Egyptian Garden Gnomes

I've loved Egyptians artifacts since I was a kid. I've seen the gamut - mummies, jewelry, fifty foot tall statues, and even a mummified cat. But I have never seen anything like this. The placard was in German, so I have no idea what this really is. But it looks so like the garden gnomes at my local nursery that I have to wonder.

Antiquities Museum, Basel

Rock Hounds in the Bathroom

I hate to admit it now, but Earth Sciences was the most boring science class I took in high school. And I flubbed the practical exam where the instructor asked us to identify a bunch of rocks. Hey, they were just rocks, right?

Since then my love of geology has never approached the level of professional excellence like my professional friends at Falcon Geodetic  or the scientific expertise at Geology.com. But I know a pretty rock when I see one. And this museum had cases and cases of pretty rocks from all over. Marble, malachite, quartz, and many beautiful varieties of each.

And what thought comes to mind when faces with so many pretty tiles? Why, a custom tiled bathroom, of course.

 

Antiquities Museum, Basel

The Well Dressed Egyptian Woman

I love diamonds when the jewelry store shines their special lights and make them sparkle. But for daily wear semiprecious stones like jade, lapis lazuli, malachite, amber and turquoise have the power to brighten up the wardrobe. Just like me, the Egyptian women found this jewelry essential for a well dressed afterlife.

Antiquities Museum, Basel

Egyptian Common Jewelry

Not all Egyptian jewelry was made of gold. This necklace, though made of common materials, has a certain elegance in the way the beads are strung. It could also provide protection from the hot Egyptian sun. 

Antiquities Museum, Basel

Pottery to Die For

Death, though rarely welcomed, will always be with us. What changes through the ages are ceremonies and traditions. During Hellenistic times the ancient Greeks honored their dead with funerary urns. These were four feet tall an painted with elaborate scenes from life and mythology.
Courtesy if the Museum of Antiquities in Basel.

Antiquities Museum, Basel

Amazon Battle Urn

Before the online store, Amazons were fearsome bands of warrior women. While Xena Barbarian Princess wore shapely leather armor, the Amazons of history wore armor comparable to the Greek soldiers of the time. In battle they gave as good as they got.

Antiquities Museum, Basel

The Horse's Necklace

When I came across this in the Museum's weapons room I admit to being puzzled.

Perhaps a belt? But that wouldn't work with the body armor.

Arrowheads? Some are too round and the sizes are all different.

Then I found a description if the exhibits. This had been part of an Etruscan warrior's horse barding. The horse must have looked magnificent in his necklace.

What the Well Dressed Gods are Wearing

Las Vegas showgirls are known for their elaborate headpieces. But why should girls have all the fun?

But could a mere mortal man carry himself with the grace and poise such headwear demands? Oh no, only a god could pull this off.

Antiquities Museum, Basel

The Lady's Hair

The women in the classic Star Trek TV show wore fabulous elaborate hairdos. Perhaps Yeoman Rand's hair was styled after this ancient beauty.

Antiquities Museum, Basel

Rembrandt in the Flesh

In high school and college classic art and history held about the same level of appeal to me. Boring timelines and pretty little pictures, but no space ships.
Things changed when a saw a life-size portrait of George Washington at a traveling Smithsonian Museum exhibit. Seeing full life-size Rembrandt paintings at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam had the same life-changing effect on me.
Rembrandt only used a pallet of 16 colors, but he created those pigments himself by grinding up things like carbon black in a mortar and pestle and mixing in just the right amount of oil. Any paint not used that day was stored in pig's bladders to be used tomorrow. and despite what seems to us crude techniques, he created masterpieces with the power to capture our emotions hundreds if years later.

Rijsmuseum - Rembrant Anyone?

My first thought when I planned my business trip to Amsterdam was "Why would anyone want to go there?" Legalized marijuana and prostitution seem to be among its claims to fame which no doubt appeal to many, but not me.
Browsing through a tour book a few famous names caught my eye - Rembrandt, Monet, Van Goght, Van Dyke and so on. Dutch painters, right! So I started at the Rijksmuseum, bought my Museum card, and spent every spare minute enjoying many of man's greatest expressions of emotion and beauty.

