Rich Getting Richer… by Jonathan Coombs

                You know how the rest of the saying goes. After visiting the Clark Museum in Williamstown on March 17, 2015, I am ready to say that the rich do indeed get richer. I get this from the museums history, which was conveniently provided on the bottom floor. Anyway, on to the review.

                If you are familiar with my reviews, I want you to think back to my review of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. If you aren’t I’ll wait for you to read it. … … … … … Ok your back. So remember my rant of the piano? Well guess what. This museum has a piano. However, they allow people to occasionally play it, so that’s better. Still, an instruments ONLY purpose is to be played, no matter how beautiful it is. This piano has Greek words and letters written on the top of it. There are treble and alto clefs drawn around the side, and the ends of the treble clefs spiral out of control like a coiled wire. There is a painting of people playing instruments facing the pianist, just in case the musician decides they are bored with looking at the music. To the sides of that painting are smaller paintings of string basses and cellos. I quite enjoyed looking at this piano, but I wish I could have seen someone play it.

                A piece within the museum I would like to talk about is Boulevard Rochechooan by Camille Pissarro. This piece shows a street of France, from a view of heightened elevation. Camille shows people going through a midmorning routine, being driven by horse-drawn carriages to buying items from a store.  The piece has a midmorning glow about it, giving it a feeling of waking up. I won’t go into much detail to describe it because there is a picture of it along with this review. The piece does a good job showing the relaxing chaos that welcomes everyone at the beginning of the day. Think about it, you wake up and get busy into your normal routine. You step outside to go to your car or bike or however you get to work. There is a calming moment before you start your travel, isn’t there? Or am I just incredibly insane? Anyway, I quite like this piece.

                Overall, the museum is good. There is one niggle I have with it. There is a board of its history in the basement. It shows how the family was rich before the museum was built. This puts a bad taste in my mouth, as going to the museum is supporting a rich family buying art that everyone could enjoy. It would take too long to explain my philosophy of it. Overall, see it if you have time and money.

                Rating: 8 Big Macs out of 10, you feel embarrassed to admit that you like it, as it is fattening and may not be supportive of your own moral compass.