We amble amongst The Rambles as we make our way across town through Central Park. The path is paused for a picture of this beautiful bench, as we gaze at the green and blink at a bevy of birdwatchers with their binoculars. It's a small slice of something so much bigger, an eensy exploration en route to our final destination before the sun starts to sizzle in the sky.
The Met is the next six hours of our beautiful day, starting with this exhibition of Raphael.
The exhibit is ethereal, and they have procured an impossible volume of work produced in an impossibly short amount of time.
There are fascinating works from his forefathers, like this da Vinci study,
and then there are religious relics,
and these portraits that give a long pause.
The only thing more interesting than his paintings are his sketches, where works come alive with a pencil, before they're even formed.
They stand as a testament to his attention to detail - here he does a study of just baby feet in preparation for a monumental piece.
It culminates in a covered wall of tapestries, so rich in color and detail you can see the feathers on the birds.
Beautifully curated, perfectly paced, this exhibit is absorbing and all-encompassing from the first sketches to the last. It's a look at a body of work that encapsulates a man's short life, and I believe it is the best I've ever seen.
Move over, Michelangelo, Raphael might be my new favorite artist...and my favorite Ninja Turtle as well.
We move onto more painting, taking in the European art, like the dancers
and tiny dancer from Degas.
There is a recent acquisition, one of few portraits depicting a person of color. HIs forehead is furrowed, his gaze intense.
These detailed sunflowers from Van Gogh,
and this red-cheeked, wild-eyed portrait of Renoir's spirited Margot are among my new list of favorites.
As is this floaty, impressionist meadow.
To make it more magical, my bestie would appear and reappear, a beautiful bit of bright yellow to my all-black outfit, to pass on the juicy tidbits she read from a description or overheard from one of several tour groups we would encounter. She summarizes in a way that is scintillating, letting every brushstroke have its story, and whenever I think of this entire trip, it's her voice I remember the most.
We take a break at the mid-Met cafe. The view from the table forms a fine backdrop for tea and bananas
as well as this Mango-coconut rice pudding which makes a nice little snack.
We end our six whole hours inside the gallery of Asian Art, which starts with a gorgeous mural depicting the Buddha of Medicine, and we find some lovely statues as well.
This snail vessel is my favorite piece,
as are these ornate Indian earrings, shaped from solid gold.
No comments:
Post a Comment