Doing the Rocky!

The most memorable scene in Rocky 3 is when Rocky Balboa runs up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and raises his hands in victory to the backdrop of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. I did the Rocky thing, well, sorta! I walked up all of those steps and for the first time, I did not just stand on those stairs, I went inside of the building.
A statue of Rocky Balboa remains at the bottom of the stairs and he looks the worst for wear! There has been some controversy as to whether he should stand in front of such a beautiful building.
The Museum is the backdrop for many citywide functions and special events. I have seen musical groups such as Manhattan Transfer and Boys II Men on or near those stairs. In addition, a little known fact about the Greek inspired building is that Julian Abele was the chief designer of the building. Abele was the first African-American graduate of the University of Pennsylvania's architecture school.
There were so many rooms with famous paintings such as Van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” and Degas’s ballet dancers. I sat with a painting entitled “The Moorish Chief” by Viennese painter, Eduard Charlemont. A print hangs in my home and the strength of this prince. Not only is the painting much larger than my print, the colors are richer. I also have a copy of Benjamin Tanner’s “Banjo Lesson” and wanted to see if an original of this painting hangs in the museum. This was not at the museum, but other of Tanner’s work was.
There was a live cinema exhibit of the works of Carlos Amorales. Now, I like to look at art and decide for myself what it evokes, so I don’t usually read the guide to tell me what the artist is trying to portray. I was open minded, as I viewed Amorales’s work art and I have come to the conclusion, that I did not understand it. It is done primarily in black and white and is described as fantasy worlds, which depicts the coexistence of humans and animals in an ambiguous but invariably hostile surrounding. One animation is called "Faces". I saw an eye every now and then but never saw a face. The animation that I spent the most time trying to understand was “Rorschach Test Animation”. This work is supposed to bring into focus the artist’s interest in abstraction and its potential for free association. Well, either everything looked like a cross section of a brain or a clown face created on the toy with the magnetic shavings. I wonder what that says about me?
I’ll continue telling you about this adventure later and please remember to submit your comments. I can assist you in your dream vacation plans.