Virtual Tour of the National Gallery of Art, Washington DC

Introduction: History of the National Gallery of Art

Andrew William Mellon, an art collector and investor from Pittsburgh, designed and donated Washington's famed National Gallery of Art to the American people. Mellon arrived in the U.S. capital in 1921 and assumed the post of U.S. Secretary of the Treasury. He believed the nation deserved an art gallery comparable to those found in other major countries. Consequently, in 1936, he contacted President Roosevelt and offered to contribute his distinguished art collection to a new national museum, which he proposed to construct using his personal funds. With Congressional and Presidential support, the National Gallery of Art in Washington opened in March 1937 (National Gallery of Art, 2016).

I undertook a virtual visit to Washington, DC's National Gallery of Art on September 4, 2016, at approximately 11:30 a.m. The gallery's entryway is massive and left me awestruck. From the first view, I was certain that the visit would be both highly enjoyable and educational. The gallery's West Building, with its formal public entryways on all sides, is classically styled, though constructed using the most advanced technology available at the time. The main floor centers on a Pantheon-style Rotunda. To its west and east, barrel-vaulted sculpture halls guide visitors to beautiful garden courts, whose fountains and greenery provide a relaxing haven. Interconnected galleries featuring exhibits extend to the north and south of these large public areas, allowing visitors to begin their tour in one room and progress through the entire collection without retracing their steps (National Gallery of Art, 2016).

Touring the Gallery

Mellon had anticipated tremendous growth in the National Gallery's collection, beyond the capacity of the original building. This expansion led to the construction of the East Building in 1971. The newer structure has a modernist style, featuring a massive triangular atrium that forms the spectacular heart of the building's interior public space. The atrium is covered by a sculptural space framework that allows ample natural light to enter. A street-level paved plaza and underground concourse connect the two buildings. A cascading waterfall and seven glass tetrahedrons illuminate and animate the subterranean passage (National Gallery of Art, 2016).

The gallery presents its exhibits by nation of origin and era in suitably designed spaces. For example, the Italian Renaissance galleries feature hand-painted plaster walls and Italian travertine paneling, with decorative door and base surrounds and built-in recesses for displaying sculptures. By contrast, seventeenth-century Dutch artworks are displayed in galleries with wood paneling, evoking the authentic settings in which those works were originally viewed (National Gallery of Art, 2016).

A monumental sculpture garden lies to the west of the original building. Among arcing paths and curvilinear native plant beds, I was delighted to encounter Louise Bourgeois' Spider, Roxy Paine's Graft, Roy Lichtenstein's House I, and Barry Flanagan's Thinker on a Rock. At the heart of the garden is a fountain and circular reflecting pool that transforms into an ice-skating rink in winter (National Gallery of Art, 2016).

With Leonardo da Vinci being a personal favorite, I was drawn to the following masterpieces during the tour.

Leonardo da Vinci's Works

This mural was painted by da Vinci on the rear dining-room wall of the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan. In the painting, da Vinci portrays a historic Biblical moment: a gathering of Christ and his disciples the day before his betrayal, during which they shared a meal, Jesus prophesied what was to come, and washed their feet — symbolizing the equality of all men before God. He also gave his disciples clear instructions on future eating and drinking in his memory, marking the first celebration of the Eucharist, a ritual Christians continue to observe to this day.

The Last Supper (1495–1498)

More precisely, da Vinci's painting captures the moment when Christ reveals that he will be betrayed before sunrise. All twelve disciples react to this news with varying degrees of astonishment, distress, and anger. Much of the contemporary interest in this painting has focused on its hidden details, yet many viewers overlook its extraordinary use of perspective. The walls angle sharply toward a distant rear wall, with windows revealing the sky and hills beyond. This background heightens the sense of serenity surrounding the figure of Jesus (Leonardo da Vinci: Paintings, Drawings, Quotes, Biography, 2011–2016).

In his early career, many of da Vinci's drawings and paintings focused on the Madonna and Child. He captured the two figures in tender, emotional, and intimate moments. At first glance, the painting projects a cheerful theme — Madonna's face radiates obvious affection — yet concealed within the composition is an element of loss and grief, represented by a Cruciferae family flower symbolizing the cross. A personal note by Leonardo on one of his drawings suggests that this painting, known as the Benois Madonna, is likely one of the "Virgin" paintings he began in late 1478, with the Madonna with the Carnation being the other (Leonardo da Vinci: Paintings, Drawings, Quotes, Biography, 2011–2016).

Ginevra de' Benci was the daughter of a wealthy Florentine banker. Da Vinci painted her portrait around the time of her marriage at the age of sixteen. This is one of da Vinci's earliest experiments with oil paint, as evidenced by some surface wrinkling that suggests a still-developing control of the medium. The portrait employs progressively intensifying veils of shadowy darkness, with the young woman placed outdoors — notable for an era when women were typically sheltered at home and glimpsed the landscape only through windows. Her three-quarter pose, conveying composed reserve, ranks among the foremost Italian portraits executed in this manner. Spiky, evergreen juniper leaves frame her face; juniper symbolizes chastity, the most prized virtue in women during the Renaissance (National Gallery of Art, 2016).