Cincinnati Art Museum

Last Sunday after church, having finished a huge writing project at 2015's end and preparing to start an important rewrite this week, I took advantage of a rare lull in my schedule to pay a visit to Cincinnati's excellent art museum in Eden Park.

I got there in time for a free guided tour of the "Cincinnati" collection--that is, pieces that have a connection to Cincinnati. Among them was Hiram Powers's Eve Disconsolate, above, depicting her in the moment after she succumbed to temptation in the Garden of Eden. Powers lived, studied, and worked in the Cincinnati area from the age of fourteen to twenty-nine, I think.

I learned that Cincinnati was a center of furniture making and manufacture (among other things, such as Rookwood Pottery and Tiffany glass, of course). I put in a bid on the above piece, but I'm guessing it's out of my price range. 

The tour ended on the second floor, after which I took my time roaming through the galleries. There is, of course, far too much to see in a few hours. But I did my best. 

I am always drawn to biblical and religious art, and so spent some time pondering the above statue of David (with his foot on Goliath's head). 

But, as a Shakespeare nut (and since the book I just finished had me pondering Shakespeare daily for the last seven or eight months), the above scene from Hamlet, of Laertes and Ophelia before Claudius and Gertrude caught my attention. 

And, before you make a snide remark (you know you were about to), I followed the museum's easy-to-see signage indicating pieces that were not allowed to be photographed. So there. All these--like the Flight into Egypt by Henry Ossawa Tanner, above--are permissible pics. 

It was a wonderful afternoon, filled with so much beauty--including a visiting work of art that was not allowed to be photographed: Raphael's c. 1505 Portrait of a Lady with a Unicorn. Wow. What a story. 

The Cincinnati Art Museum, which I remember visiting as a schoolboy, boasts a collection of more than 65,000 works spanning 6,000 years. I was blessed to see a fraction of those, including works by van Dyck, Picasso, Modigliani, Chagall, Van Gogh, Manet, Wood, Hopper, as well as a few of my favorites (Cole, Church, Duncanson, Wyeth). 

I love that admission to the museum is free (parking is only $4). I wish they had more evening hours, but do plan to take the lovely Robin back for one of their Friday evening events, held the last Friday of each month.