Face-to-Face with the Masters - National Gallery of Art (Washington, D.C.)

Ramir and I don't have much time.  But I couldn't possibly miss the chance to be face-to-face with wonderful masterpieces from people I only read on art appreciation books.  When we toured the West Building Main Floor of the National Gallery of Art, I was floored by the famous names I've read.  We're glad we stopped by.  I can stare all day.  But we've got a plane to catch. Well, that was five years ago.  I guess it's about time to relive those OMG-moments. 

I came up with a list of my favorite artists and their works that we have been blessed to see and admire, not from books, not from the internet, but on the grounds of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. 

Ginevra de' Benci

I gasped at this painting.  Oh my... Leo!
Probably the only painting in the western hemisphere by THE Leonardo da Vinci.

The Feast of the Gods

Luminous work bearing the imprint of two giants - Giovanni Bellini and his greatest pupil, Titian.



The Alba Madonna
The Virgin, his Child, with John the Baptist by no other than Raphael.

The Annunciation

Amazing light and glow effect made possible by Jan van Eyck's perfection of the oil technique.

Daniel in the Lion's Den

Lions like those... and the emotions on Daniel's face...  Amazing piece of work by Sir Peter Paul Rubens.

The Mill

Light and shadow... Rembrandt van Rijn make it look so real. 



Woman Holding a Balance

Minute details and the glow around the room, makes this 
Johannes Vermeer artwork a sight to behold.



Self-Portrait 
La Mousme 
Roses
Vincent van Gogh's technique and stroke is truly admirable. I really, really like his paintings.



The Bridge at Argenteuil
Woman with a Parasol (Madame Monet and her Son) 
Jerusalem Artichoke Flowers 
The Japanese Footbridge

I love Claude Monet. I'm drawn to his paintings.  I feel a sense of calm every time I look at his works.

 

 

Girl with a Watering Can  Girl With a Hoop
Like that of Monet's, Pierre-Auguste Renoir's work makes me want to sit and stare all day long.

Looking back, I realized how I was swept off my feet.  It was a different kind of high.  It was like being star-struck by a personality you deeply admire. For a time, I couldn't breathe and the only thing I can say was, Oh My God! I felt truly grateful for that half-day of my life.