Today was an "easy" day. No interviews for my wife. The day started with an easy commute to the upper east side and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. After making a small donation, we took a guided tour with a volunteer. He was an elderly gentleman who was once a banker and now does this for fun. (Fun for him includes one year of training and lectures with the curators at the Museum.)
He chose one piece each from seven different galleries and described them in length. He did not ask too many questions but rather treated it like a lecture and gave us information that we then could use later as we looked at other pieces in the galleries.
The range of works was staggering. We saw statues from ancient Greece to air-brushed comic book-like pictures and everything in between.
Some of our interesting conversations that came up during our tour were:
When Claude Monet passed away, what was the initial response from the newspapers and media of the day? Was it a small note or had he achieved that monumental success that would, today, garner the front page of Time Magazine?
Matisse painted odalisques. They seem to be partially clothed women, but what is the real definition of the word?
Madonna and Child, ca 1300, by Duccio di Buonisegna, was purchased recently for $42 Million. Take a look at it at their website. It's an interesting work because it is one of the early transitional pieces from two-dimensional iconography to religious paintings with perspective.
One of the highlights of the show was a collection of paintings and cuttings by Matisse and the collection of pieces of cloth and clothing that inspired the works. It is a fascinating look at an unconventional inspiration for art and how it changed the work of Matisse and helped focus his style.
Finally, both my wife and I agreed that our favorite painting was "The Storm" by Pierre-August Cot (1837-1883). (http://www.art.com/asp/sp-asp/_/PD--10284491/The_Storm.htm?sOrig=SCH&ui=435D63D77DD442B4B96534EBB4BB1CFA#)
It is a lot like "The Ravishment of Psyche" by Adolphe Bouguereau, which is another family fave.
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