In a museum that has more than 150,
000 paintings, sculptures, and other
pieces of art,
how do you choose which ones to see
first when you only have one afternoon?
Welcome to Hidden Gems on this channel
we search for places secrets and ideas
in washington dc
and beyond that are unique sometimes
hidden
and always more than meets the eye the
national gallery of art had closed for
quite some time due to the coven 19
pandemic
it finally had a soft reopening
only the ground floor of the west
building was open to
the public with timed entry i was a bit
apprehensive about going
but i had been in art withdrawal and
needed a fix
i put on my protective mask and vowed to
maintain
social distancing and keep my time there
to
just a couple of hours with only a
couple
of hours i needed a plan so i decided to
focus only on marble sculpture
and to research ahead of time to seek
out the five must-see marble sculptures
at the
national gallery of art if you like my
choices
incorporate these pics into your next
visit to the gallery
the veiled nun is a marble bust
depicting a female figure that was
sculpted by an unknown italian sculptor
in 1863.
despite its name the woman depicted is
not a nun
but probably a wealthy woman of the time
the detail in the veil is so good you
have a hard time remembering that it's
carved in marble
yes it's marble it's breathtaking up
close
the fine details give the illusion that
the veil is transparent
i didn't know its history when i first
saw it
but somehow i knew it was special the
greek slave
was the first publicly exhibited
life-sized
american sculpture depicting a fully
nude female figure
some say it is the most famous american
sculpture ever
it was created by hiram powers the
chains
that bind her are remarkable and i
cannot fathom how they were created
i have a secret for you look closely and
you will
see the scared girl who was stolen from
her family grasps a small cross and lock
it
dangling from her chained hand the
nudity caused massive
controversy when it was first displayed
between you and me
i was more than a little self-conscious
when i stood close
and meticulously scrutinized the statue
with my camera
don't mind me pietro magni's marble
statue called the reading girl just
fascinates me
i think i must envy her she is in such a
quiet moment
enthralled in her book under the light
of the window
and barefoot a single tear streaks her
left cheek near her eye
it's a tear jerker of a novel for sure
maybe she'll share her book
recommendations
if i ask david triumphant was carved in
1848 by american
thomas crawford it depicts the biblical
story of david
slaying the giant goliath i think what
fascinates me about
this sculpture is the juxtaposition the
soldier is clearly brave and celebrates
his win
on the battlefield standing over the
literal face of his enemy
but at the same time the soldier is a
mere boy
slight delicate and clearly a musician
since he leans on his harp for me
it challenges the status quo of what
masculinity and
strength can be lastly i introduce you
to nydia the blind girl
carved in 1860 by american randolph
rogers
she is shown hurrying with her hand to
her ear
what is she listening for let me tell
you the story behind this dramatic day
in her life
it turns out that nydia is among the
most memorable characters in the novel
the last days
of pompeii she is a blind flower seller
in love with a noble-born citizen on the
fateful day when mount vesuvius erupts
and buries pompeii
nydia attempts to lead her love to
safety through the darkness
but they become separated and here she
desperately seeks
her lost love the sculptor did such a
great job of capturing movement and
emotion
i hope you have enjoyed the walk through
the national gallery of art with me
let me know if you would like us to make
other videos like this for the channel
there is so much amazing art in this
city to highlight
