Enjoying the Walters Art Museum

My wife and I are in Baltimore this weekend for a friend's party, and we took some time this afternoon to visit the Walters Art Museum. We were pleasantly surprised with what we found.

The art crossed a huge variety of ages and cultures (ranging from ancient Sumer, Egypt and Assyria to a wonderful 19th century collection). Both the quantity and quality of works was excellent.

We've been fortunate enough to visit a lot of wonderful museums around the world, and I'm starting to appreciate them more and more. While I've always had an intellectual appreciation, I've started enjoying the art much more for its beauty.

For years I felt that I had to know the name of the artist, the subject of the art, and/or the history surrounding the piece itself to truly be able to enjoy it. I found myself first reading the plaque, then looking at the art. Now I do the reverse.

I don't think you need to be an art historian to appreciate art. There are no rules. I like what I like, and I don't what I don't.

Now instead of feeling an obligation to look at everything in a museum - starting with the information on each plaque - I can simply peruse each gallery. When I see something I like, I study it closer and linger. If I'm really interested in something I might even check out that plaque.

This has dramatically increased my enjoyment of museums, especially the wonderful Walters Art Museum!