Margaret Mee and Me

I certainly spent the day yesterday in a different kind of way, especially so close to Christmas.  The Post Office Cultural Center has had an exposition of Margaret Mee’s watercolors for about a month and since it’s ending this week, Gabi, my art professor, asked me if I’d like to go with her. I had wanted to go, but for one reason or another, it just kept getting put off, so I jumped at the chance to have someone to go with me. I don’t particularly doing things alone. Even when I was single, I didn’t do much of that. I had to convince myself to get out and go, since once things turn hot here in Rio I turn into a hermit. And I am trying to battle against the tendency, as I don’t think it’s especially healthy. So, I took Gabi up on her offer, even though I had to go downtown on the Metro close to Christmas. The subway was VERY full on the way downtown and I had a long hot walk to the museum. I had never been there and was delighted to see how beautifully it’s been restored. It’s actually an amazing building, with a very cool elevator. There was great air conditioning (a nice plus) and a very nice bistro café.

Back to Margaret Mee… She is very famous among artists and botanists. She is an English woman (b. 1909) who came to Brazil in 1952 to teach art. She developed as one of the world’s great botanical illustrators. She travelled all over Brazil, especially the Amazon region, drawing flowers. She discovered a number of species that she was able to register. She specialized in Orchids and Bromeliads.

Her art is not only scientific, but tremendously artistic, a rare combination. Her watercolors just jump to life with vivid colors and their movement and transparency. I was absolutely enchanted with the display. To say I was drooling, wouldn’t be an exaggeration. It was neat to have Gabi with me to point out a lot of details that I would have missed. As I was looking at the display cases, one of the guards came over to tell me that at 6:30 there would be a guided tour and a distribution of the exposition catalogue. Even though it was early afternoon, we decided to hang around.

I am so glad we did. The museum curator gave the guided tour and there was so much wonderful information to be shared. The catalogue was so worth the wait. It is a beautiful book with all the illustrations we saw printed on high quality paper. I would have paid a lot for such a wonderful book and because of being there on this day, the book was a “prize”. Now, mind you neither Gabi or me knew that there would be the guided tour or free book, we just aimed for a day when we were both free.

When we finally got away from the museum, it was pouring rain. We ran under the marquis to catch the subway back home. Because of the time and the rain, it was so packed. I mean we were like smashed against the door. It reminded me of the trains in Japan where we were shoved on and packed in. By the time I got home, it was raining pretty hard, but I moved it along up the hill to the house. Glad I did, as upon arriving home, the heavens really, really opened up. The city was flooded and João was stuck at Church waiting for the waters to recede. Me, I was safely tucked into my house enjoying my new book on Margaret Mee. I surely wish you could sit down and look at it with me.