I think we may have just established a new birthday tradition: travel to see one special art show per year for my birthday... and I couldn't imagine a better way to spend it. Last year's show was to visit the Kandinsky Gallery at the Guggenheim Museum in NYC and this year it was an early birthday trip to see Splendor, Myth, and Vision: Nudes from the Prado at the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, MA.
The Clark is located approximately 2 hours and 40 minutes from where we live, traveling mostly on scenic Route 2 / Mohawk Trail. We decided to make this an overnight trip and spent the Saturday afternoon hunting for treasures at no less than two book sales and three book stores, adding to my growing collection of art books and biographies. Fall is book sale season and I couldn't be happier - you never know what out-of-print or rare art book you may come home with :)
The Clark is located approximately 2 hours and 40 minutes from where we live, traveling mostly on scenic Route 2 / Mohawk Trail. We decided to make this an overnight trip and spent the Saturday afternoon hunting for treasures at no less than two book sales and three book stores, adding to my growing collection of art books and biographies. Fall is book sale season and I couldn't be happier - you never know what out-of-print or rare art book you may come home with :)
This trip to the Clark was long overdue, it has been on my to-do wish list for a long time and when an opportunity to see 28 Old Master paintings from the Museo Nacional del Prado in Madrid...well it was hard to resist a chance to go... especially when "24 of the paintings have never been shown in America", according to the Clark's website:
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| Next time, we'll be able to snag a couple of chairs! |
We arrived just as the Clark opened at noon and got immediately concerned that the show would be overcrowded as the parking lot was pretty full. It soon became apparent that not everyone was there for the show and that people who live in the area fully enjoy the 140 acres and walking trails surrounding the Clark. I wish now that we knew that the grounds were so extensive and popular or we would have budgeted more time to spend there and explore the grounds... but there is always next time!
I especially loved the entrance - you walk into the Clark through floor to ceiling glass doors and walls and the first thing you see is the brand-new three-tier reflecting pool surrounded by their amazing landscape views and Adirondack chairs that are just inviting you to sink down in them and soak up the sun and the scenery. It makes you feel immediately welcome and gives you the feeling that they are encouraging you to linger.
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| A beautiful afternoon and an amazing view |
The opportunity to see these Master paintings in person as opposed to a print in a book or an image online is incredible. Some of these paintings are wall sized and to be able to study them up close, see the brushstrokes and the attention to detail, you can fully appreciate the amount of time that was put into their creation.
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| The entrance to the show and museum shop with enlargement of Jan Breughel the Elder, Frans Francken II, Hendrik van Balen and Jan Brueghel the Younger, "Sight and Smell" |
Some highlights from Splendor, Myth, and Vision: Nudes from the Prado:  |
| Pietro Negri, "Vanitas" |
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| Tintoretto, "Lady Revealing Her Breast" |
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| Jan Breughel the Elder and Hendrik van Balen, "Abundance with the Four Elements" |
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| Titian, "Venus with an Organist and Cupid" |
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| Francesco Furini, "Lot and his Daughters" |
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| Peter Paul Rubens, "Rape of Europa" |
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| Guido Reni, "Cleopatra" |
There is still a couple of days left to catch Splendor, Myth, and Vision: Nudes from the Prado - it will be up until October 10th, 2016 and well worth the drive if you are in the New England area. The Clark Art Institute is located on 225 South Street in Williamstown, MA.
Jenn White
White Rooster Studios
Jenn White
White Rooster Studios
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