Something Beautiful

The Lure of the West

An exhibition at the Smithsonian Museum of American Art.  The paintings are outstanding, although the images are a bit small.  

Drawings in Metalpoint!

Ever since discovering them through the Internet, I've loved drawings in metalpoint, i.e., in silver and gold.   So it was great to discover that the National Gallery of Art has an online feature devoted to this genre! 

Museums in NYC

I've been feeling quite depressed for the last few days.  It occurs to me that a trip to NYC might be a good antidote.   And since I've been thinking about taking out a one-year membership in one of New York's fine museums, perhaps this would be a good time and place to look into their upcoming exhibitions.   

1:  The grand dame of NY museums:  the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  

2:  Its modern counterpart:  the Museum of Modern Art.   

3:  One of two beautiful converted mansions:  the Morgan Library.  

4:  The other beautiful converted mansion:  the Frick Collection.  

5:  Something a little different:  the Cooper-Hewitt Design Museum.  

 

Let us not forget:

The Whitney Museum of American Art

and

The Guggenheim Museum .

More Quilts!

Quilts have been recognized as a long under-appreciated women's art form.   I was therefore excited to find that the Internatiional Quilt Museum has 96 entries at the Google Art Project site.    To me it's very moving to see all this painstaking, attractive work done by women in bygone decades.  

Eleanora of Toledo, by Bronzino

Feast your eyes on a close-up of the gown in this portrait of Eleanora of Toledo, 1543, by Agnolo Bronzino. 

There's another, slightly later portrait by the same artist -- with equally delectable close-ups -- titled Eleanora of Toledo and Son at the Detroit Museum of the Arts, c. 1550.  

 

Madonna and Child

This work is not quite beautiful, i think, and yet it is somehow memorable.   Painted in about 1290 by the Master of St. Cecilia, it resides at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles.  

Drawings & prints (MIA)

Take a quick look at these drawings and prints from the wonderful collection of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. If you scroll to the bottom of the page, you'll see that the selection just seems to go on and on.

The Frick

I'm thinking of purchasing a membership at the Frick museum in New York City. The Frick's website provides extensive information about its collection and offers quite a good virtual tour.

Nativity (Vrelant)

In honor of the season, here is a Nativity by Willem Vrelant or his workshop, done c. 1461. This depiction has the features common to most Nativities of this era: the Christ Child lies naked on the ground; St. Joseph holds a candle; and two tiny angels join Mary and Joseph in adoring the Child. Note: this page is from the Arenberg Hours, much of which can be seen at the Getty Museum site.

America's Art Treasures

During this time of government shutdown, and as we appear to be on the brink of a potentially catastrophic default, it seems like a good time to look at some of the artistic bounty held by U.S. government entities.  We are wealthy indeed as you can see at Google Art Project:

The White House (139 items)
National Gallery of Art (181 items)
National Portrait Gallery (192 items)

Smithsonian American Art Museum (149 items)
Freer-Sackler Smithsonian Museum of Asian Art (207 items)
Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum (1,568 items!)