#exhibition look closely

[salamispots]

drew some creatures at the amnh :0

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

He dies if you don't pay attention to him, its a very urgent situation for an uncle to attend to.

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[mawofthemagnetar]

I get it.

I actually get it.

I went to an art museum today and I got it. For the first time, I actually understood, at least a little.

I left feeling enriched and inspired.

I could see where the rattlecan's spray leaked under the tape.

I could see spatter where the paintbrush touched down a bit too hard.

Lines where the artist's hand trembled.

Almost-perfectly-lined-up woodblock prints.

I could almost hear the waves lapping at the foreshore in the resultant printed work.

I got it. I got the art. I understood.

Usually, I go to an art gallery, I stare at the pieces, and I understand nothing and feel stupid.

This time I got it. This time I could feel the artist shaking my hand.

This time was different.

I get it now.

[foldingfittedsheets]

One of the highlights of the trip has been the Philadelphia zoo. I’m extremely biased to my local zoo but I think they have some incredible enrichment at the Philly zoo and might go on record as saying it has some legs up on mine.

We happened to catch the end of the Galapagos tortoise time. The trainer would place her target down and they’d amble eagerly toward it for a bite of delicious watermelon.

But the best bit was two who were munching together.

They ran out of watermelon and slowly both their necks rose as they simultaneously decided to fight each other for more delicious sticky treats (which neither of them had any longer).

The trainer huffed in exasperation and marched over, ramming her stick down and ordering like a drill sergeant, “Girls! Target!”

Both feisty ladies immediately desisted their display and turned obediently to the magic yellow circle of watermelon.

[tacagen]

eobard thawne is probably extra normal about the fact both him and iris have written barry's biographies bc i know he was really normal even about iris' one since oh you know. his very first appearance as a fan.

[yansurnummu]

i made drals and azandar in the sims and they live in a shitty cabin and have an extremely turbulent relationship. i love them

[jathun]

went to the british museum but a part of the mesopotamian exhibition was closed due to renovations so i didn't get to see the epic of gilgamesh or the royal game of ur ;-;

[chamerionwrites]

A funny story is that Chamerion age 13 read the first Outlander novel, because Chamerion age 13 was bored while babysitting and also into sci-fi and historical fiction and somehow that’s how the blurb on the book jacket sold it. What’s funny about this is that Chamerion age 13 was unfazed by the 200 proof unfiltered double shot of Diana Gabaldon’s id, and mostly just disappointed that the novel was absolute schlock.

Anyway all of that is to say that while I was vaguely aware that they made a TV series I had zero interest in seeing it, which is why I was today years old when my unhip behind-the-times ass learned that they got respectable emmy award winner Tobias Menzies to play the villain - with great earnestness and enthusiasm so I hear - and felt like somebody dropkicked me off a bridge

[elijahwoodnot]

this is super random and not important but one time i was hanging with a buddy and trying to tell them about a cool experience i had while hanging out with other people and they didn’t seem enthused so i was like “it was really cool !” and they replied “well forgive me if i’m not over the moon about the fact that you had fun with someone other than me” and that’s when i learned that was the most manipulative and toxic person i had ever accidentally befriended

[rillabrooke]

y'know that meme that goes "if i won the lottery, i wouldn't tell anyone but there would be signs"? dinosaur in the dining room.

[the-ships-to-rule-them-all]

Make plans for a month from now, for two months from now, for five. Pick a restaurant and book a reservation for April. Circle a museum exhibit.

Find joy and hold onto it tight. Give yourself a reason to look forward. And keep your community close.

[niteshade925]

April 20, Beijing, China, National Museum of China/中国国家博物馆 (Part 1 - Dehua white porcelain exhibition/德化白瓷展):

Aaand finally, the National Museum of China/中国国家博物馆! I was lucky enough to see the famed Dehua white porcelain exhibition/德化白瓷展 here. Some of you may recognize some of these pieces already, since pictures and shorts of them have been circulating online way before I went on this trip, but there are many many other pieces too. The pieces I post here are only a small portion of the entire exhibition, so if you ever get a chance to see the exhibition elsewhere in person, don't hesitate. This stuff is amazing.

First up is one of the two that has been gaining popularity online, the piece named 神话 or "Legend".

