Boa noite
This fall I’m learning Portuguese—mostly for pleasure, and coincidentally for business—and the first class met earlier tonight. It was cool. I’ll report more on that soon. Com licença, I’m off to sleep.
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September 15, 2003
Museuming
My good college friend (not to mention published plant biologist, congrats) Adrienne is in town, so on Saturday, we braved the early rain and strolled around the Mall, taking in a few sights:
- National Gallery: always a favorite; on this visit I was especially impressed by a couple of pieces I hadn’t noticed before. First, in the sculpture galleries, a work called Gloria Victis (“Glory to the vanquished”). Not only is it an epic image—winged Fame carries a fallen warrior in her arms—but the fact that the entire work stays balanced on such a small point, despite such a complex arrangement of figures, is quite a sculptural feat. Second, a very large, beautiful Degas (Four Dancers), with an interesting use of manipulated focus (to think of it in Photoshop-like terms, say). The ballerinas’ bodies are sharp and delineated, while their skirts and the backdrop are dappled and hazy. A work you definitely must see in person.
- National Archives: we tried to check it out, but apparently the building has been closed for renovation, and as I later found out, will have a grand reopening this Thursday. So our timing was off.
U.S. Botanic Garden (pictured, bird of paradise): this was my first time there, and the jungle area with canopy walkway, and the collections of orchids, and food plants—like coffee, tea, and exotic fruits—were all really cool. As we came across each plant, it was like, oh, so that’s what a macadamia nut (or papaya or jackfruit, etc.) tree looks like.- National Air and Space Museum: it was a bit crowded, but we managed to take in a few exhibits, like ones on jet aviation and planetary exploration. G(r)eek alert: in reading one of the plaques about Pluto’s orbit, I thought it interesting to realize that the word “eccentric” has a geometrical meaning, “deviating from a circular path” or “elliptical” (from the Greek ex kentron, literally “out of center”), which of course gives rise to its more colloquial meaning, “unconventional,” “odd or whimsical.” Anyway.
By then, we were pretty tired—note to D.C. tourists: museuming is hard work—so after relaxing over smoothies at Cosí, we called it a day. I think we did rather well.