So, after sitting in the actual Supreme Court Room, and feeling really inspired by all that, I had about an hour before Sierra and the boys were going to meet me and go to the museum with me. Sitting in front of the Robert A. Taft memorial, I looked over, and right beside me this beautiful butterfly had landed. It must have escaped from the Natural History Museum. I was again inspired, so I took the chance to go to the Museum of Art on the mall, both the east and the west buildings. I walked at a leisurely pace, and went to the things that I wanted to see. It was a grand afternoon.

I'll tell you what, I support art. I would spend my life as an artist in the hills just as readily as I would spend the rest of my life climbing mountains. I will never be able to agree with people who don't think we should spend some of our money, time, or resources on art. I will take my sons and daughters to different schools if the budget cuts out its funding for art. Maybe it doesn't have to be a huge part of peoples lives, and I am still skeptical of the critics that talk with the haughty airs of know it all -ness. They seem pretty useless. But a true artist, who wants to make something that expresses what he or she feels or thinks or imagines or (sometimes) whatever they want to make, is I think a very valuable part of our society.

So here are some cell phone resolution pics of some stuff that I really liked. Of course I have to start with a Raphael Madonna. I even like that the last two letters of his name mean "God" ...

I'm sorry these are such low resolution. I've tried to include the plaque close to the pics, so you get the correct info. Just for anyone who is curious, one of my favorite painters ever is Joseph Mallord William Turner. Not that I'm very educated on this stuff, but this guy is amazing. This opinion was developed entirely independent of the fact that one of my good friends is actually named Brendan William Turner.




I don't know if you can tell the level of detail in the paintings, but its amazing, and its like the painting has heaven smack in the middle with hell on the fringes. Here is another...



There is so much more. Not in any particular order...


Also, I like Picasso. Cubism is to me symbolic of independent thought. I don't have to think what everyone else thinks. I don't have to think what everyone else wants me to think. And he put that message on the canvas. Actually I really like all of his work, including the earlier stuff... they are really good. Sorry this first one doesn't have the plaque with it.







Below is one that I didn't like so much when it was introduced in art 101 at BYU, but I've forgotten why. My opinion has definitely changed.


Georgia O'Keefe painted our wedding invitation stamp.


I saw a tall sculpture from Giacometti in Detroit...definitely his own style.


I learned about Whiteread at BYU, and I reccomend reading about her work. Its prettty cool.




Ok, Mallord is one of my favorite painters, but the only artist to be mentioned on my blog before is Andy Goldsworthy. If I was forced to choose at gunpoint who, besides God, is absolutely the best, I would choose him. If anyone is ever in town, and has the chance, go here and see this.



Some people don't like Serra, but I do.





Isamu Noguchi is awesome too. You have to see these things in real life. The sculpture below is made from basalt, and its like 10 feet high.


Ok, a little more of the Goldsworthy one.