Dear Liza,
You will know from your Danish lessons that this wonderful art museum in Copenhagen is pronounced “Noo Carlsberg Gloop-toe-tek”. It houses the private collections of Carl Jacobsen, who founded the Carlsberg beer company, and his son. They were both lovers of art and used their fortune to collect and house it.
The building itself is amazing, with vast domed spaces alternating with smaller rooms to show off different kinds of art. The solarium is a Victorian-era greenhouse with sculptures mixed in with ferns, which was a miracle on a cold, windy April day.
This was a Girl’s Day at the museum, as Grandpa Nelson, your dad, and Jasper were not interested. And believe me, there is nothing worse than going through a museum with people who don’t want to be there.
We started with ancient art from the ancient Middle East , which was interesting without actually being pretty. (Say what you like, but I can only look at so many Roman heads).
The fun started upstairs, with the Impressionists. You and Auntie Bridgett started talking about the art. “What’s going on in this picture?” She would ask.
You’d tell her what you saw, and from there you two would have a wonderful conversation about the composition, color choices, symbols, and subjects of the works. You talked about gestures and lighting in “Socrates and Aphasia” and story in “In the Beech Wood”.
I was amazed at the good questions you asked and how much you could see in each work. I also loved watching you, Bridgett and Auntie Katie get into your discussions. There was lots of silliness and love mixed in with all that art.
It did this Grandma Judy’s heart good.
Love,
Grandma Judy
Dear Liza 