Many retirees flock south for the winter much like the snow geese who gather in our barren fields to escape their arctic tundra. Escape is the operative word when the winter doldrums set in.
Last week my husband and I flew to Florida, and while the warmer weather was a pick-me-up, it was the artwork we discovered in several towns which lifted our spirits.
St. Petersburg is home to the Salvador Dali Museum, a collection which includes 96 oil paintings, over 100 watercolors and drawings, as well as other graphics, photographs and sculptures.
The museum is home to seven of the 18 masterwork paintings by Dalí including “The Discovery of America by Christopher Columbus.” To be considered a masterwork, these paintings must measure at least 5 feet in any direction, and have been worked on for over a year.
The Columbus painting is an impressive 14 feet tall and 9 feet wide. I was grateful for the audio headset recordings to help me navigate this work, which combines history, religion, art and myth into one breathtaking canvas. Dali began it in 1958 and finished in 1959.
Inside the Dali Musuem there was also an exhibit of Mexican Frida Kahlo’s work. Kahlo had a tragic accident on a bus when she was 18 years old, and she suffered lifelong health problems because of it.
Recovering from her injuries isolated her from other people, and this isolation influenced her works, many of which are self-portraits. Kahlo had her first solo exhibition in Mexico in 1953, which she was able to attend in her own bed. She was carried to the exhibit for the opening. Sadly, she died in 1954 at the age of 47.
Downtown St. Petersburg is also home to the Chihuly Collection, a stunning, permanent collection of world-renowned artist Dale Chihuly’s glassworks. It is the first installation of Chihuly art in a building, the Morean Arts Center, designed specifically for that purpose. The lighting of the art is paramount to its beauty.
I couldn’t believe how intricate and unique this exhibit was, whether it was one piece or a spectacular large-scale installation. Each piece of glass told a story. Breathtaking, truly!
After the exhibit, everyone was invited one block away to watch and learn how glass is made. I have seen similar exhibitions but none this thorough, as skilled artisans began with a blob of glass and took us through the molting process till we could see the finished product - a foot-long bass with fins, tail and eyes.
Who knew the town of Lake Placid in Florida was home to dozens and dozens of murals? In 1992, the Lake Placid Mural Society formed to beautify the town and tell its history. These masterpieces are painted on the sides of a drugstore, antiques mart, arts co-op, and other historic and commercial buildings. Some of the murals were so lifelike, we felt we could step into them.
Regardless of the weather, or whether I leave my city to visit another, seeing and appreciating art is a wondrous experience for this retiree.
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Lisa Graff's essays have appeared in Woman's World Magazine and the Washington Post. She resides in Lewes, Delaware. Contact her at lgraff1979@gmail.com. Follow her facebook page for more retirement tips.
