DC Holiday Part 3: The National Gallery of Art

Finally today I visited the National Gallery of Art which houses some truly magnificent paintings. The pictures I took are only a fraction of what's within, and the quality of my pictures doesn't do the works justice. Thank God for blogs, or I'd have to turn these pictures into slides and bore the shit out of all my friends.

First, the lovely classical edifice of the building, along with the beautiful central atrium - dominated by black marble pillars - containing a fountain with what looks like a Christmas floral decoration scheme.



Next up, a couple of Rembrandt paintings I thought were both well-done and a little amusing. A version of Lucretia done in 1664, and A Polish Nobleman. Lucretia was a Roman maiden - a victim of rape who committed suicide. Rembrandt painted another version in 1666.



You just don't see enough knife-wielding chicks in fine art.

This is an interior of De Oude Kerk, which I blogged about previously. By Emmanuel De Witte.


This is an image of Saint George slaying a dragon, which figures in the book I'm writing.


I'm not much for religous art, but I thought the colors on this piece were wonderful. The picture doesn't really bring it out.


This is a statue of Aphrodite.


This is another perspective interior, this time of Saint Peter's in Rome.


In this photo, I was more impressed by the subject than the work - The Fortress of Königstein.


This bronze scultpure depicts Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, subject of the film Glory. This includes a shot from the side to show the impressive three-dimensional aspect of the piece.



This last painting impressed me because of the incredibly life-like depiction of sunlight peeking between clouds. Another example where the digital image just doesn't capture the piece.



At this point the batteries of my camera were almost dead, along with my feet. More DC fun tomorrow. Right now I have to go out and find some fun nightlife.