Today was a tiring, but such an enjoyable day. I was given two free passes by BzzAgent to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and asked a very good friend from college to join me.
We met early in the morning at her apartment in Cambridge and then drove over to the museum. The Museum had been under construction and the new wing has been open for a few months, so we were excited to explore the new wing and look at some old favorites - I was particularly excited to check out their collection from Generation 27 (more later).
The architecture of the new building was great and we had a blast picking which pieces of art to listen to on the iPod that the desk lent to us. It was great to revisit old favorites and discover some really cool new art.
I am a contemporary art and handicraft person, so I really enjoyed seeing all the pieces that were being shown in those areas. I did not realize that museum has such an extensive Alexander Calder collection and it was great to find my beloved Picassos and Mondrians from the older collections.
My friend and I had a chance catching up on the last few weeks and it was so great to get out of my life for a few hours. Even though we were in the museum less than four hours, it felt like a weekend getaway for me. It was time to take in art, relax, walk around and hang out with an amazing friend.
As I drove home later, I could not help but thank whatever force compelled me to do this happiness project. I think if we had done this trip even a month ago, I would have been too busy worrying about the time on the clock. I would not have taken the time to look at some pieces in depth, and some in passing. I would not have had such a great time. They say that it takes one 21 days to learn a new habit. I think that I am learning step one of many new habits in my 40 day project.
The rest of the day after I left this friend is such a blur - thus my tiredness. Two pick ups ensued, followed by a play date with six children! The parents all stayed so it was a nice time to chat over some delightful pastry from Flour, my fav bakery in Boston. I have lots of leftovers, so tomorrow's breakfast is starting to look interesting! And now, my cherubs are in bed, with their nightly shananigans. I am trying to ignore them and concentrate, but their little voices are startling my words right out of the grey matter.
When I was at UCLA, I specialized in Spanish literature. Being a Penninsularist, I concentrated on the Generation of 27. This generation was composed of great artists from the 1920s who left an indelible mark on the international arts scene: Salvador Dalí, Pablo Picasso, Louis Buñuel, to name a few. The research I did in those years, bolstered my love for the works of the great masters who all lived and worked together in Madrid and later Paris. They paved the way for all of our great contemporary artists and put Spain's art scene back on the map. Of course, Franco tried to squash their great works, but nearby Paris offered a haven for them and ensured that many generations would know their work.
Salvador Dalí is one of my favorite artists. Here is a great tribute to the genius that graced us with his fantastic works of art and literature.
And here is the classic "Un Chein Andalou" by Louis Buñuel on which he collaborated with Salvador Dalí:
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