At the National Gallery of Art, my sister and I witnessed something that could have turned out to be another mishap involving a boy and a piece of very expensive art. A boy who was certainly old enough to know better was leaning his back against a triptych hanging on the wall. He seemed bewildered when a staff member told him not to lean against the painting. This has to be the first rule you learn when visiting an art gallery. Don’t lean on the paintings! If you’re tired, that’s what the benches are for in every room.
A performance was taking place while we were in the art gallery, so we rested our feet while we listened. The concert began with a lady playing the pipa, a classical Chinese, stringed instrument. This sounded fine by itself, but when a Western-style orchestra joined her, it sounded like listening to two different radio stations playing at the same time. After hearing the performance, I’m certain these two styles don’t go well together. We headed out as soon as it ended and strolled through the outdoor sculpture garden next door.
I had a total mindbender as I walked past a sculpture of a house. It appeared to change perspective as I approached it. I shot a video of it so you can see what I mean. It wasn’t until I walked up close that I understood how the illusion worked; the point where the roof and the white and yellow walls meet is actually converging inward and not outward. What a trippy experience and without the drugs!