My kids and I had the opportunity of a lifetime this past week. We went to the Denver Art Museum to see the Van Gogh Exhibit. It was absolutely amazing. Just seeing the masterpieces that this man painted and sketched, was truly an experience. Vincent Van Gogh didn’t start painting until he was 27 and what he was able to accomplish in those 10 short years with his paintings and drawings, before he took his own life at the age of 37, was truly amazing.
post card of a Van Gogh painting, museum brochure and a book by Sandra Forty called Van Gogh
When we first arrived at the Denver Art Museum, we met up with our homeschool group. We were then lead to the Van Gogh Exhibit area, where we were all handed a headset so we could listen to the audio tour. Above certain paintings were numbers that coincided with the history or story of how that painting came about. The tour talked of how Van Gogh got started in painting and how at different times, different artists inspired him. They told a little about his life, how close he was to his brother Theo and how Van Gogh felt a connection to the poorer folks and people who worked a lot with their hands.
It is so hard to put into words what I felt, as I listened about his life and the connection he had with certain people and how he portrayed his feelings and thoughts on paper and canvas. While he did have happy times, Van Gogh also lived a troubled life. He was in and out of a mental hospital and fought depression often. I wish I could have taken pictures of some of the paintings, but photography was not allowed. If you ever get a chance to attend an exhibit like this, I highly recommend it.
After we left the Van Gogh Exhibit, we went to a section with paintings by Charles Partridge Adams. He was from Colorado and painted landscapes of Colorado during the last 1800’s and early 1900’s. His paintings were gorgeous. He really captured the colors of the different seasons.
Charles Partridge Adams~Denver Art Museum.
My pictures aren’t all that great because I was taking them with my phone. All I can say is that they are truly amazing and if you are ever in the Denver area, you definitely need to go to the Denver Art Museum to see them. The Rocky Mountain Majesty exhibit will be on display until September 8th, 2013. I am definitely planning a trip back, before this exhibit leaves the museum.
Charles Partridge Adams~Denver Art Museum.
The last section we made it to before a couple of the kids got to feeling bad was the American Indian Art Exhibit.
American Indian Art Exhibit~Denver Art Museum
Again, no words to describe the beautiful artwork, bead work, baskets, pottery, textiles that were on display in this area.
American Indian Art Exhibit~Denver Art Museum
I loved how it talked about how they lived, what they wore and how they survived.
American Indian Art Exhibit~Denver Art Museum
What hit me the hardest though, was the two pictures below. It is two pictures of The Great Smoky Mountains with Indians walking along the bottom of both pictures. They represent the Indians being led down what was eventually known as the Trail of Tears. This was when the government forced the Indians to leave, to go live on the reservations in the West. Because of that exile, so many lives were lost.
American Indian Art Exhibit~Denver Art Museum
We didn’t even get to see half of this collection before we had to leave.
I love history and the stories it tells. You can learn so much from history, if you will view it with an open heart and mind. Let’s just face it, some history, you don’t want to repeat itself.
Do you love to read about history? What is your favorite time period in history?