This past Sunday, I visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art for the first time in quite a while. I travelled in to the City especially to see my friend, Nicole Moné, of The Skeleton Project, and to see the special Vermeer exhibit of The Milkmaid, on loan from the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.
I must admit, I am not the biggest Johannes Vermeer fan. Undoubtedly, I admire what he accomplished, especially for the time in which he painted, but in the grand scheme of art through the ages, there are so many other artists whom I prefer. Perhaps I would be more enamored of his work if I were to see more of the thirty six known pieces (especially The Geographer and The Astronomer). Still, I was eager to see The Milkmaid, and it is now definitely my favorite work by Vermeer which I have seen in person.
To see a wonderful, interactive overview of The Milkmaid, check out the website, Essential Vermeer. Artist and author, Jonathan Janson, has created an amazing online tribute to the Dutch artist, including everything from Vermeer's palette to the music popular during the painter's life. It's definitely worth checking out.
The rest of my tour of the Met was bittersweet. Although I was disappointed that the American Wing was still closed for renovations, I was happy to find a few of my favorites had been moved into the Henry R. Luce Center for the Study of American Art. This area of visible storage is one of the best sections of the museum to me, and I've often wished that many of the paintings usually on display there were given a more prominent location in the gallery. However, on the flip-side, having paintings by Sargent, Chase, Eakins, Abbey, and others, at eye height, and only six inches away (behind glass) was a nice welcome. I never expected to have the chance to be face-to-face with Sargent's Madame X!
12 comments:
Matt, I thought Madame X was at the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum in Boston. Was it on load to the Met?
--Christine
You'd be more enamored of his work if it weren't overcleaned. Don't the tones on her arm seem strange, when it gets toward the sleeve it's grayish, it's not "unified."
Madame X!
Christine- Madame X is part of the Met's permanent collection.
(http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ho/10/na/ho_16.53.htm)
Walter- I never know how to judge the color in Madame X. Her flesh is so unlike that in other Sargent paintings. The lavender powder on Mde. Gautreau's skin, which caused such a scandal, has never been clear to me. She has always looked gray and cadaverous. Perhaps it was over-cleaning, as you suggest, which eliminated much of the violet on her skin, and reduced it to an underlayer with more ivory black visible.
What was interesting to observe was the edge of the canvas which was previously hidden from view by the frame (the frame has been removed, probably for restoration purposes). Sargent most likely completed the painting in the frame. The area of canvas which usually lies hidden under the rabbet had more blue in it than the visible background. I don't know if he altered the color as he worked, or if the color shift is a result of the varnish yellowing, in which case, the cleaning has not been so great.
Celeste- Viva Mademe X!
Vermeer, Abbey, (blank), (blank), Metcalf, Chase (I think), Blum. Who are those other two artists?
Vermeer, Abbey, Sir James Jebusa Shannon, Alfred Q. Collins, Metcalf, Sargent (portrait OF Chase), Blum.
The Shannon painting, Jungle Tales is well known, and wish it were regularly on display. The Collins generally resides in visible storage, if I remember correctly.
There were about a dozen Sargent's in there, Maxfield Parrish, Frank Benson, Tarbell... it is really a wonderful grouping...
Who was the artist for the chinese market scene painting? We used to live in Columbus, OH and I definitely recognize the style and composition from a piece there, but I don't know the artists name.
The Chinese scene is by Robert Frederick Blum, entitled The Ameya, 1893
muchas gracias
Sorry that you don't rate Vermeer as highly as others, although the 'Milkmaid' clearly made an impact. I can heartily recommend seeing others of his work, in particular the exquisite 'Art of Painting' that resides in the Kuntshistoriches Museum, Vienna. It is an intriguing piece that poses lots of questions for the viewer as well as being beautifully executed.
Thanks for the information, including the correction. Is Paxton's Tea Leaves on display?
Peter- Tea Leaves is one of my all-time favorites! Unfortunately, I don't think it is on display. I didn't see it in visible storage, and with the American Wing closed, I think the Paxton has been relegated to deep storage. They did throw a Sargent in with the European collection, but I doubt they'd do the same with Paxton.
Post a Comment