Okay, serious blog moment. ;-)

Twice this semester so far, I have been moved to tears by the sheer beauty of artistry and the realization of a dream. The first time was seeing Luciano Pavarotti in concert. During his opening song, I cried because not only does his voice touch something inside of me, moving my emotions, but also just being there, hearing him live was amazing.

Yesterday, I had another such moment. I have long loved the pre-Raphaelite artists John Waterhouse and Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema. The photo-realistic quality of their art, the beautiful use of color and setting, and the lyricism of their vision move me. My friend, Marie Dawson (who also accompanied me to Pavarotti), told me several months ago that the OKC Museum was displaying an exhibit on Photo-Realism in the 19th Century called "Artist as Narrator: Exploring Storytelling Through Art." Yesterday, she suggested we see it.

Imagine my shock and delight when I turned the corner of the exhibit entrance and saw Alma-Tadema's "A Reading from Homer" (shown above). It is magnificent- the size, the color, the incredible brush strokes and blending. I stood there in front of it, and simply cried. Now, it wasn't a copious amount of tears. I simply teared up and a few ran down my cheeks. But I felt so alive at that moment.

I know a lot of people would find it difficult to comprehend crying because of a painting, but art moves me like this. Books, poetry, music, etc., can reveal something so beautiful that my soul responds in a way that words cannot convey. When words fail, tears follow.

So I hope you have a moment when you are moved to tears by the sheer exuberance and beauty of creativity, of life. Nothing makes me feel more alive than those moments.

I was also excited to finally see the Dale Chihuly exhibit that is permanently housed at the OKC Museum. It is the largest collection of his glass work in the world, and he is truly unique and incredible. The site includes a presentation called Boats (see to the left). And also a wonderful hallway with the glass displayed above you in a glass ceiling. It's like you are walking on the bottom of the ocean with incredible sea creatures and flora floating above you, the sun beaming through them (see below). It's is truly amazing. Awe-inspiring. And afterwards, Marie and I treated ourselves to dessert in the Museum cafe. Spectacular food. I had the apple strudel, which was itself a work of art. The museum used to be a grand cinema built I believe in the early 40's. So the cafe is really a wonderful, theatre-district-style setting. I'm definitely going back for dinner one night.