Appreciation & Inspiration
For me, museums and libraries are magic. Inside are treasures, portals to other worlds and connections to past, present, and future. I could spend hours getting lost (figuratively and literally!) inside either, and both would be places where I’d be more than thrilled to while away a day. Today, I was lucky to do just that at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts and to see the incredible exhibit “LIFE Magazine and the Power of Photography.”
To be able to see some of the actual prints—those that would be published in LIFE and become famous to readers worldwide—was absolutely awe-inspiring. From Margaret Bourke-White and Henri Cartier-Bresson to Gordon Parks and Larry Burrows , I saw the work of photographic geniuses and heroes up front and personal. I marveled at Robert Capa’s image of D-Day on Omaha Beach, the photos from the moon landing, and stills from the Zapruder film. With each step, each image took my breath away.
Visiting the MFA (and any museum, really!) is always a thrill; however, to see this special exhibit focused on LIFE photography made the trip better still. Couple that exhibit with walks through various gallery rooms and another gallery focused on still life photography (Ansel Adams made still life images as well as grand vistas!), and the day was one that filled my soul and inspired my mind and heart.
As I do on nearly every visit, I made a point to visit my favorite artists and pieces: Van Gogh, Monet, Homer, Childe Hassam’s At Dusk (Boston Common at Twilight). There’s so much to take in, a few hours’ time is never enough time to see it all. And yet, perhaps that’s the beauty, too: the art will always be there. And we will—no, must—return.
At Dusk (Boston Common at Twilight), Childe Hassam
Today was about being surrounded by art. Breathing it all in. Poring over exhibit narratives. Looking closely at brushstrokes. Pondering technique and composition. Staring at images and searing them into my memory.
The sacred space of a museum. The power of image. The power of art.