art withdrawl

I love going to museums. It was one of my favorite parts of my trip to NY and DC. Museums out here in the republic of California are few and far between, and most of them cover native american, and some mexican art. I can get into that, too, but what I really love, and want to see again and again and again, are the old world painters.
There is something about standing in front of a famous piece of art, looking at the brush strokes, finding the signature, noting the detail, and in the case of Picasso, wondering what the hell the painting is of, and what he was on when he painted it.
My favorite museums are the one where you can stand as close as you want to the painting, without touching it, of course. The Getty, in Los Angeles, lets you do that. The Louvre, surprisingly, lets you. So does the Metropolitan in NYC. I was in heaven at all those.
So far, one of my favorites is Degas. And not for the ballerina's, either. (Though they do have their charm.) He painted other subject matter, and did some sculpture, as well.
And I also love the sculptures. I was lucky enough to find the Rodin museum in Paris. Large sculptures in an outside park area, and yes, I could walk right up to them, even touch! though I didn't dare. I also saw quite a few of Rodin's work in the Metropolitan.
Now, if I could just get a major museum built into my hometown. Sigh. Maybe, when I marry the old millionaire with one foot in the grave. . .
(a girl can dream, can't she?)