More Reflections From Washington

Sofia: Throughout the Cathedral, there was art everywhere – in the architecture, the tapestries hanging on the walls, and in the beautiful stained glass windows. My favorite window was the one on the right side of the cathedral that showed the planets and stars in space.

When I stood directly under the light coming through that window, the blue light reflected off of my white shirt and made my shirt look like it was glowing.

I thought that the fragment of moon rock embedded in the window was a kind of mind-blowing mix of old-fashioned and modern. We’ve only had access to that part of space for about half a century, while Gothic architecture goes back to a thousand years ago. I think this symbolizes how we can embrace the new discoveries that come with our rapidly developing technology, while still honoring the achievements and traditions of the past.

Justin: The Cathedral had many religious parts, but there were many non-religious parts as well.

For example, a lot of the stained-glass windows were about America’s history rather than religion.

Also, although the Cathedral is not an art museum, that stained-glass work could go to an art museum and be better than some paintings. They contrasted the colors very well on the moon glass. The navy surrounded the bright yellow and really made it pop.


Will: I learned that Martin Luther King delivered his last sermon at the Cathedral, only about a month before he died

... It was remarkable to me that in one place there can be so many amazing people buried, to have one of the most important speakers in history deliver his last sermon, to have one of the largest achievements in mankind (setting foot on the moon) be celebrated and have proof that humans actually accomplished this great feat, and to have such a huge impact on the religion of Christianity.

Caden: If I went back to one of these places, I would probably choose to go to the National Cathedral because there's so much stuff I don’t know about this magnificent piece of architecture. For example, I don’t know the way it's laid out. I want to explore all the nooks and crannies, to find the full history of the National Cathedral.

Cadigan: It was amazing to see Woodrow Wilson’s tomb. He is one of my favorite presidents, and it was awesome to see how he got celebrated by being in the beautiful National Cathedral.

Chloe M.: I would love to bring my Grandma or Dad to the National Cathedral. I love to be influenced by what they have to say about Christianity, and I would want to here what they think about the Cathedral.

Bella: At the National Gallery, you can appreciate the art a lot more in person because there is so much detail in every painting. You also learn to appreciate the artists and their skills when you see their paintings up close because there are so many colors, tiny brushstrokes, big brushstrokes, and so many more complicated things that the artist had to do in order to make such a cool and complicated painting.

Chloe P.B.: One thing that surprised me was how small the galleries are. I thought that the galleries would be bigger instead of the small rooms they actually are.

When I was reading Behind the Canvas, I was imagining the galleries that she was exploring at the beginning of the book as these enormous high-ceiling rooms.

After visiting the NGA, though, I realize that this is not the case. I have to say that I think I like it better this way, because if the galleries were actually like that I think it would be overwhelming and it would feel like you would never be able to look at all of the art.

Cadigan: One of the things that I noticed was how many paintings of Madonna and Child there are. I think that shows how many people back then thought that one of the most important things is religion.

Another thing I noticed about the paintings was how you could kind of see the different evolution from medieval paintings to Renaissance art. I thought that was really cool because you could see peoples' different thoughts in their paintings.

James: One painting that really caught my eye was St. George and the Dragon by Sodoma.

From the buildings in the background to something as small as the scales on the dragon, there was so much detail. I can’t even imagine how on earth Sodoma managed to do that, but at the same time focus on the bigger picture.

Not only him, actually, but all the other artists who took this challenge of being so detailed.

Chloe M.: Though I liked seeing the paintings in real life better there was one bad side to it. You couldn’t zoom in!

It was annoying because I would try to point out something, but it was too hard because you can’t zoom in to notice the details, and you can’t touch it unlike your computer screen.

Meg: Something that surprised me in the National Gallery was that many of the paintings that had appeared large and vibrant when we were studying them, in reality looked much more petite and were noticeably muted in comparison. For example, in Adoration of the Shepherds, by Giorgione, Joseph’s golden cloak looked less bright when I saw it in the museum than when I saw it online.

Layla: I would love to visit the National Gallery of Art again. The museum felt special, important and when you are in it it made you feel like you are lucky to be there. 

It surprised me to see how each room was really centered on the paintings and sculptures and nothing else. The color of the room was white, which made it hard for your eyes to wander elsewhere than the paintings. I also noticed that there were very few paintings in each gallery, so it made you move less fast.

Typically for me, if I see something right next to what I am looking at my eye will wander off to what is next to what I am looking at, which leads me to doing it repeatedly to the next painting and the next. Eventually it is over and you don’t realize until you look back that you actually missed a lot. I liked how they took the paintings and made them all seem special, even if they weren’t the best and the name was unheard of.

Sammy: I really liked the the area with the fountain and plants around it. I liked this place because it was so beautiful. I felt like I could stare at the fountain for hours because it was so calming and welcoming.

Eden: I was surprised that how much detail was in each painting, and not just the paintings the frames too. A lot of them had different frames that made it even more cool and fun to look at. And all the little designs that you wouldn't see at first.

Cabria: When we saw the pictures in class I sort of asked myself ‘How does Google take the pictures if you can’t get so close to the pictures?’ and I also didn’t think much of how much detail had to go into these paintings, or what I didn’t notice before. But when I was in the painting’s ‘presence’, I thought how much cooler it is, or how much more lively it is.  Just seeing it on a projector, you don't really notice what you are seeing.