National Gallery of Art.

Despite the weather, the Nation's capital was packed with tourists...and apparently from the faces and languages I saw and heard, from all parts of the country and the world.

My in-laws were wanting to check out the Edward Hopper (American Realist) exhibit at the National. Our car was sent to run errands after which I was awarded the task of running through the National to find my in-laws and get them out.

The modern art portion of the National has a massive marble ediface some 10 stories tall...a wholly modern archetectural design. The interior is open and airy and was absolutely packed with tourists.

I had no idea where to begin my search, so I decided to start from the bottom and work my way upwards floor by floor.

My walking pace was quite rapid but I gave pause when I passed a Warhol in the Pop Art section: 200 Campbell Soup cans. It was amusing.

I hurried along and slowed again for a Georgia O'Keefe work; very surreal phase of her career.

Turned the corner and saw a Picasso: interesting jumble, I thought to myself.

I continued on to the lowest level and paused again, even lingering abit in the Mark Rothko room in the Abstract Expressionism section. Wow. I had no idea that "Red and Green in Blue" was soo massive. A true visionary, his latter works totally broke from all artistic convention.

Knowing I had to continue my mission, I moved past the final corner and prepared my way to move upstairs.

But that's when I saw it. I froze in front of it. A dozen others stood gawking as well. "Lavender Mist"...artist, Jackson Pollock.

Mind you, I really can't stand most abstract expressionist art. It seems soo utterly self-indulgent, arrogant in its deliberately enigmatic presentation, and such complete bullshit at times. But Pollock blew everything out of the water. One must understand his work within its historical context...this stuff came out in the late forties! He broke all the rules in one fell swoop...and I respect him for that.