Artful Musings from V & A

Victoria and Albert Museum, London

The task of art is enormous.  Through the influence of real art, aided by science, guided by religion, that peaceful co-operation of man which now maintained by external means -- by our law-courts, police, charitable institutions, factory inspection, and so forth -- should be obtained by man's free and joyous activity.  Art should cause violence to be set aside.
Leo Tolstoy, What Is Art?

I will be the first to admit I don't know much about art. Where I feel at home in a library or a bookstore, I usually don't know where to begin in any art museum. The Victoria and Albert Museum is comprised of cultural artifacts, not just art. The building is so large, the photo above taken from the street only shows about a quarter of the building. Inside, marble grandeur lobby and hallways echo the sounds of tourists and artists. Passing along the sculptures in the European room it is easy to admire the collections. The Korean and Japanese rooms had several young artists sitting cross legged on the floor, sketching a piece of art or an artifact.
Similar to the British Museum, the V & A is free and has floor after floor of spectacular collections. But to see them all would take, literally, a few days. So, I plan to return.