national gallery of art, washington d.c

the always lovely mall area on a clear but hot day

the rotonda of the national gallery - looking just like the pantheon

the start of the tour in the rotonda with the copy of the giambologna  mercury. Only object in the gallery which is a copy and that was discovered many, many years after it was purchased.

lovely madonna and child by fra filippo lippi showing the beginning of the renaissance style. rounder eyes, softer features than the prior byzantine style, a hint of perspective in the shell

great single point perspective in this annunciation by fra castagno. painting here is really all about the architecture

the only leonardo da vinci painting in the western hemisphere, only 20 Da Vinci paintings exist.  This is a portrait of Ginevra de Benci. Da vinci uses the sfumatora and chiaroscura techinques, no hard linear features. THis painting easily stands out from all the others by its beauty. 

raphael's madonna and our wonderful guide Bela Demeter

capitol

kennedy center and roosevelt bridge on such a hot day but the river was choppy

fun fountain along the riverfront with some kids having a great time cooling off

we had the pleasure of attending a mini-tour of Italian Renaissance art in the national gallery today. Our tour guide, who was a friend of our friends, was wonderful. He is a retired zoologist, having worked at the national zoo for 35 years. He is doing a great job as a docent at the gallery and gives very livery and informative tours. Don't miss him!