Friday, October 18, 2013

The Songs of the Fifty States: Louisiana

(What is "The Songs of the Fifty States"?)



A Cotton Office in New Orleans by Edgar Degas, painted while visiting relatives in the Bayou State.
Degas is currently 2-0 in the Infinite Art Tournament.


Louisiana!

Size: 135,382 km2 (31st)

2012 Population: 4,601,893 (25th)

Statehood: 1812 (18th).  Seceded 1861; Readmitted 1868.

American Human Development Index: 4.07 (47th)


Art Mecca: The Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, north of Copenhagen, is perhaps Denmark's leading fine arts institution, with a collction that spans.... hey, wait a minute!

OK, in the American state of Louisiana, it looks like the major player might be the New Orleans Museum of Art. It calls itself "NOMA," which is charming. It has "a magnificent permanent collection of almost 40,000 art objects," if it does say so itself, with "extraordinary strengths in French and American art, photography, glass, and African and Japanese works."  It boasts "A World Class Collection in the South."

Upriver at Baton Rouge, there's a Louisiana Art and Science Museum that is clearly second fiddle, at best, art-wise. (Of course, it could probably wipe the floor with NOMA in a science museum contest.) Evidence: The museum website brags that its European collection includes work by Charles Amédée-Philippe Vanloo, Jean Victor Bertin, Alexandre-Evariste Fragonard, Jean-Joseph-Elenore-Antoine Ansiaux, and Croatian artist Ivan Meštrović. Alexandre-Evariste, incidentally, was Jean-Honoré Fragonard's son. Of course, most of this collection is probably awesome stuff. But you see my point.




Michael 5000's Louisiana

First Visited: May 10 2003 (42nd)
Most Recently Visited: May 17, 2013 (38th)

First Run In: n/a
Best Run: n/a

Have Admired the Visual Arts In: No.
Have Geohashed In: No.
Have Slept Overnight In: No.

Counties Visited: 14/64 (30th)
% Complete: 22.9% (36th)




Mrs. 5000's Counties Visited: 14/64 (complete)
% Complete: 22.9%
Mrs.5000 First Visited: May 10, 2003 (47th)





Atlas of All Roads Travelled


Plans and Aspirations

Someday I need to get me some new parishes.

3 comments:

mhwitt said...

We live in one of those parishes you have already visited, as you know. I assure you that a visit will be a good time, and surely will allow you to gobble up more parishes, visual arts, and -- if you must -- a jog.

mrs.5000 said...

Our county (parish) maps look very married in this state! (But you left in my Maine statistics boasting of completion.)

I've been to the Louisiana, and it was a lovely museum, with a whole room designed to show off its Giacometti figures.

Michael5000 said...

mhwitt: If I'm comin', I'm joggin'.

Mrs.: Yes, aren't we adorable?