Hello arts friends! I am happy to return to blogging after my summer vacation, and hope that you are all enjoying your summers as well.
I just got back from a very art-rich trip, and thought I would share some of my pictures. My boyfriend and I spent a good amount of time acting like fools at the Louvre, so there is ample material.
But first, I'd like to start with a mystery of sorts. Upon arriving in Berlin, we checked into our pleasant and seemingly ordinary hotel, and found this on the wall.
People, WHAT IS THIS? WHAT. IS. IT. Paul thought it was some kind of spaceship, but I think it looks more like a boat from the future with a space river coming out of its tailpipe. At any rate, crazy. Also, maybe this doesn't translate in the picture, but it's a
painting, so someone took pains.
From there we flew to Paris (because that's just my lifestyle), and went to the Louvre and the Orsay. Honestly I can't remember which paintings were at the Louvre and which were at the Orsay, and I don't want to look it up, so deal.
This is the Mona Lisa. It was tiny and dark and underneath what I assume is bulletproof glass. Why, you may ask yourself, did I take the picture from so far away?
Because this was the crowd around the Mona Lisa. It was like an art rave. People were throwing elbows, and I didn't want to get punched in the nose like my sister did in a mosh pit in 8th grade.
Here is a famous and beautiful self-portrait by Van Gogh. It was really cool to see it up close, because you can really see all the individual brushstrokes, and the colors are so vibrant. That didn't stop me from making a face in front of it, though. He is so serious all the time!
In case you think Paul is the "mature" one in the relatioship, he is not.
We were excited to see two lovely Vermeers. The audio guide told me to pay special attention to the light in this painting, and the way the sunlight is refracted by the glass and fills the room is pretty amazing.
Finally, back in Berlin, we saw Nefertiti's head. I didn't even realize this was a thing you could see, but it totally is, and it's awesome. Apparently it's not really a statue, but a sculptor's model that was unearthed from a studio. It was used as a guide to make heads for countless other works of art, and it really is stunning in person. The audio guide told me to notice how she isn't just this ideal young beauty, but has lines and shadows on her face to give her wisdom and dignity.
Those are just a few of the works we saw - it was really a smorgasbord of fine art, which is a pretty good kind of smorgasbord, and made for a lovely trip.
Next time: pictures of me complaining as we climb the Eiffel Tower!
Just a reminder to students who will be submitting work to be considered for restricted courses: the deadline for submissions is Tuesday, Sept. 1. Mail can sometimes take a while to get to us, so make sure to give your submission enough time to arrive. 
