Smithsonian American Art and Portrait Museum: The Masterpiece Box

Hi everybody! I went to the Smithsonian Institution/Donald W. Reynolds Center For American Art and Portraiture. Mom always says that it is so awesome to live only a 45 minute's drive away from D.C., and places like this is the reason why. I had tons of fun at the museum, and you can see the cool stuff I saw below!

Look at these sculptures! These sculptures all put together are called "The Throne of The Third Heaven".

You might think this was elaborately made of gold and silver, but if you look closer, it's made of aluminum foil, unusable lightbulbs, utensils, ornaments, etc. The man who made this must have worked hard...

...See?

According to the information I read, this artist is "self-taught." Meaning that he never went to an art school nor had a degree in Art. Yet he is capable of making wonderful things like this one. Mom said that having a degree or not is not a part of being a genius.

I was walking around for so long that my feet got tired. So I layed down on a cushion and relaxed...

I also thought the painting in front of me was amazing. If you look closer, you can see the reflections on the lake. It looks so realistic like a photo, but I think it's better than a photo because it's more "inviting" than a photo. It's easier for a mind get lost into the world inside of the frame.

Here is a close-up of the lake. There are an adorable family of deer, drinking the fresh water. Hmmm, this makes me want to drink the water from the mountain too!

We went to another part of the museum to see the exhibition called "Black Out". This amazing illusion was in the deeper part of this section...

All the numbers and letters are casting shadows and together creating the silhouette of the profile. I thought it was just so cool. Mom thought that this has a deeper meaning, though. She thinks that the artist was trying to say that "information" (= numbers and language) create "who you are" and "what you think" (= profile). So it's like a secret message!

We also went to the modern art area. Mom told me about her favorite artist named Jean-Michel Basquiat. She showed me this painting, and I was so amazed how colorful, bold, free, a bit scary and cute at the same time this was. ...But I wonder who that skeleton-like figure is?...

...Oh! Here's my answer!

...And now for the portraits of presidents! My goodness, George Washington, you don't seem very excited to be in this picture! He looks so stiff.

There were more than painted portraits there. We looked at this mold of Abraham Lincoln's face... and hands. Mom and I were amazed when the placard said that this was molded on his real, actual face (one on the left) and hands! It made us feel as if Lincoln himself was there right in front of us.

This trip was so interesting. I can't wait to go there again!

I hope I can see more art like these masterpieces I posted... Especially ones like Jean-Michel Basquiat's.

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