Ginevra de' Benci

Ginevra de' Benci changed my life.

As a child, I had no interest in paintings. My family would discuss them, but I had no interest. I would look through encyclopedias or library books of paintings Philip checked out, but I had no interest. Nothing could make me like or enjoy paintings.

When I was fourteen, my family decided to vacation in Washington DC for spring break. This was monumental because 1) we weren't visiting family in PA; we were heading to a vacation destination*, 2) we weren't playing any concerts along the way which meant no instruments were coming with us, and 3) we weren't staying with people; we were getting a motel.

We planned our vacation for months. We talked through which museums and memorials to visit, when to visit them, and how long we could spend at each place. We researched the best places to visit. The spy museum was high on everyone's list, and then the National Gallery of Art. I, at this time in my life, had no desire to look at paintings let alone visit the National Gallery of Art. I was proud of the fact of not enjoying paintings. It's strange to think back and realize how childish I was.

The day came for our visit to the National Gallery of Art. My dad and three siblings headed off to it while I went with my mom to the Natural History museum to pick up more rocks. It's also sad to realize that rocks (for souvenirs) had a higher priority than real live paintings. By the time mom and I arrived at the museum, we had about forty-five minutes before the gallery closed. I had to choose what I wanted to see because we couldn't find our family. I chose Renaissance art because I knew the National Gallery of Art owned the only Leonardo da Vinci in the States. And as against paintings as I was, I really wanted to see a da Vinci. Then I saw Ginevra de' Benci.

I stared at the painting in awe. Literal awe. The detail, the clearness, those curls, the trees. All of it blew me away. I remember I was especially amazed by the brushstrokes. I could see them. I hadn't really connected brushstrokes and a painting before. To me at that moment, the brushstrokes made the painting real. I couldn't believe I was staring at something Leonardo da Vinci had his hands on. I was in awe.

My life had been changed. When I dragged myself away from Ginevra de' Benci, I wandered through the Rembrandt's staring at the paintings. I was fascinated by the brushstrokes, and I wanted to keep staring at all the paintings, I wanted to wander through the whole gallery and soak in the art. I was devastated that the National Gallery of Art closed in thirty to twenty minutes.

Ginevra de' Benci holds a dear spot in my heart because of the way I changed after viewing it. Even though I'm not an art connoisseur today, I now appreciate and love learning more about it. I now adore going to galleries though I don't have as many opportunities as I would like. Paintings opened my eyes to the other aspects of art and my love of history grew and deepened.

So there's the story of my profile picture and a day and painting which changed my life.

*We are the people who think Washington DC is a vacation spot. Museums are our friends, especially free ones.