One Lap

Date: 10/25/2013

Day: 29

Location: Framingham , MA

Miles Today: 56

Total Miles: 6293

A Bit of Wisdom, The Boston MFA, Something for Halloween

A Bit of Wisdom

The Colonel is not in the wisdom business; so soon old, so late wise. And Moses Maimonides is long gone, so of whom may we ask? But take this and treasure it: don't drive in the Boston area. It's not those crinkly little 17th century cow path streets downtown that are killers. We have all dealt with crummy little streets. The bite here is getting from one place to another on the vastly inadequate main commuter routes. It was two hours each way to cover 25 miles into and back from the city today. How can people do this daily? Far better to drive into the city once, park and abandon your car and either walk or use the very good public transportation.

The Boston Museum of Fine Arts

Fair warning: What follows is all museum stuff. If that is not to your liking, and artsy museum stuff is not everyone's cuppa, please come back tomorrow.

The reason for being in Boston, tickets to the World Series not being easily available, was to visit this great museum. The Colonel has actually been to this institution often enough now, that seeing some of the major objects in the collection is like meeting old friends. So, lots of pictures follow -- to make up for the picture poor patch a few days ago.

People walking toward a great museum look like fans on the way to a baseball game; excited, determined, leaning forward at the waist with a quickened step. The bit is between their teeth. They are going to have fun.

The MFA has small but choice selection of musical instruments.

9 String Guitar

Made by Rene Francois LaCote. France, 1827. Mahogany, Spruce, Ebony, Whalebone.

Guitar

Made by Alexander Voboam. France, 1680. Ebony, Red Cedar, Spruce, Ivory. Note the detailed structure inside the body of the guitar.

Not many people know that the ancient Egyptians were actually space aliens with giant bodies and very small heads. They wore that napkin do rag thingy to make their heads look bigger. Didn't work for King Tut then, (even in gold,) doesn't work for this guy now. Some of them can still be found playing for the NFL.

Edith and Archie

Made during Archie's heavy mascara / flat tummy period. Early times.

The Buddha

Made during his Egyptian period. Before he grew a neck.

A remarkably realistic Egyptian facial image with life-like, even fluid features. This is the only Egyptian face the Colonel has ever seen that looks kind, perhaps even compassionate.

An Assyrian deity.

Now this is what a god should look like; check out those calves!

No pie for you! You get three bean salad -- from a can.

An Assyrian lion

There are brick constructions similar to this at the British Museum. It is remarkable that the ceramic colors remain so vivid.

This object came from the coast of the Caspian Sea. It was made between 1200 - 700 BCE. Not entirely sure of its gender. Love the hat, but ...

Check out those eyes!

There is a good selection of Greek pottery at the MFA:

A boy fishing. Wonderful, graceful lines.

A boy, his horse and his dog.

The Questioner of the Sphinx.

Made by Elihu Vedder, 1863. Oil on canvas. "Buy low, sell high."

These gals got very dressed up to dress the salad.

Head of a woman. (Marie Therese Walter)

Picasso. 1934. Oil on canvas.

It's not too hard to see where Pablo found inspiration for some of those swooping lines.

Detail

From a painting by Matisse.

Utilitarian and ceremonial iron objects from Africa.

Utilitarian and ceremonial copper and bronze objects from Africa.

There was a temporary exhibition at the MFA titled Hippy Chic. The Colonel is not normally interested in fashion, but this was interesting, proving once again that anything done well is worth thinking about. Both those jackets are really esthetically pleasing.

Mrs. Fisk Warren and her daughter Rachel

John Singer Sargent, 1903. Oil on canvas. The Colonel loves Sargent's pictures of women and girls, even though he never seems to paint a face behind which a thought has ever passed.

The Daughters of Edward Farley Bolt

John Singer Sargent, 1882. Oil on canvas. The Colonels image of this great picture did not work. This is the only image here downloaded from Wikipedia, where there is an excellent brief essay on this painting. Originally thought to be simple portraiture, many now find a more complex psychological story in the composition. Sitting before it for 20 minutes is a good thing. Note the pair of Chinese vases.

When these four people, then women, donated the picture to the MFA, they also donated the pair of vases which now stand guard on either side of it.

Mrs. Charles E. Inches (Louise Pomeroy)

Great portrait and that red dress!

The Fog Warning

Winslow Homer, 1885. Oil on canvas

Gloucester Mackerel Fleet at sunset

Winslow Homer, 1884. Oil on canvas

The Tea

Mary Cassatt, about 1880. Oil on canvas. Lovely.

Lime Green Icicle Tower

This enormous, 42 foot, 5 ton sculpture is by Dale Chihuly. It is made of 2342 individual pieces of glass mounted on a steel armature.

The major temporary exhibit at the MFA was watercolors by John Singer Sargent. He was clearly a master watercolorist; who knew! Here, of course, gondolas at the Doges Palace in Venice. There were several hundred works on offer of more than 2000 he painted during his lifetime.