The first time I saw a porcelain piece like this, I thought that the clothing part was made with paper? But no, the light fabric of the clothing, the hair, it's all porcelain. Keep in mind when looking through these pictures: every part of every piece is porcelain.

This piece is the other one that was becoming popular, the piece named simply 纸, or "Paper". If you don't look up close and see the glossy surface, you can't tell it's actually porcelain. I cannot for the life of me imagine the kind of magic that was used to turn clay into this

Anyway, this is a good point to introduce Dehua porcelain a little bit. Dehua porcelain is a regional specialty of Dehua/德化, which is located in Fujian province, and is known for its expressiveness and white color. For this reason it's also known in the West as "Blanc de Chine" (French: "white of China"), and this should be the reason why this exhibition is named 中国白, which basically means the same thing. The history of Dehua porcelain goes back to Song dynasty (960 - 1279), and it is still being produced today. Many of the pieces I'm posting here are modern pieces.

But Dehua white porcelain can be colored too (I imagine the color must be painted on later, because the white comes from the clay itself), and when it is colored, it looks like it came right out of a painting

This piece is especially amazing to me. Look at the texture, look at those details. Zoom in and you will find that there are actually a bunch of porcelain ants on this porcelain tree stump. Porcelain ants. I never expected to use porcelain as an adjective when describing ants. Wtf. It's like a manifestation of a scene from an older animated movie.

Peanuts are called 花生 in Chinese, which literally means "flower grow", and because it also has a long shelf life, it symbolizes longevity and a happy marriage. Also a fun fact: because Watson of Sherlock Holmes is usually phoenetically translated as 华生 (huá shēng) in Chinese and sounds similar to 花生 (huā shēng), you will find that many in the Chinese SH fandom refers to Watson as "peanut".

This piece is titled 春色满园, or "garden filled with spring scenery". This is also a common 4-character word used to describe gardens in spring. I'm guessing the figure depicted here is one of the flower gods. It is one of my personal favorites because of its superb depiction of movement, it's as if the flower god will really fly away on clouds at any moment

More depictions of traditional Chinese deities, specifically Chang'e/嫦娥, the moon goddess. That moon rabbit is too cute.

Depictions of what I'm assuming is the Four Heavenly Kings/四大天王, based on the items they are holding. The Four Heavenly Kings are Buddhist deities.

Look at her clothing! That porcelain is so thin it's almost see-through! Also is it depicting Li Qingzhao/李清照, the famous female poet from Song dynasty? She does have a famous ci poem that's about paddling a boat in a lake full of lotuses while drunk

The piece titled 锦绣前程, or "future as vibrant and prosperous as silk brocade". This is also a common 4-character word used in well wishing. The figure in this piece is holding a xiuqiu/绣球, a ball made of silk, which was usually seen as a token of love

Somewhat more modern-themed pieces:

Among the hundreds of amazing pieces, this one caught my attention for its unique texture. When everyone else was trying to turn the clay into these thin sheets representing fabric or paper or flower petals, this artist took the noodle approach. Not many visitors seemed to like it, but I think it's pretty cool

Piece titled 运势如虹, or "fortune like the rainbow", also a 4-character word used in well wishing. Traditionally horses symbolize vitality and success, hence why many people use the words 马到成功 ("horse's arrival brings success") and 龙马精神 ("vitality of dragons and horses") in well wishes during Year of the Horse

Stay tuned for Part 2 of the Dehua white porcelain exhibition!

[bat-bestie]

watching a video where someone gave just. a terrible take about an art piece i wrote a paper about

[edwardian-girl-next-door]

Some belated photos from the "Fashioned by Sargent" exhibit at the MFA Boston. My pictures just don't do it justice! I'm not one for hyperbolics, but it literally took my breath away, even with the crowds of people everywhere.

evening dress by the House of Worth (c.1880); owned by Sarah Choate Sears, who Sargent painted in another dress in 1889

reflection of Ellen Terry as Lady Macbeth (1889); costume designed by Alice Comyns Carr and created by Ada Nettleship

evening dress with matching shoes by the House of Worth (c.1895)

Mrs. Charles E. Inches (Louise Pomeroy) (1887); dress made in 1887 and likely altered 1902. Louise was pregnant at the time of her portrait, and if you look very closely, you can see the dress skirt has adjustable panels to accommodate a changing body.

photos by me (@edwardian-girl-next-door)