I don’t know much about art. I can’t really talk about lighting or composition or brush strokes. I like what I like. In fact, I when I took the “easy A” art appreciation class in college, I got a B.
One style I do know and appreciate is Impressionism. There is something about this style that speaks to me. I can identify it, though I may not be able to tell who painted it. There are several famous names from this period including Manet, Pissaro and Renoir and probably the most famous, Monet.
Monet was prolific, painting well into his senior years. He painted a lot of outdoor scenes and has a series of water lilies that are very well known. This summer, three of those water lily paintings have been reunited at the Nelson Atkins Museum in Kansas City. One painting regularly hangs in the Nelson; the others are normally in St. Louis and Cleveland. I went to see them last month. They are displayed horizontally side-by-side and art lovers could sit on benches in front of the paintings and just soak them in. I overheard murmured conversations about the play of light over the grouping.
I just thought it was pretty. No need to dissect it.
I also enjoyed some of the works of Thomas Hart Benton, a Missouri native. When it comes to his work, I will say that I do love his use of color and the way his paintings convey movement. But that’s as far as my art conversation goes.
The Nelson has other cool stuff, such as suits of armour. I imagine that gear had to be horribly uncomfortable and really hot when those Europeans went on the crusades in the hot deserts of the Middle East.
I had a great day at the museum. While I’ll never be an art connoisseur, as I said earlier, I like what I like.
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