I've said it before, and I'll say it again, the East Wing of the National Gallery of Art is a work of art unto itself. It's confusing as all-get-out to navigate, but its hard to beat as a photogenic open space to explore. These are some pictures I took with my Xpan on a cold weekend last January. I.M. Pei's fractal-like application of triangles throughout this structure is brilliant. And with the free admission, you get way more than you pay for. Also, they allow shoulder (camera) bags, but not backpacks. Last time I was at NGA, they made me check my backpack, but this time they didn't care about my camera bag. They just said not to put it over my back. Maybe they're worried about people backing into works of art inadvertently. In any case, make sure you stop in next time you're in DC.
2 comments:
It's interesting, usually random people in photographs detract from the image. Here they add to it. Do you think it's simply that the image is black and white? Perhaps that they're faces aren't visible helps. Anything else going on here?
I think people are an essential element of many pictures. It provides a sense of scale that's universally understood. Also, being the social creatures that we are, our eyes are optimized for looking at other people. Perhaps having other (anonymous) people in the frame also gives us a way to project ourselves into the scene. I think this is why people are shown in most ads as well. It facilitates us projecting ourselves into the fantasy.
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