i took the bus up to the met museum this afternoon. i meant to leave in the morning but got caught having to make a number of phone calls beforehand. i entered through the educational entrance as it's usually not as crowded when getting a ticket.
on my way to the main hall i passed this interesting special exhibit . .
greek and roman art in original colors . .
i thought it was fun to see . . and the colors were pretty. this is a reconstruction of a marble statue known as small herculaneum woman, (the particular replica they used was found in delos).
the description of how the statue was examined for the proper colors:
"in ultraviolet, infrared and raking light as well as with x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. decorative elements on the undergarment were painted with a light egyptian blue, and iron-based pigments in shades of red and brown were used for the hair and facial features. green malachite survived in large areas of her mantle, blackened through fire."
amazing!
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as i walked the corridor i came across another one . .
this is a reconstruction of the marble funerary statue of phrasikleia (found in the ancient city of myrrhinos in attica - you can read more about it here on its wikipedia page). the same techniques revealed the numerous pigments:
"red and brown madder lake, red and brown ocher, and lead white for the eyes, skin and hair, as well as red and yellow iron oxide, orpiment and cinnabar for the dress. certain ornaments had been gilded or perhaps covered with a lead-and-tin foil."
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i finally reached the main hall and was surprised at how long the ticket line was as there hadn't been any line at the side entrance.
finally, winslow homer - crosscurrents. greg and i were here on the first day it opened, which was only for members (i think it was that way for the first week). and now it closes on sunday . . i made it just in time.
a map of the caribbean, the eastern united states and the atlantic ocean, showing his travels. he originally worked as an illustrator in new york and boston but moved down to the front lines of the civil war in virginia with the union army in 1861, where he worked as an artist for the journal harper's weekly documenting the fighting.
the veteran in a new field, 1865, oil on canvas.
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i'm including the curators' posts about the paintings as they were really informative and interesting to read.
a visit from the old mistress, 1876, oil on canvas.
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he spent a lot of time in the bahamas, chronicling the life of the islanders.
shark fishing, 1885, watercolor on paper.
sponge fishermen, 1885, watercolor, gouache and graphite on paper.
nassau, 1899, watercolor and graphite on wove paper.
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"you will see, in the future i will live by my watercolors."
"winslow homer believed that his watercolors were essential to his artistic legacy. in his writings, the artist acknowledged their critical role in the establishment of his reputation and in his ability to earn a living. following homer's death in 1910, kenyon cox reflected on his fellow artist's mastery of the medium, asserting that 'in the end he painted better in watercolors . . than almost any modern has been able to do.' homer's watercolors are celebrated for their technical brilliance, fluid immediacy, and striking, saturated tones. in them, the artist explored on a more intimate scale the powerful themes that preoccupied him across his career: epic scenes of distress on the ocean, conflict between humans and nature, and the transience of life."
early morning after a storm at sea, 1900-1903, oil on canvas.
kissing the moon, 1904, oil on canvas.
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walking to the cafeteria for lunch . .
everything has become so expensive! the cafeteria here used to have the nicest lunches and i'd treat the girls to pasta, chocolate and tea. now everything is in plastic and paper and it feels like the prices have more than doubled . . i think they're trying to make up for when the big ceo resigned after spending too much money buying the breuer building (the met has now transferred control of the breuer to the frick museum which is using it to house their collection while they renovate their main building).
i thought i'd stop in at the louise bourgeois paintings . . i had never seen her work before.
untitled, ca 1940, oil on linen.
painting, red on white, 1945, oil on canvas.
femme maison, 1946-47, oil and ink on linen.
regrettable incident in the louvre palace, 1947, oil on canvas.
she writes, "even though i am french, i cannot think of one of these pictures being painted in france. every one of them is american, from new york. i love this city, its clear-cut look, its sky, its buildings, and its scientific, cruel, romantic quality."
the woman leaving shared with me that the artist's sculptures can be seen at dia beacon, which isn't far from here. the collection is housed in a former nabisco box-printing factory. the photos i just saw online make me think of mass moca.
passing a family program art circle on the way out.
meeting greg after taking the bus downtown . .
ramen for dinner on charles street.
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