Kwaree Blog

Back To The Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art

Ahhh, Sunday. What a fine day for a return visit to the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art up in Hartford, CT. Again, this little trip was “suggested,” but I’m not complaining. Me complain? I don’t think so.

I don’t want to make a long post out of this. All I really want to show you is a really neat painting that I haven’t see before. It’s called:

Interior of a Picture Gallery with the Collection of Cardinal Silvio Valenti Gonzaga
Artist: Giovanni Paolo Panini
(Italian, 1691-1765)
1740

Interior of a Picture Gallery with the Collection of Cardinal Silvio Valenti Gonzaga

It was a really great painting to look at. I have always said that I enjoy really detailed art as opposed to paintings that look like someone just splattered different colors of paint at a canvas. I don’t know art, so I am not going to attempt a name for that type. All I know is that I like stuff that takes time to do.

You really should see this painting up close. It’s interesting how someone is so capable at doing something so complex. I wouldn’t be able to copy one small item in this painting, even if I traced it. How is that? How are people’s brains to different from one another? Who knows.

Anyway, enjoy the painting and you really should take a trip to this museum. It’s a great place and they do a nice job with their collections.

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The Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Hartford, CT

I have oftentimes described myself as a Utilitarian. Each time I described myself this way, I can’t say that I remember knowing what that term meant. I always kind of figured it was something like, “must have some sort of utility” or “get all the feel good stuff out of the way and let’s get down to the nitty gritty” or “something basic to fulfill a basic need.” As it turns out, I wasn’t that far off.

Wikipedia describes Utilitarianism as “the moral worth of an action is determined solely by its contribution to overall utility…the greatest good for the greatest number of people…somewhat narrow economic or pragmatic viewpoint.” I would say that I was pretty accurate. This, coupled with that fact that I have an issue with being stuck on the “Physiological” rung of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (I knew that Psych 101 would come in handy) makes for some pretty boring lifestyle.

Moving on…

I have never really appreciated art. I thought it was pretty much a waste of time. I mean, I liked to way some of it looked, but I didn’t get the point. Of course, this was when I was a kid. I’m sure most kids are like that. If you aren’t sure what I mean, go ahead and bring your child to the Met. See what happens.

As I got older, I started enjoying some styles of art, but they had to serve a purpose. Let’s say that a city had a huge mural painted on the side of a building and it looked really great. Now, I can appreciate that. I think the mural would really stand out and put people in a better mood. It would also enhance the look of the city and it may help tourism in the area, if there were multiple murals.

I am probably not alone. Again, I like to think of things in a very basic sense. I like things that function and I think of functionality so much, it’s hard for me to get my head out of that. It’s sort of like dragging a painting into a house that’s being built an asking the carpenter what he thinks of it. He’s probably going to ask you to leave because he is in another zone. Perhaps if that same carpenter went out to a show and had a few drinks, then he would be willing to give you a somewhat honest opinion of what he thinks of the artwork.

I do have my moments though. The problem is that I never know what they are going to arrive.

We decided to visit the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Hartford, CT this past Saturday. I think this was a “recommended” trip, if you know what I mean. The sort of trip that is suggested and usually ends up being fun. I kick and scream before these types of outings, only to simmer down once we get there. Then, I usually lead the pack and get all sorts of excited. As excited as I get, I still have a fairly short attention span. I give museums about a half hour, unless they are really neat like the Boston Museum of Science. Then, I can stay as long as it takes to go through all the exhibits. Arts museums…half hour.

I must say, I was surprised by the Wadsworth Museum of Art. It was a pretty nice place. When we first got there, we passed by some typical stuff, but when we visited the Baroque and the Italian Renaissance paintings, I was really impressed. I think the thing that got me was the size of each painting. They were much larger than I though they would be. Also, the color was more vibrant. It was nice to stand so close to such history and really look at what it took to create each piece. Needless to say, I began to feel thankful for being taken out of my normal routine to become a somewhat more cultured individual. I now consider myself an art expert, so if you have any questions…

I am glad I got that off my chest. Now, on to the pictures of pictures.

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The Mohonk Mountain House

Ahhh…the hidden wonder in the woods. It’s amazing how many people live in this area or go to school close by and have never been to the Mohonk Mountain House. This interesting resort, perched on a mountaintop, truly is a destination.

The very first time Laura and I went to the Mountain House we were kind of…ho hum about the whole thing. People tell us all the time about how we just HAVE to visit here or HAVE to visit there. This time we took whoever told us about it on their word.

We arrived at the front gate and were kind of taken back at the fact that they wanted $20 per person to go up the hotel. We negotiated at a lower fee (I think $8 per person) for a one hour visit. What in the world were these people charging us to visit a hotel for? We drove through the gate and continued on for a two mile drive through the woods. Hmmm…this place was pretty nice. It was a very well taken care of path through the woods. We saw hikers on both sides of us enjoying the wilderness. The trees canopied over the road making things very shady and cool, just the way I like it.

When we arrived at the base of the hotel, we saw a few fenced in areas with horses. Pretty cool. Then…we parked the car and walked up the hill to see…

…the front of the hotel. Wow, what an interesting place. I think I was expecting something else. We walked up to the front and saw valet parking and about one hundred rocking chairs on the front porch facing the Catskills. I was beginning to like this place more and more. I really could get into sipping some red wine and rocking my life away.

We continued through the hotel to find that the inside was strikingly similar to the Shining…long halls, lots of wood and a good number of staircases. I can just imagine how many fireplaces this hotel had. There were people walking through quickly on their way someplace important and those who were just wandering aimlessly looking at the paintings. We were right in the middle because we had no idea where we were going. We heard some sort of activity towards the back of the hotel and began heading towards it. Hmmm…tea time. I can do this. We weren’t sure if this was meant for the guests or for everybody. Since I paid $16 for the both of us to visit today, I considered us guests. We proceeded to enjoy tea and cookies with the rest of the “guests.” It was so funny…Laura just kept looking at me and laughing inside, I’m sure.

Now that our appetites were a slightly satisfied, we wandered off the back porch towards the lake. Let me just tell you…well, take a look.

Have you ever seen anything like it? Remember, this place is on top of a mountain. Behind the hotel is a huge mountain (down). This is where everyone hangs out and goes boating, swimming and hiking. People were making their ways up to the tower on top of the hill and some were arriving though the end of the eight mile trail that begins way down towards another part of the ridge. There were also places to sit and ponder.

If you exit the back of the hotel and make a left, you can visit the gardens.

This is a great area to get married. Apparently many people do. Being the botanists we are, we loved looking through the large variety of flowers and plants.

There are so many things to do at the Mountain House, but since we only had an hour, we had to hustle back to the car. I kept thinking there was going to be some sort of a check at the gate. Hint, hint: there was none. We will have to keep that in mind for next time.

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