Visiting the St. Louis Art Museum

On our last full day in St. Louis I decided it was time to see an art museum that was packed full of artists that our kids have heard of.  We have a really nice art museum locally, in fact it's well known.  But I really wanted the kids to see some Picasso and Van Gogh up close.  This year I am really focusing a lot on art and trying to nurture that love that a couple of our kids have.  We attend a co-op that focuses on an artist and composer each month.  I am teaching an art class every other Monday also.  We are also focusing on Art and Science in our Five in a Row studies.

The boys balked a little, but I promised them lunch in the cafe at the art museum....so they gave in.

 Standing beside a statue of St. Louis

 This was one of Lydia's Favorite works.  It was fun to show her that art is not just paintings on the wall.

 Little Dancer of fourteen years....Edgar Degas...made with bronze, gauze and satin

Marie Cezanne, The Other Sister....by Paul Cezanne.  This was really unique.  It is oil on canvas. One side the picture was upright (sorry my picture blurred) and this was the other side.

Stairway at Aavers by Vincent van Gogh.  We loves the strong wavy lines in this painting.  Do you notice how they all focus to the center.

We enjoyed the couches.  The girls were counting the lilies in this Monet painting while the boys were chilling also.  Having 4 kids in the art museum during the school week seemed to draw security guards to every room we were in....lol

The Promenade with the Railroad Bridge by Claude Monet.  This is a picture of his wife and son while a train crosses a recently build railroad bridge.  This was painted in the year of the first Impressionist art exhibit.

The brush strokes can really be seen.

 Charing Cross Bridge by Claude Monet...

 Haying Scene by Julien Dupre (1884)...oil on canvas.  We haven't used oil paints yet.  But we will be soon.  Lydia really liked how the hay looked like it was laying on the painting.  She thought it was neat that it was done with paint.  You can also see the stormy sky in the background.  He was very sensitive to weather conditions.

 Mandolin and the Vase of Flowers by Pablo Picasso.  Caty said these were like a Look N Find.

 Pitcher and a Fruit Bowl by Pablo Picasso

 The Blue Mandolin by George Braque .....oil with sand on canvas

They had theater art.  The kids thought this was very cool.  It was a short media film by Laleh Khorramian:  Water Panics at Sea.  It was stop frame animation.  He merged together drawing, printmaking, and collage.

Burning Rods by Anselm Kiefer.  This is made of oil, acrylic, emulsion, and shellac on canvas with ceramic, iron, copper wire and lead.  It's meant to depict the after effect of Chernobyl.

Seashore by Maurice Prendergast.  Lydia thought the short strokes used to create the picture was very unique.

 Crossbow believed to be 17th century.

 Medieval exhibit.

Mace

Exploring mummies.  the walls pictures contain x-ray pictures of who was in each casket

Canopic Jars for the Royal Scribe Khera

Funerary Stele of Thutmose

 St Louis has some wonderful and unique pieces of art, including furniture.

 Having lunch in the cafe.

Of course they didn't have soft pretzels, which were Brayden's kick that week.  So he ate a few baby carrots.

 Spanish pair of doors circa 15th-16th century.

We had a wonderful morning at the Art Museum.  Even the boys enjoyed looking at the art.  I think the couches helped, since Brayden was able to play his DS throughout the museum.  Of course I got some weird stares....but if you have time to judge me....then you have too much time!!!

10 thumbs up to the St. Louis Art Museum!!!