Austin at The Blanton

One of Ellsworth Kelly's pieces 

It's spring in Texas! It's the best time of year to stroll around downtown Austin and soak up some vitamin D. Last week, I had the chance to take a walk through the grounds at the Texas Capitol and down the street to the Blanton Museum of Art, located at the University of Texas at Austin.

The Blanton is an Austin staple, and every Thursday, admission into the museum is free! I made the trip this time to see the new exhibit, Ellsworth Kelly's "Austin."

There's something special about doing something in public alone, like going to a museum. It's often hard for me to pluck up the courage to do it initially, but once I'm there, I revel in taking my time walking through the exhibits, reading all the captions for each piece, and of course, people watching.

People watching people who are also people watching (See what I did there?) 

Ellsworth Kelly himself 

Lots of black and white in contrast to the rainbow that comes later on! 

Kelly's temporary exhibit was very modern for the most part, though, as explained by the Blanton, his work was heavily inspired by the Renaissance architecture he experienced as a young adult in France! It's difficult to explain, but as I walked through the collection I could see the old European influences. The exhibit included some of his early sketches and paintings for you to compare and ponder over, making the connections stand out much more. I didn't take too many photos of Kelly's works, as I think they're best experienced in person.

After thoroughly exploring the inside of the Blanton (There are also several other permanent collections on the upper floors, ranging from European art to Modern Contemporary), I braced for the bright sunshine as I stepped out and made my way to Kelly's "Austin" structure, located a few feet from the front of the museum.

Bright white inside and out, with rainbow hues floating around the walls and floor, the whole building really took my breath away. I think if I'd been in there alone, I could have spent hours in silence just watching the dancing beams from the stained glass windows. 

 Though I would have enjoyed admiring the piece in silence, there was a loud hum of voices = as everyone oohed and ahhed over the glorious light in the room. It was a neat way to collectively experience art with so many other people.

Student's sitting on the floor, soaking up the atmosphere in Ellsworth's exquisite structure. 

This was my favorite part of the visit, maybe even my favorite thing at the Blanton, and I'm glad I saved the best for last!

The indoor portion of Kelly's work will only be at the Blanton until April 29th, but his outdoor structure has become a permanent feature of the museum, and will be around to shine it's gentle multi-color hues for a long time. It's unique and kind of quirky, and almost difficult to decide what the structure is really meant to be - or what it represents. It's old and new all at the same time, just like ATX. Austin really does seem like a fitting name for this collection!

I hope you'll be able to see it for yourself sometime soon. Every few months the Blanton gets a new exhibit so you can keep coming back to experience something new. If you're interested in visiting the Blanton, you can head to their website from here.