Washington D.C. loves the chance to remind everyone that it’s not just a political town. Once a year, D.C.’s literati get dressed up, bring on the President’s own Marine Corps Band, and silence their Blackberrys for an hour or so to listen intently to the Annual Jefferson Lecture sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

And listen they did on Thursday night to none other than Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist, short story writer, poet, internationally-known author and critic John Updike. Updike’s lecture, entitled “The Clarity of Things,” examined the connection between America’s art and its ideas by posing the question, “What is American about American art?” Using complementary images found in the Endowment’s new Picturing America initiative – a project which brings great American art to schools and public libraries to help citizens learn about the people, events, and ideas that have shaped national history – Updike guided the audience on a whirlwind, personalized tour of some of the greats in the American pantheon. Discussing the “painterly” (or in some cases, more “liney”) techniques of artists such as John Singleton Copley, Winslow Homer, Gilbert Stuart, and a wide array of others, the 76-year old Updike proved that his discerning eye (and his opinions) are as sharp as ever.

I’m not sure I came away with a better sense of clarity for myself concerning the question he posed regarding Americanism in art, but one thing is for sure… I’d love to have Updike as my guide the next time I go to the National Gallery.

What do you say, John – is it a date?

P.S. For more info about the 37th Annual Jefferson Lecture, you can check out the NEH Press Release or this article about the author.