Conquest Sacramento: Travels of a Military Sort

Military miniatures gaming offers the intellectual challenge of chess with the added challenge of maneuvering units against one or more opponents. The miniatures and landscapes are a tangible artistic accomplishment. More photos to follow.

Transformers 2 Mexico City

During my visit to the Plaza Satelite (Plah' -sa Sa'-teh-lee'-tuh) shopping mall in Mexico City I came across what at first struck me as a very creative piece of Mall Art. But I was puzzled by the unending stream of parents with cameras and small children. When the crowd finally cleared, I realized the Transformers had made a visit to Mexico City.

Close Encounters of the Smithsonian Kind

Our family vacation included a stop at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. They've reworked the exhibits since the last time we visited and the layout is an excellent showcase of the U.S. exploration of space. We saw Mercury and Apollo capsules, the lunar lander, the Apollo-Soyuz space station, the Space Shuttle, Space Ship 1 and other experimental aircraft, satellites galore, and lunar rovers. It was a space lover's dream.

As we wandered away from the beaten track, we found this odd little out-of-the-way display. A quick question was asked:
"What is this?"
Without even thinking twice, I said
"The mother ship from Close Encounters of the Third Kind."
"Right the first try!" I was told.

I was suspicious, and walked around the display case until I found the placard on the exhibit. Yes, I was, in fact, correct. This is the very model that Steven Spielberg's crew used when filming that famous scene. Wow, now I've seen everything!

Scars On Broadway in Dallas?

While on my way to Argentina, I had a rather extended layover in Dallas Fort-Worth airport. Although I've been to this airport before, this terminal was new to me. This sculpture looks like a cross between the Emerald City and a surrealistic vision of On Broadway. 

Wishbone Ash in Texas

Every airport has its own unique style. True to form, everything is bigger in Texas. Does this count as art, architecture or humor? I'll let the reader be the judge.

Of Glass and Light - Miami

Light is something we rely on in so many ways, but rarely stop to think about. Without it, we would not have the science of astronomy, as one aspiring astrophysicist points out in her lectures under the stars.
In biblical times Noah is said to have seen the first rainbow. As long ago as 300 B.C. Euclid studied light and tried to understand reflections and the
the science of light. During the 1600s the growing Dutch skill in the depiction of light led to world-wide renown of the  Dutch Golden Age paintings.
For Leonardo DaVinci blending the science and art of light were key to development of this Renaissance man's talents.

During my brief walk-through of the Miami airport, the artistic theme seems to be of glass and light. Simple, yet striking.

Art in Miami

Wherever I go, I alway keep an eye out for that unexpected moment of breath-taking beauty. In the midst of an international layover at MIA airport, I noticed many amateurish framed drawings from a local kids art gallery. I almost passed on by, unsure just how far away my departing terminal was. But when I saw this photo, I stopped stock still, fumbled for my camera, and captured it. I only wish my photography had an ounce of the talent that this young artist displays. I wish them well and thank them for brightening my trip.

Hotel Art in Lima

As I wandered about the lobby the first few days at my hotel in Lima, I kept heading for the drinking fountain, only to realize it was an alcove displaying a piece of artwork. As there was no placard, the way good art SHOULD be displayed ;-) , I had to go on instincts alone in viewing the piece.

Was it a historical recreation of a piece from pre-Inca days?
Was it a modern interpretation of traditional culture?
Or did the sculptor slip with his chisel, only to rescue the piece with an astute use of rock saw and polisher? 

Airport Art - China in San Francisco

I live near enough to San Francisco that I don't generally consider a stop-over at SFO to be anything special. It's just another airport to me.

But as I was racing down the slidewalk from my arrival terminal to my departure terminal, the glass cases in the middle walkway caught my eye. Once I was oriented on my departing terminal and had a firm grasp of departure time, I made a side trip back. Towing my suitcase and briefcase, with one hand, I began to master the art of one-handed photography with a touch-screen cell phone. This is not for the faint of heart.

Much to my delight, I had stumbled upon a beautiful display of modern and historical chinese art.

The traveling exhibition is called
Hidden Meanings: Symbolism in Chinese Art and I was fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time to enjoy the show.