Buffalo NY
Aug. 2021
Hello, I am so far behind with my posts, that these several posts moving ahead will be rather rushed so I can catch up with myself. Please bare with me. (My daughter started back to school in late August and needed my laptop, so I have been with out my device. I am thinking she will inheriet it, but I am stuck using my old PC which is so slow, and sometimes not very agreeable. Please forgive me again.
I purchased tickets to see the Van Gogh experience for my mother and me in Buffalo NY. So we woke up early on the day of the tickets and took the 2.5 hour drive to Buffalo. I had wanted to visit Shark Girl while we were there and even more since she was packed away and I missed her last year. This year she was out in all her glory and I was so excited to actually get a picture with her. I just LOVE it.
As we waited for our tour we took a look at the World Fair museum. Apparently the Pan American Exposition was held in 1901 in Buffalo NY. Neat, I didn't know that. I also did not know how important Buffalo NY was historically. The one room held some interesting artifacts around the expo, which was pretty cool. So...you might ask, as I did, what did this event have to do with this historical site? I really do not know anything about anything, so going to these places has been an awesome lesson in history. BUT..... Vice President Theodore Roosevelt had opened the expo. President William McKinley had been scheduled to be present at the expo, however his wife took ill. He did visit the grounds later that year. He was also shot (and later died from injuries sustained from the shot) while at the expo. I never knew much about McKinley and I didn't even know he was shot. I also did not know of how these series of unfortunate events led to the presidency of one Mr. Theodore Roosevelt. (I guess I thought he must have been elected.). At any rate poor President McKinley was dead at the age of 58. His murderer was executed in Auburn State prison. (I had my second date with my now husband at the bar called Prison City Pub, right next to this prison. It was halloween and he was dressed as an inmate. He now works in a prison....weird) Anyway.....
With the death of the president, then the Vice President must take on the presidency. Which lead to the unexpected inaugural of Theodore Roosevelt. Perhaps one of the better known and one of the most influential presidents of our history.
HIs 2 term years as president awarded him with the 1st president to be awarded a nobel peace prize (4 presidents in total, Wilson, Carter and Obama) as well as dedicating over 200 million acres of national wildlife. He helped to regulate big business, negotiated with foreign affairs, and began the construction of the panama canal.
The home where the actual signing in as president was held in this home. The Ansley Wilcox house.
Theodore Roosevelt was only 42 years old when he became president. (Younger then I am, why does he look so OLD?)
Teddy was also the inspiration for the ever loving stuffed animal the Teddy Bear, named such after a hunting expedition was deemed unsportsman like by Theodore. The Teddy Bear has forever stuck.
(So there is a whole lot of controversary on Roosevelts views of racial hierarchy and statues of him have been identified as potential to be torn down, or maybe they have been...but I am NOT going there in this blog.)
I found the experience very informative. definately worth the visit. Oh yeah, one more thing....YES!!! Teddy and Frankie are related. They are cousins. NOW YOU KNOW!
After the national site, Mom and I headed to Van Gogh, but the event was CA on that day do to issues with the air conditioner. I obtained a new date, but my mom could not go back for this so I did go later with my friend Carol.
NO VAN GOGH....... We had lunch at Dairy Queen and reminced about when I was a kid going to Dairy Queen for Ice Cream. We also stopped at these elaborate statues along the way.
I absolutely LOVE this one.
So...no Van Gogh, but I did get to come back in a few weeks with my friend Carol for the experience.
and it was pretty freakin amazing!!!!
The Van Gogh experience is works of Van Gogh computerized with movement and shown on multiple screens to provide an alternative experience to his pieces. The initial room we went into was writen history of Vincent Van Gogh...
This told a little about his vocation, his relationship with his brother, his break into art and of course his mental breakdown which identifed the famous "cutting off of his ear." I had heard that he cut his ear off over a women, however my sources and this show identified that he had actually suffered from Hallucinations and that this may have been the cause. It has been identified that he cut his ear off after an argument with his long time friend/roomate and possible lover Paul Gauguin, but there is little support that Vincent was gay. He may possibly have been bisexual, there is even suspesion that Paul had cut off his ear and Vincent claimed he did this to himself to protect Paul from going to jail. He longed for real romance and was know of frequenting prositutes. One such prosituate lived with him for many years and he painted her often.
Vincent had several careers over his lifetime, none of them successful and his brother often supported him financially. The one careeer he spent the most dedication and time on, was that of a preacher. Certainly he was a emotionally tortured man from the readings, but the expression of beauty shown through his works.
This room was where the fun started. Paintings would melt down the walls in a waterfall affect.
In the last and final room several of his paintings danced around the room shimmering on the walls the floors and the ceilings. It was definately an "experience". I could have stayed there and watched for hours. It was incredibly beautifual and a really cool way to visualize the art. I think it would be cool to see this style with other historical artists.
Many of Van Gogh's paintings are recognizable. Like this one below. Sunflowers and of course A Stary Night, his most nortorious painting. Stary Night and some of his best painting were completed while he resided in an asylum and he claimed that Stary Night was his biggest failure.
I took a video of Stary Night which was an exhibit on the walls all on its own. It started off with just the circular waves and built on with the colors and the waves. Brilliant.
Van Gogh painted over 43 self portraits. The belief is that he did not have the funds to pay for a professional model. He never had any real success as a painter during his lifetime and he may or may not have committed sucide. Researchers are conflicted on the topic. His sister in law actually published his paintings in an art gallery after his death. She also complied all of his letters to memorize his life. He never knew of his popularity while in life and is known to have only sold 1 painting while he was alive. (the Red Vineyard). Its so sad. In modern times, the most expensive painting sold of his collenction (1990) The Portrait of Doctor Gachet sold at $82.5 million dollars.
Any way, the whole thing was pretty incredible. I really enjoyed the opportunity.
After the Van Gogh experience, Carol and I had lunch at Salseria and stopped that this war Memorial for some pictures and rememberence.
It was a pretty neat memorial garden.
These 13 opened beers laid along one of the memorials. Written on a piece of paper was a sign requesting that they do not be removed as they are left in memory of the 13 fallen solders who were killed in Afganistan.
Very prefound art.
I had a very enjoyable time at both of my visits to Buffalo, NY. TTFN
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The furnishing and the home itself is as accurate to the time as possible. Below is a replica of the signing in just as it had been on that date September 14, 1901.
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