Washington Headquarters and Storm King Art Center

After having breakfast, we made our way to Washington  Headquarters which was just a few minutes away From Mount Saint Mary College. In our way there, we passed through Liberty Street. This street is not made of concrete instead it is made up bricks.  It was nice driving in a road that was totally different from the others. The only aspect that I did not like about the street is that it was patched with concrete. Professor Toby said that that is what happen when there is not enough money. The structure of the street was fascinated as well as the houses along the street. Each house has a different architecture which gives the street a better look.

After looking at the houses in Liberty Street, we continued our way to Washington Headquarters. When we got there, we thought we were once again unscheduled because the fence of the building was close. However, we were just a few minutes early. The curator came out a few minutes later and opened the door. We first went to the gallery which is next to the actual house of George Washington. The gallery was built in 1910 with the purpose to store the artifacts that were donated to the organization. The first artifacts in the gallery that attracted me the most were the two big trunks hanging horizontally next to each other.  These trunks were part of the large iron chain that stretched across the river from west point to Constitution Island during the revolutionary period. I know this chain was a good strategy to keep the British out of this area. However, I felt really bad because many trees were cut in order to build the chain. My feelings remained me to the feelings of the artist Thomas Cole.  In many of his paintings, Thomas Cole conveyed how the landscapes along the Hudson were being disturbed by the fast industrialization.  His paintings show many broken trees which represent the intervention of humans in nature which he hated. I definitely did not feel good when I learned that a lots of trees were cut for humans’ use.In the gallery, we also saw a portrait of George Washington which was painted a few years after he died. The painting was donated to the gallery by the knights Templar in 1999. Since the painting was in a really bad condition, it was passed to the professionals at Peebles Island Resource Center to be restored. Both the frame and the painting were restored. I am very glad we visited Peebles Island Resource Center because I now know the processes that paintings such as the George Washington Portrait go through.

Once our tour in the gallery was over, we passed to the house of George Washington. This house was used as a military headquarters during the revolutionary war. Washington had various spies that hid in the mountains. His spies would alert him of any British in the area. Washington wanted to make sure that no British reach this part of the Hudson River. According to him, if the British had taken control of the Hudson River, North America would have been under British control once more.

Bedrooms

The curator explained that George Washington house was originally a three room house. When I was inside, I was able to see the three first original rooms of the house which was built in 1750. I was expecting Washington’s house to resemble British style. However, the house has  a Dutch style. The house fire places are not very save. Washington’s house has more fire places than any of the other houses we have visited so far. Compared with Johnson Hall and Schuyler’ House in Saratoga, Washington’s house seemed to me very simple. In 1770, the rest of the rooms were added to Washington house. Now the house consists of a parlor, a hallway, a room for guests, a desk room, a dining hall, a kitchen and two bedrooms. Washington’s house was now much bigger. In his desk room, he honored many of the soldiers who served the country. For the first time in American history, merit medals were given to certain soldiers. It was fascinating being in the house of the person who helped create a new nation.

After the house tour was done, we went to the second floor of the gallery. Here I was able to take the picture above. Even though it was not allowed to take pictures, I could not resist to take a picture of the clothes that people wore centuries ago. This type of shirts were wore by farmers. American soldiers wore this type of shirts to discard the British troops. According to George Washington, British would not pay attention to people who looked like simple farmers. This shirt was handmade in North America which conveys how America was becoming independent from Britain. American started doing their own clothes which British did not like.
 

Three Legged Buddha

Later in the afternoon we went to Storm King Art Center.  This art center is located in the Hudson valley. Storm King Center received visitors from all over the world.  It is very awesome being in a place very famous in different countries. However, I do not find interesting outdoor arts. Compare with the paintings at the art institute, the outdoor arts do not convey any meaning to me. In the art center today, I was able to see very famous arts which did not intrigued me at all. However, there were a few that definitely caught my eyes for a while.  Three Legged Buddha for instance drew my attention. I was trying to figure out what the shape of the art was or what the art was.  After I figured out what it was, I did not feel connected with it. I did not see any meaning in the art. I felt the same for every piece of art In the Storm King Art Center. In contrast, In Thomas Cole and Frederick church houses, I felt connected with some of their paintings. For instance, Frederic Church had some paintings of tropical landscapes of Latin America. Coming from a tropical island, I was able to connect with some of Frederic Church’s works.
Even Though Storm King Art Center was not of my preference, the experience was really nice. I am glad I was able to experience outside arts. Some of the arts were very extravagant and drew my attention for a while. However, I did not feel any connection with them.