Oct 27, 2009

Favorite Museums


I like museums, but sometimes find them overwhelming. The sheer size of them. Wanting to see everything, which of course isn't possible. It's the reason huge museums are so overwhelming, like the Louvre or the British Museum.

One way to get around that, is to give up the idea of seeing it all.

I greatly enjoyed a highlights tour at the NY Met. The tour guide chose just four pictures, and we got to spend time discussing each. It's a way to make huge museums more approachable.

I much prefer smaller museums. Three of my favorites are: Musee d'Orsay, the Frick Collection, and Rodin's house.

The Musee d'Orsay is an old underground station in Paris. It was converted into a museum, and houses 19th and 20th century art. The amazing impressionist paintings... It's not too big, and you can visit it all in a few hours. My favorite part was climbing stairs to a vantage point where you can look down and view the space of the whole museum.

The Frick Collection is in NY, next to Central Park. It was the private house of a collector named Frick, displaying his personal art collection. Wandering around the house, provides a small glance into someone's home. Easy to imagine people living there, parties held there... And the artwork is amazing. It's where I first saw a painting by Whistler, but that's for another post.

And Rodin's house. Also in Paris. The private home of Auguste Rodin. And to think I had never heard of him, until we wandered into his home. Who doesn't know "The Thinker"? Although it's his sculptures of hands which truly moved me. His house is full of his work, as well as the garden. It's a small intimate museum, displaying a great range of Rodin's work.

Enjoying small intimate museums as a metaphor for life.


Sep 24, 2009

Madame X

I first saw the picture titled "Madame X", at the Met in NY in 1997.

There's something about it, that I find fascinating.

It's a tale of society and morals. Originally Sargent painted the shoulder strap on the left, falling down her arm. Society was so scandalized by this, that he redid the photo, changing the position of the strap. Which explains the difference in the detailing between them. Today we wouldn't even notice it. He also changed the title to "Madame X" to try to hide the name of the subject, although of course everyone recognized her.

Later in her life, additional portraits of Gautreau were painted.

Which do you prefer?