Better in black and white

I tried to publish this post yesterday, but I was having Internet issues:

2/15/2009 12:00 a.m.

Today I went to a black and white photography exhibit in Florence with Ania. I have wanted to go to it ever since I first got here and saw the advertisements, and today was the last day of the exhibit. It was my first time visiting an art gallery on my own volition, and I really enjoyed it. I felt quite sophisticated wearing my dress and walking through the exhibits, quietly commentating on the works. Usually I have some trouble really digging deeper into a work of art, getting beyond its face value, but I have never had this problem with photography, especially black and white photography. I think it has something to do with the writer in me, but I just love to look at photographs of people from many years ago and think about how their life was and what they were thinking at that moment. The exhibit in Florence was very striking because of the age of most of the photographs. Many were from the 1850s, and they portrayed life in Florence and the surrounding country. It was very interesting to see what has changed and what has remained the same since that time. My favorite work in the entire museum was entitled "Springtime," and I believe it was by Roberto Robinson. It is a portrait taken of a young couple from behind as they walk down a country road in Holland. The man has his arm around the woman, and they look very happy and in love. On the right there is a Dutch windmill, and much of the country landscape is visible. I thought this photo really captured the emotion and beauty of the moment, and, even though it was taken over 100 years ago, the emotions it captures are still applicable today. Someday when I have an apartment/house I really want to collect black and white photography and have it all over my walls. I would probably never get anything done because I'd always be looking at my pictures and thinking about what those people were thinking, but at least I'll be thinking.