Monday, 21 March 2011

When I first walked in to Sir John Soane's museum (formerly his house), I was immediately surprised by the breadth of paintings, sculptures, and architectural models that seemed to inhabit every inch of every room.  I walked through the tightly packed space, each beautiful room leading into another, and eventually found a staircase leading down into the dark interior of the building.

"There's a whole lot more down there," said a museum employee.  "Plenty of sculptures."

I looked down again into the dark, cramped space, contemplating whether or not the room would be big enough to store even a wheelbarrow, much less an entire collection of art.  I looked at the employee, who smiled.  So I smiled back and began the descent.

Downstairs, I found that the employee's tip was spot on.  The landing completely opened up into another  set of rooms.  I passed rows upon rows of artwork, walking quietly, pausing every now and then to consider the facial creatures of a Roman sculpture, or the intricacies of one of Sir John Soane's various architectural drawings.

Suddenly, however, I realized that I wasn't alone.  To my right, a young woman was also browsing the shelves.  She was dressed fashionably, and had a bright mane of blonde curls that circled her face and gathered up under her black scarf.  She was very beautiful, and I naturally began to feel quite awkward standing so close to her in an empty room.

I turned forward and began to study the painting in front of me, which portrayed a port where a white palace stood off to one side, nudging up against the water.  Ships were streaming in and out of the port, and behind the palace the sun was fading, rendering the sky a collage of pinks and yellows.  I wondered why, among other things, was Sir John Soane such an avid fan of art, why he dedicated so much of his time to beauty, to collecting paintings such as these over and over again.

As I stood there, I could feel the girl on my right moving closer to me, taking her time as she pondered each piece.  My hands began to sweat, as they often do in situations such as these.  My breathing became shallow as I tried to make myself as small as possible, as I attempted to hide among the beautiful works of art that surrounded us.

And then, suddenly, she stopped beside me.

"Amazing, isn't it?" she said.  I turned to her, and she laughed a bit.  "I mean, all of this."

"Yeah.  It is."  This was all I said.  We looked at one another for a few more moments and then she moved on.  In reality, it was nothing, but I left the museum that day feeling lifted, as if I had truly met a stranger for the first time in my life.  And that is what art can do.  It has the power to connect people, to join two strangers in mutual admiration of the work.  It was one of the best lessons I've learned yet on this trip.

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