For a number of reasons, I hate living in Ohio. But today, I wanted to get some pictures so I decided in a ho-hum kind of fashion to take my camera out after church to see what I could find. I actually went into the city of Cleveland (GASP!) and found... beauty.
My goal was to find the location of the CIA (no, not the Central Intelligence Agency... the Cleveland Institute of Art). It's a cool autumn day today with blue sky -- something that gets VERY rare in the Cleveland area as the winter approaches. So I parked the car and went strolling. To my amazement, I found a beautiful garden outside the Cleveland Museum of Art which is across the street from the CIA. Even more amazing was the fact that the museum itself is now open and is free!
I walked inside, not sure what to expect. I had to leave my camera bag with a museum guard, but then managed to weave my way through the maze of galleries. It was quiet and very thought-provoking. It was like being transported to another world.
Portraits and paintings, sculptures and statues, Tiffany glass and period furniture. There were paintings of men and women who have changed the world and more importantly, there were artists who captured personalities and poise and BEAUTY!
I spent an hour walking around and taking pictures. I was lost in it all and it was wonderful. Such an escape from the dust and grime of everyday living. It was like a drug, a way to forget and be removed from the problems of the day.
It made me realize that we are co-creators with God when it comes to beauty. He gives us the trees and the moon and the stars. In return, we can use our feable minds to paint, sculpt, draw, and imitate the beauty that is all around us. Maybe the lesson for me today is that there is beauty all around us, if only I have eyes to see.
Nearby is the Cleveland Museum of Art and Severence Hall which is home to the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra. And very close by is the Cleveland Botanical Garden. Who would have thunk it? They were here all the time and I refused to see it all. Now... what would it take to be immersed -- if only for a short time -- in all this beauty?
2 comments:
Interesting post...beautiful photographs...I love day like that...
I read a quote once on someone's blog that went something like this;
"Only God 'creates'...man, as an artist,'appreciates' " (...or something like that) I wish I had written the whole thing down!
Anyway...I found that to be rather inspiring...and when things get really tricky and near impossible when I draw or paint...I just have to look a bit harder at or "appreciate" more of the little miniscule things I might have overlooked! Sure take the pressure off ! LOL :) Just thought I'd share...for what it's worth! :)
Oh what a wonderful realisation, a day to remember for sure!
I think we sometimes concentrate so much on the negatives that we fail to see the positives.
I see beauty in just about everything now, infact right now I sit here at my pc gazing out of my huge window onto the sparse Fenland. The sky is grey and dull and it's a bit nippy.
BUT...two Robins are playing around the wheels of my truck, the voice of their little winged friends is almost deafening once I allow myself to hear it and the rich soil looks like gold against the cool ice blue of the sky. There are dead flowers in my vase, so dry and delicate that with just one touch they would be lost forever, a variety of golden browns and rusts...Aaah, it's not such a bad morning afterall eh? :)
Lovely photos...I adore statues.
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