hazy, lazy days

Ahhh, Monday morning, after a hot and hazy summer weekend in Washington. Even the flowers at the farmers' market were seeking shade. I sought refuge in the cool galleries of the National Museum of Women in the Arts and took in the Italian Women Artists exhibition, which put me in the mood for Italy (I leave tomorrow!). The show was very interesting, and included some fascinating and really quite wonderful paintings, by artists such as Artemisia Gentileschi, Sofonisba Anguissola, Lavinia Fontana, Elisabetta Sirani, and Fede Galizia. Although the works are stylistically very much like those of their male counterparts, I think the treatment of various subjects is unique. The representation of infants is softer, more gentle ~ and the psyche of the female subjects is so clearly present (and not so romanticized). I also loved the little details such as fabrics, and lace, and jewelry, which are meticulously represented.

Speaking of fabulous jewelry, I enjoyed looking through the Erie Basin website (which has been featured recently in both Lucky and Elle magazines). I really like their aestheic, and would love to make it to the actual store in Brooklyn someday.