UN-BLACK FRIDAY

Un-Black Friday.  If Alice could celebrate Unbirthdays (through the Looking Glass), so could we celebrate Un-Black Friday.  And we did.  Stampeding hordes headed for the Malls.  We headed for Golden Gate Park.

That overcast day, we swam upstream to the De Young Museum in San Francisco.  I had been meaning to see their special exhibit, Masters of Venice.  Now, a day spent with Tintoretto and Titian versus stepping into the ring with determined, perhaps belligerent, shoppers?  My choice was obvious.

Couple by the Sculpture Garden, De Young Museum
taken through the glass

Photography was prohibited during the exhibit, but I uncapped the lens at other times.  I was taking photos of the Sculpture Garden during lunchtime, through the glass walls, when this couple walked into the frame.  The lady appeared to have walked straight out of the Renaissance canvases!  I hadn't spotted her while we were wandering through the exhibit.  But, I like to think that she had come to immerse herself in the Italian Masters' magic, and remained at-the-ready, should an unexpected invitation to walk into the artwork been extended.

Speaking of magic, I find the effect of double exposures on photographs enchanting.  I was tickled to see the reflective windows doing it for me here, superimposing the colored lights of the Café ceiling onto the copper skin of the De Young.  (The De Young's architecture is another wonderful discussion for another time.)

Café lights reflected on the windows
De Young Museum, San Francisco

We decided to explore the De Young beyond its exhibits and scale its Tower.  The twisted turret offers panoramic views of San Francisco.  At the base of the elevators, we were greeted by hanging mobiles.  I was fascinated by the strong shadows created by the directional light, their intensity relative to the delicate sculptures surprising.

The shadows seem more intense than the
delicately-constructed sculptures

Another organic mobile
casting strong shadows

As you can sense, our day was as far from a typical Black Friday as you can imagine.  No bobbing and weaving, no upper cuts to nab a precious deal from an equally tenacious customer.  However, my head was in as much of a whirl amid Art spanning centuries at the De Young.

There is another exhibit coming up that may whip up as much of a frenzy as a shopping experience.  We can't wait to see the Jean Paul Gaultier exhibit early next year!

Did you head out on Black Friday?

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On a separate note, Bucket List Nation featured an excerpt of my Winchester Mystery House story.  For the full piece I posted early in the fall, click here.