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Japanese

February 2: Harvard Collection in Oita Art Museum,　　　by Mie

I visited Oita Art Museum for the first time to see an exhibition of Harvard Collection sub-titled as "centennial anniversary of modern art." The museum opened last February on Ueno Hill of Oita City.

The first eye-catching of the Museum is a huge bronze monument of an elephant holding a star on its trunk. The monument is a work by Izumi Andou under the title of "Walking on a planet." You can compare the size of the monument with me standing under it. I can enjoy a wonderful view of Oita from here. Mt. Yufu soars high far in the sky on the right of the monument.

A view of the Museum from Children House. The basic design concept of the Museum includes "Open to public",　"Coexists with environment", and "Versatility of space." This is a work by Shouzou Utsui architecture office.

An approach terrace leads me to the entrance. A round building on the right is Hi-vision hall in which many masterpieces are put on the screen with explanation.

Harvard Collection Special Exhibition features so many masterpieces of the impressionists such as Monet, Kandinsky, Warhol, and other modern artists. It was very easy to understand the transition of modern art in one hundred years. I was impressed by the depictions of water by Sea of Monet, Seine, and Thames. The coloring of Pomegranate by Picasso, the shining of skin or hair of females in "At the hat shop" by Renoir, a mobile "Small blue under red" by Calder - I saw some of his works in downtown Chicago two decades ago - , and "Flag" by Jasper Johns moved me very much.

I remembered dear old days in Boston two years ago, we drove around Harvard University by a car. I came up to the terrace from which I could see a grand view of downtown Oita and Beppu Bay in the north.

In the permanent exhibition halls, I appreciated famous works of local artists: Chikuden Tanomura's Nanga paintings, Japanese paintings by Heihachiro Fukuda, and Tatsuo Takayama, bamboo arts by Shouunsai Shouno.

We took lunch in a restaurant in the Museum, called "O Pulpo" that features dishes of Galicia province in northern Spain. The name means octopus, they say.

　

The lunch of Paella together with tasteful sauce, looking a grand view of distant mountains under the blue sky, was very good. Sherbet and ice-cream were served as dessert, removing a comfortable fatigue of art appreciation. The coloring of the dishes was very warm as well. Unfortunately I couldn't enjoy the main dish of octopus this time, but I hoped to take it with wine next time.

after the lunch, I walked around for a while. The weather was so fine, I came up again to the huge elephant monument again. I also found a ruin of ancient structure on this hill. The ruin dating back to Yayoi era (around the first century) was excavated during the construction of the Museum and well preserved like this.

　　

I walked down to a small water front park which was newly constructed last year. The young trees were protected from coldness, they will grow large in several years to give thick shade in the park matched to the topography of this Ueno hills.

On the southwest end of the Museum park is Children House in which kids can learn about the nature and other things.

On the top of the House is a world map on which the names of sister cities of Oita are indicated.

　　　　　　

The city heraldic emblems are set in position pointing the direction of the cities: from left, Obihiro(Japan), Austin(Texas USA), Guanguzhou(China), Wuhan(China), and Aveiro(Portugal.) I have learned that Oita city has many sister cities.
On a beautiful day like this, I could appreciate many fine arts today. I was very delighted.

Mie　Home

February 2: Harvard Collection in Oita Art Museum,　　　by Mie
I visited Oita Art Museum for the first time to see an exhibition of Harvard Collection sub-titled as "centennial anniversary of modern art." The museum opened last February on Ueno Hill of Oita City.
	The first eye-catching of the Museum is a huge bronze monument of an elephant holding a star on its trunk. The monument is a work by Izumi Andou under the title of "Walking on a planet." You can compare the size of the monument with me standing under it. I can enjoy a wonderful view of Oita from here. Mt. Yufu soars high far in the sky on the right of the monument.
A view of the Museum from Children House. The basic design concept of the Museum includes "Open to public",　"Coexists with environment", and "Versatility of space." This is a work by Shouzou Utsui architecture office.
	An approach terrace leads me to the entrance. A round building on the right is Hi-vision hall in which many masterpieces are put on the screen with explanation.
Harvard Collection Special Exhibition features so many masterpieces of the impressionists such as Monet, Kandinsky, Warhol, and other modern artists. It was very easy to understand the transition of modern art in one hundred years. I was impressed by the depictions of water by Sea of Monet, Seine, and Thames. The coloring of Pomegranate by Picasso, the shining of skin or hair of females in "At the hat shop" by Renoir, a mobile "Small blue under red" by Calder - I saw some of his works in downtown Chicago two decades ago - , and "Flag" by Jasper Johns moved me very much.
	I remembered dear old days in Boston two years ago, we drove around Harvard University by a car. I came up to the terrace from which I could see a grand view of downtown Oita and Beppu Bay in the north.
In the permanent exhibition halls, I appreciated famous works of local artists: Chikuden Tanomura's Nanga paintings, Japanese paintings by Heihachiro Fukuda, and Tatsuo Takayama, bamboo arts by Shouunsai Shouno. We took lunch in a restaurant in the Museum, called "O Pulpo" that features dishes of Galicia province in northern Spain. The name means octopus, they say.
The lunch of Paella together with tasteful sauce, looking a grand view of distant mountains under the blue sky, was very good. Sherbet and ice-cream were served as dessert, removing a comfortable fatigue of art appreciation. The coloring of the dishes was very warm as well. Unfortunately I couldn't enjoy the main dish of octopus this time, but I hoped to take it with wine next time.
	after the lunch, I walked around for a while. The weather was so fine, I came up again to the huge elephant monument again. I also found a ruin of ancient structure on this hill. The ruin dating back to Yayoi era (around the first century) was excavated during the construction of the Museum and well preserved like this.
I walked down to a small water front park which was newly constructed last year. The young trees were protected from coldness, they will grow large in several years to give thick shade in the park matched to the topography of this Ueno hills.
On the southwest end of the Museum park is Children House in which kids can learn about the nature and other things.
	On the top of the House is a world map on which the names of sister cities of Oita are indicated.
The city heraldic emblems are set in position pointing the direction of the cities: from left, Obihiro(Japan), Austin(Texas USA), Guanguzhou(China), Wuhan(China), and Aveiro(Portugal.) I have learned that Oita city has many sister cities. On a beautiful day like this, I could appreciate many fine arts today. I was very delighted.