I Want to Conquer Ueno's Museums (National Museum of Western Art Edition) | Day 117 of Luck-Boosting Experiments

Hello, I'm Un-chan🍀

One of the things I want to do in my life is to "conquer the museums in Ueno." Today is the practical application phase🐼

Click here for the preparation phase↓

Off to the National Museum of Western Art♪

My goal this time is to slowly savor the exhibits, including the World Heritage building itself.

Under the scorching sun, I lined up at the outdoor ticket booth to use the 100-yen discount from my Grutto Pass.

I've been curious about the National Museum of Western Art for years, but for some reason, I never went.

I was interested in the Rembrandt special exhibition, but I decided to prioritize "taking it slow" and only see the permanent collection.

The National Museum of Western Art houses Western sculptures, paintings, prints, and more.

Rubens, Renoir, Monet, Van Gogh, Rodin, Picasso... works by amazing artists that everyone knows.

You can also see lesser-known religious paintings from the past and crafts like rings made hundreds of years ago.

You can see all of these in the permanent exhibition.

Generously, you can also view them on their officialWebsite or on Google Arts & Culture!

With some exceptions, photography of the works was also allowed.

You can enjoy the scenery even without a background in art history

Many of the paintings on display depict scenes from mythology and Christianity.

I haven't been very moved by mythology or religion until now.

They feel a bit scary and eerie, and there's a sense that you're forced to look directly at the frightening aspects of humanity...

However, Bosch's works (*which are not at the National Museum of Western Art) feature monster-like characters that push the limits of creepiness, making them fun to view, so it's not just because they are 'scary'.

I think a big part of it is that I don't have enough interest or education regarding history and religion.

No matter how many times I try to learn about history and religion, I end up giving up.

But this time, I made a new discovery: 'Even if you don't understand mythology or religion, you can still enjoy the background scenery.' I made this discovery.

I realized that when I saw this painting.

It is said to be a landscape of Italy.

Actually, I wasn't that interested in landscape paintings to begin with.

But the moment I thought, 'Maybe this kind of scenery really existed in 1600s Italy,' I became interested.

I often gaze at stones and things washed up on the beach.

When, where, and what kind of journey did they take to end up here?

When I let my thoughts wander like that, I get a strange feeling, as if I'm being drawn far away.

When I saw the landscape in this painting, I felt that same sensation of being drawn in.

Cuteness transcends education

The paintings I honestly felt moved by and ended up taking many photos of were the ones depicting women and children.

Look at this baby's face 👶💕

You don't need an education to appreciate the cute face, the clothes, and the rich expressions.
You are drawn to them whether you like it or not.

This painting, for instance, looks truly sad.
The blue cloth was a surprisingly vivid blue.

I imagined that the artist must have been so happy when they were able to capture this sad expression and the blue cloth...

And the one that left the biggest impression on me was this painting.

What surprised me was that this is a self-portrait.
This vibrant beauty. Overflowing confidence!!

It's, it's dazzling... ✨

The dress and ribbons are glossy, gorgeous, and beautiful, and I don't know who chose it, but the ribbon on the frame is also just too wonderful 🎀

I was completely captivated.

I would love to see more of Capet's paintings, but there are few works, and most are in private collections. It is said that there are only about three places in the world, including the National Museum of Western Art, where you can see her oil paintings (Wikipediainformation)

Too precious!!!

Looking from both near and far

This time, as a new experiment, I sat on a bench for a while and zoned out, and tried looking at the scene on the first floor from the second floor.

I enjoyed not just the artworks, but the museum itself at a leisurely pace.

I think it's a luxury that can only be enjoyed when it's not crowded.

By looking at it vaguely, I had a new realization.

A work by Monet.

When you look at it closely, you are surprised by the colors.

I think, 'That color there!?' and it looks quite rough and messy. Honestly, I didn't really get what was so good about it.

However, when you gaze at it vaguely from a distance... I was simply moved, thinking, 'Oh, wow, amazing!'

Calling it 'like a photograph' feels a bit light.

It's as if the 'scenery seen with the eyes' is captured just as it is, like when you are moved by a view you see with your own eyes and take a picture, but it turns out underwhelming.

I enjoyed Monet's paintings from a distance for a while.

Elegant station soba

I left the museum at 12:30.

Even though it's a weekday, it's summer vacation season. The area around Ueno Station is very crowded. Every restaurant has a long line.

Since I went to the trouble and expense of coming all the way to Ueno, I thought about eating a rice ball or something at a random place and visiting one more museum before heading home.

If it were the old me, I probably would have done that.

But I'm hungry, I'm not in the mood for a convenience store, and it's too hot to walk around!

I decided to listen to my body's honest voice and head home without pushing myself.

As I entered the ticket gate, a standing-only soba noodle shop caught my eye.

It was a moment when no one was in line.

"I want to eat soba!"

Once again, I followed my body's honest voice and bought a meal ticket without hesitation.

Ah~~ so good~~.
The sharp spiciness of the condiments and the saltiness of the broth soaked right in...

I think I was slurping my soba with wide-open eyes in the crowded shop.

It's not a very elegant sight, but my heart felt very elegant.

A day where I was completely honest with the voices of my heart and body.

It was a good day♪

Summary image of the day🖼️

Today's gratitude card: Yurari🌸🫧 🫶✨-san

Novels, music, essays, poetry, picture books, AI images, manga, magazine management, and so on...

Yurari-san's world on note has many countries and towns, and she builds a diverse and beautiful world. It is truly the "Yurari World"🌹✨

This gratitude card was quoted from the novel "Gold -Country of the Border-".

Even if it's not your own child, this is what it feels like to hold a baby, and with the subsequent developments, my heart felt so tight...

Even after finishing the novel, this passage wouldn't leave my head.

Both "Gold: The Border Country" and "Star Sand for You" are novels with many fans.
If you haven't read them yet, please do! ✨

That's all from Un-chan. 🍀

To everyone I quoted in the gratitude cards.
This is a gift, so please feel free to modify and use it as you like. All copyright rights belong to the original authors! If you would like me to delete anything, please contact me via comment or DM. 🙇‍♀️ Thank you always! 💖