Walters Art Museum

In Baltimore there is the Walters Art Museum where many historic paintings are exhibited. I have only gone there a couple of times though the last time I was home last week I visited there again. I find that looking at great masterful work gives me inspiration to create "masterful" work myself. It's not always the case.

The Walters is a four floor building with each floor holding different objects, either from different periods in history or different specialty exhibits. I really enjoy going to the first and third floor. The third floor has a lot of Baroque and Romantic art works. I saw my first Ingres there.
The first floor has a series of rooms that I love to look through even though the lighting and orientation of the works isn't satisfactory. Most of these works are more than likely from the Late Renaissance to the Romantic period. The detailed paintings and smooth surfaces of the portrait and still life fascinate me with the craft and skill and compositional consideration as well as conceptual maturity and thoroughness. Along with paintings there are sculptures and maps and old furniture that are really beautiful and elegant. I love looking at these because they hold an air of mystery about them.