… and here they are, as promised …

Well … last Wednesday, a friend who is a docent at the Milwaukee Art Museum offered me a trip through the photo exhibition "Street Seen" (sic.). I never attend the "blockbuster" shows because I just can't afford 'em. But this was a nice opportunity, so I went. I won't bother to describe the show; it isn't worth the trouble. Suffice it to say that it was mildly interesting, but I sure was glad that I (or anyone else) hadn't spent any money to have me see it. If you're interested, go to http://www.mam.org/streetseen/. There is a small sample there of the sort of photography that the show was about.

While I was there, I took advantage of the other "blockbuster" show going on, "The Woman with Veil" of Raphael. See http://www.mam.org/exhibitions/details/raphael.php, for more. It is a very good painting, typical of Raphael, of course. I was really taken by the rendering of the drapery, but the most impressive thing about it was the god-awful frame. Gack! A big, ornate gold thing that haunts my dreams.

But of course, the building itself and its surroundings were very exciting. You've seen it before, I'm sure … in one of my earliest blog posts, if nowhere else. It's called "The Calatrava" locally, after its architect. Here are a couple of exterior views:


That's a schoolbus in front of the door, BTW … it was a kiddie day and the place was crawling with 'em. Here's an adult class, having a discussion in the corridor:

And this is a shot through those rib-like support beams:

The building awakes some of the same feelings in me that Casa Mila and Casa Battlo do, in Barcelona.
This is the museum exit, onto the bridge … you can see down Wisconsin Avenue, beyond the big orange asterisk:

A quick shot from the bridge …

And another … you can see the pylon advertising the Raphael, down at street level:

This is the old, original wing of the museum … you can see the white of the Calatrava joining with it from the right …

Another shot from the bridge …

And, since Europeans seem fascinated by American roads, I waited for some cars and shot another:

This is the plaza at the city end of the bridge … the view is westward along Wisconsin Avenue … the main east-west drag, and 000 for North and South house numbers … The big orange asterisk is a sculpture by Mark di Suvero … oddly enough, I rather like it.

And last, a nice little composition, I thought. That ironwork is very reminiscent of American Arts and Crafts.

And I've run clean out of 'em, so if you want more, you're outta luck.
Cheers …
dW

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