Pissarro on Paper

Where: National Gallery of Art, East Building

When: through March 31, 2013

This is the most hidden away exhibit I've ever seen at the National Gallery.   After wandering around the entire Ground Floor for quite a while, I asked the docent at the reception desk where it was, and she couldn't tell me either.  I gave up and returned another day, determined to find this show or die trying.  I finally found it, in the area marked "Small French Paintings."  When you enter that area, head off to the right and through several rooms.  It's in one room at the back.

Once I finally located the pieces in question, I was happy I persisted in my quest.  Although Pissarro is better known for his paintings, this is an exhibit of his prints, which became an important part of his art.  He could try out ideas more easily this way, and then commit to a painting later, if the design was successful.  He bought his own etching press in 1894. and made over 200 plates.  He sought to capture the mood and essence of what he saw, rather than focusing on the bare details.

I found a lot of movement in his brushwork, which gives the pieces a vibrancy that their lack of color might make difficult to show.  These works focus on rural scenes: the hustle and bustle of nature and those who live close to it.

Verdict: This is a small show, easily combined in a lunch hour with the library exhibit also on display.  Now that you know how to find it, you can spend all your time looking at the art!

Michelangelo's David-Apollo

Where: National Gallery of Art, West Building

When: through March 3, 2013

It's been a long time since we Washingtonians have seen this sculpture.  The year was 1949, and it was here for the second inauguration of Harry Truman.  Times have changed a lot since David-Apollo's last visit, but Michelangelo's work has weathered the years unchanged.

A word about the unusual name: there is considerable uncertainty among scholars over whether this is meant to be a statute of David or of Apollo.  The hyphen is really a way of covering all bases.  The uncertainty is due in part to the fact that in some historical sources it's referred to as David and in others as Apollo, but it's also because the statue is unfinished.  Apparently, Michelangelo was prone to leaving works undone, or non-finito.  This allows the viewer to get a look at the artistic process, by seeing something that is less than the finished product, which is very interesting, but it does make one wonder if the artist had some sort of issue with closure.  Could he have been afraid of commitment?

Kidding aside, the portions of the work that are left unfinished are exactly those that would give the greatest clues to the statute's identity.  His left arm is reaching for something on his back - is it a quiver of arrows, suggesting Apollo?  His right foot is resting on something - maybe Goliath's head, which would make him David?  It's unlikely we'll ever know, but it's a fine statue, whoever it's meant to represent.

I'm happy to say that this exhibit ushers in "2013: The Year of Italian Culture" at the National Gallery, so I'm looking forward to more shows featuring Italian art.

Verdict:  When is Michelangelo not worth a look?  You can easily combine this figure with another show at the National Gallery, or a trip to part of their permanent collection.