The day started ordinarily enough. As mentioned before I had been sick earlier in the week, so I had figured I should take the Saturday to chill out.
I was sitting on the couch reading "The Garden Party" by Katherine Mansfield (I love that book! So relatable yet still very mysterious). Then I began reflecting that it was a bit silly of me to be sitting reading about beautiful things when I was living in a city full of them.
So sick or not, I headed out to the Musees Royaux des Beaux-Arts. It was amazing. I think going there did far more to restore my health than staying at home would have.
The museum was founded by Napoleon in 1801 as a place to display some of the Louvre's overstock. There are technically 2 musea. One holding older art and one to hold art dating from the 19th century onward. I really do not understand why it's necessary to bill this as being 2 separate musea as they are located in the same building, share an entrance and you only have to buy one ticket to get into both. It must be a Belgian thing.
I started by heading towards le musee d'art moderne. Apart from the usual Surrealist trash it supposedly had a painting by Edouard Vuillard. Well, that is what my tour guide book said at any rate. The museum was very disorganized and confusing. I asked an attendant and he said that it was under renovation. I pointed to the word Vuillard in the book, but he said it wasn't on display right now.
Despondent, I sank down on one of the couches and scowled at a painting of dead deer lying in the snow. I knew exactly how it felt. I believe it was entitled something like" Dead Deer" and it was made in the early 20th century. I reflected that if were made just a few decades later it would be entitled "Road kill"
Fumbling my way through the labyrinth of this badly organized museum, I suddenly spotted something green, unknown yet also vaguely familiar. My Vuillard! He was there after all. If I could have hugged the painting; I would have. It was perhaps not his best work, but it was HIS and that is what counts.
And of course wherever Vuillard goes, Bonnard and Gaugin are never far behind. Both were well represented here. There were some lovely late 19th century works in that area. I was completely amazed to find myself standing face to face with a Burne Jones. "Marriage Procession of Psyche" This was especially cool as I had recently read a book about the Pre-Raphaelites.
I discovered a very cool artist named James Ensor. He has a very lovely painting of a woman playing piano with a man sitting listening, lots of dark wood and the obligatory Tiffany lamp. (Btw, Carol if you're reading this, thanks so much for telling me about those). The painting is gorgeous in and of itself but then I had a tiny shock of pleasure when I saw that the title is “Russian music.” How fantastic is that? It takes the painting to another level.
here is a detail from it
Another great moment was seeing a painting entitled “Rainy Spring Day in Ixelles”!!!! I could clearly discern the St. Boniface spire in the background. This painting was made in 1835, but it completely captured how I feel trudging to work every morning. Wow.
I also saw David's "Death of Marat" which according to my tour guide book "delights visitors." I'm not really sure if "delighted" would be the best way to describe my reaction, but it was nice to see such a famous work in real life.
After a coffee break, I made my way to le musee d'art ancien. Which was also great. Lots of breathtaking Flemish primitives. Lots of lovely Rogier vanderweyden and some Bruegel. I am not the biggest Bruegel fan though his "Death of Icarus" is certainly impressive. My tour guide book quoted a few lines from a poem Auden wrote about this painting. I always love hearing one artist on another.
There was a very lifelike portrait of the Duke of Alva (the catholic extremist sent by Philip II to wipe out Protestantism in Holland) I had a staring contest with the portrait. I think I won.
I saw a Hans Memling portrait of St. Sebastian being martyred. He was shot to death by arrows and the main thing that struck me was how elegantly the archers were depicted. I then read in my book that this painting was commissioned by an archery guild. Interesting...
An entire section of le musee d'art ancien is dedicated to Rubens...ug. I hate Rubens! I studiously avoided that part of the museum. He practically took up an entire floor of the alte pinakothek in Munich which is visited last year. How on earth did he manage to put out so many paintings? quality was definitely sacrificed for quantity.
I didn't get through everything I wanted to see because the museum was closing. So I bought a few gift postcards and a poster. Then took some time to sit on the square outside the museum. Some of Brussels loveliest buildings are there. Cars were zooming by at alarmingly high speeds. I have actually already been nearly run over about 3 times since I arrived here. The quality of the driving here is pretty low. Last week I was nearly run over while I was walking ON THE SIDEWALK. It was rather disturbing.
But I digress...after another coffee break I strolled down the nearby avenue Louise which is like a Belgian (i.e. small, pitiful) version of the Champs-Elysees. I headed home reflecting on all the beautiful things I had seen that day. For some reason I though I thought of the Indian saying "feeling light within, I walk." oh well, let's just say I was very happy.
