Governors Palace and The Santa Fe Museum of Art September 2023

 On our first day we purchased a Culture Pass which gave us entry into several Santa Fe Museums.  We showered, dressed and were on our way until we stepped outside and realized that our summer shorts and sandals motif was inappropriate for the weather which had turned sharply colder due to cloud cover. Running back to the room we changed to more suitable attire and, once again, were on our way. We joked about how stereotypically gay our fashion change was.

After breakfast we took a stroll around the plaza looking at art, jewelry, crafts and western style clothing that was out of our price range before heading to the Governors Place. Although the young man at the desk was pleasant the palace itself was a disappointment. There were only 2 small, rather mundane exhibits open as much of the venerable structure, it dates from 1610, was closed due to renovations.

Undaunted we moved on to the Santa Fe Museum of Art. The museum is an example of early 20th century Pueblo Revival architecture. It is often difficult to tell that which is relatively modern from that which is centuries old in the city. Upstairs is a nice collection of Southwestern art and furniture. On the first floor was an exhibit of contemporary glass. I was rather proud of myself when I saw a piece across the floor and thought "that looks like Chihuly." It was indeed a piece by the renown glass artist. I've been fortunate enough to see two of his site specific exhibitions over the years. 

Possessing a sometimes annoyingly curious mind, it is always a thrill to me to find out about something or someone I was previously unaware of. There was an exhibition called An American in Paris. It had nothing to do with the movie. It focused on the work of an artist named Donald Beauregard. He studied the impressionists in Paris and was deeply influenced by them. He, to some degree unabashedly, appropriated their style outright yet manifested a mastery of technique. He died of cancer at the age of 29. Before leaving we visited the museum's auditorium which has murals designed by him but completed by others due to his untimely death. His style at that point showed an Art Nouveau influence which melded beautifully with the dark grace of the serene room. I pondered that, had he lived, would his mastery of technique have overtaken his mimicry of style and transitioned into an important and distinct voice.  

I try not to think about it very much because it is rather depressing but I wonder what we have lost that might have been had death not intervened. Then again, maybe some artists and performers had more talent then a human body can survive. Were they not so forceful that they may have brought themselves to an early end they would not have been them.