Inside the Ackland, it's a world apart

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Nov. 21--CHAPEL HILL -- It even smells quiet.

The only sounds are hushed voices and the creak of floors under passing footsteps.

Looking at the centuries-spanning art, you might be reminded of Michelangelo's "David" in Florence's Galleria dell'Accademia or the splashes of Jackson Pollock in New York's Museum of Modern Art.

The Ackland Art Museum has the ability to take you places.

Like to the 17th century.

The museum's "St. John the Evangelist," by French painter Valentin de Boulogne, is swallowed by blackness, except for the glow -- almost an aura -- coming from St. John and from the orange-red blanket draping his lap.

Or, to Amsterdam.

Dutch artist Emanuel de Witte's 1660 painting "The Interior of the Oude Kerk, Amsterdam" conveys the immensity of the Gothic church's sanctuary by focusing on the space more than the people inside it. Pulled down to the very bottom of the frame, they are dwarfed by a majestic arching window flanked by equally grand columns and archways.

The two European art galleries displaying these paintings exhibit works from the Ackland's permanent collection, said Maria Bleier, director of communications. The collection, which also includes Asian and African art in the other galleries, has more than 15,000 items, and they rotate often.

Pieces have traveled around the country, even across the world. At the same time, the museum brings in temporary exhibitions from around the globe.

"You find inspiration in some of these things," said Tian Li, a UNC-Chapel Hill chemistry major strolling through the museum Thursday afternoon. "You never know when you see something and it triggers an idea."

It was Li's second visit. His first was for a class, which limited his experience some. He has visited museums in China and England. And he appreciates the Ackland just the same, though he said he would like it to be bigger.

So would the university. It has plans to more than double the museum's 36,000 square feet.

"We should have more museums like this, somewhere where students can have access," Li added. "I'm no expert, but they have things here that can trigger thoughts."

And memories that, for a moment, may make you forget that Chapel Hill's Franklin Street lies only a few feet away when you walk out the door.

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Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News.

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