is a favorite.

And I have always loved Della Robia.

Stained glass? This John La Farge triptych (1809) was a favorite of mine. I've always been fond of his windows in Boston's Trinity Church.

My favorite painting is this one called "The Nut Gatherers," done by William Bouguereau in 1882.

I first saw it with my friend Patricia decades ago. It reminded us of us -- long, blondish Patricia, dark, short-haired me. I miss her terribly and seeing this painting within a few months of the tenth anniversary of her death (or is it more?) was a bit of a choke up for me. We used to share that same kind of long talk about everything under the sun.

I've always been fond of art nouveau, so this painting -- a preliminary study for a poster that appeared later advertising a newspaper titled "La Depeche de Toulouse" (1892) appealed to me.

And again, I was attracted to the furniture in this style -- and had to put myself in the picture!

Rick and I tend to agree on most art, and we were both very fond of this portrait of "My Daughter Elisabeth" (1914) by Frank Benson, a lovely study of his daughter.

I also liked these two Winslow Homer's. I'm rather used to seeing his work reflect the sea; these were simply beautiful. This one is titled "Girl and Laurel" (1879).

And this piece is "The Four-Leaf Clover" (1873).

And what would a visit to a museum be without a glass display! Their shelves are much tidier than my china cabinet.

We passed up the "Brunch with Bach" concert, but thanks to the lovely windows overlooking the courtyard, were able to enjoy it anyway!

In the last post I mentioned the Diego Rivera mural. That will be the subject of an upcoming post. He deserves one of his own! As you can see, it's massive -- and there is far more hidden meaning than I can possibly convey!

But that's for another day. Next time, we'll return for a look at the Rembrandt "Faces of Jesus" exhibit and then step away from the art museum for art of a different type!

(If you're a book fan, check out the gorgeous illustrations from my newest Chopsticks and String book post -- this is a treasured children's favorite that isn't to be believed! See it HERE!)