American Pre-Raphaelites

Another stop on our itinerary was to visit the National Museum of Art.  The last time I was there I did ask the staff to explain why there were no watercolors in the museum save one.  ONE.  (Okay, I'll stretch and say two, but the second was actually mixed media, so - just no.)  Please - they didn't even know there was one.  Ugh.   So you can imagine how thrilled I was with the current exhibition on display downstairs.  Don't give up, you'll find it eventually.  It's past the restaurant, no...past the sculptures...no, past those prints, beyond the back of the back of the furniture...Hooray, there it is!  The reward is a wonderful collection of American Pre-Raphaelite watercolors featuring mostly landscapes and florals from the hands of the PRB.  I loved the work.  What joyful color!  "...a dazzling brilliance, giving their works an intensity that transcends the decorative."  I couldn't agree more.  They also broadened "the traditional concept of still life..." for which I send my thanks into the ether, and "Their dedication to the medium proved to be an important catalyst for the founding of the American Watercolor Society in 1866."  I highly recommend everyone see this well-lit exhibit of small works.  Now, if I could just find the exhibit of watercolors by women?  Maybe back here somewhere around that corner?  Back to my brushes.  


"The seed of revolution is repression."  - Woodrow Wilson