This weekend the Art Gallery of Ontario was free to all ROM members - like us! - so we headed down to check out their latest exhibition, Mystical Landscapes. While it cost us a bit extra, it featured work by Gaugin, Monet, Van Gogh, Georgia O'Keefe and the Group of Seven so it was well worth the price of admission.
Elizabeth admiring some mystical Canadian landscapes.
The AGO was extremely busy when we showed up, but with our ROM membership we were able to bypass the lines and head on in with little trouble. Our tickets to the Mystical Landscapes exhibit were for a certain time, so while we waited we had a quick look in some of the galleries and headed to the cafe for a tasty lunch.
The Impressionists.
The exhibit itself focused on the spiritual aspect of each artist's work, and how they used landscapes to explore their thoughts on spirituality and mysticism. An audio guide lead us through the exhibit, explaining a few of the more prominent paintings as we went. No photography was allowed in the exhibit, so you'll just have to take our word that there were some really beautiful works on show, made all the more special by the range of artists displayed.
After checking out the exhibit we spent some time exploring the Canadian section of the museum, as well as taking in two more temporary exhibits. The first was an exhibit of Gothic Boxwood Miniatures. We had no idea what that was either, but it turns out that people used to make tiny, incredibly detailed religious objects to help them in prayer. This included some elaborate rosary beads, and miniature altars, carved out of boxwood as the supply of ivory (the preferred material for this kind of thing) dwindled. Bit random. But interesting.
After checking out the exhibit we spent some time exploring the Canadian section of the museum, as well as taking in two more temporary exhibits. The first was an exhibit of Gothic Boxwood Miniatures. We had no idea what that was either, but it turns out that people used to make tiny, incredibly detailed religious objects to help them in prayer. This included some elaborate rosary beads, and miniature altars, carved out of boxwood as the supply of ivory (the preferred material for this kind of thing) dwindled. Bit random. But interesting.
Miniature boxwood altar.
The final exhibit was a photography competition. The artists on show were definitely pushing the limits of photography, but we can't say we were particularly keen on the results.
On our way home from the museum we came across huge crowds of people marching down University Avenue. They were marching in protest against the Dakota Access Pipeline - a controversial oil pipeline that's planned to go through a number of Native American communities. The protest was a sign of solidarity with the people of Standing Rock Sioux Reservation, who fear the pipeline could risk their water supply and sacred sites. Having just come from the Mystical Landscapes exhibit, it was particularly striking to see people out in force in defense of the natural environment and its spiritual significance.
On our way home from the museum we came across huge crowds of people marching down University Avenue. They were marching in protest against the Dakota Access Pipeline - a controversial oil pipeline that's planned to go through a number of Native American communities. The protest was a sign of solidarity with the people of Standing Rock Sioux Reservation, who fear the pipeline could risk their water supply and sacred sites. Having just come from the Mystical Landscapes exhibit, it was particularly striking to see people out in force in defense of the natural environment and its spiritual significance.
This time last year we were hanging out with game devs at the WordPlay festival. And two years ago we were enjoying the Addam's Family Musical.
