One of my favorite artists - Charles Demuth - and one of my favorite paintings. Going to the Met is like looking at Gardner's Art Through the Ages in person. Every room has something my AP Art History students would have studied. I could stay there for hours. But...instead, we hopped on a bus and took a ridiculously long ride to visit the Cloisters - the medieval gallery at the other end of Manhattan:
I love a ton of stuff there - but to see the Unicorn Tapestries - oh, it takes my breath away. Also - the Merode Altarpiece, which was so wonderful to see up so close --oops, up so close that I set off the alarm (twice!). My friends totally ratted me out to the guards.
Also visited MoMA and saw a ton of spectacular artwork, including this piece by Doris Salcedo:
This is just a single part of a series of niches cut into the wall, with women's shoes inside, and animal skin stretched over and stitched to the wall. It was gorgeous, evocative, sad...just beautiful. But my FAVORITE -- really FAVORITE thing at the MoMA was a Cindy Sherman retrospective - the entire 6th floor. Oh, it was magnificent! Loved it!! (couldn't take pictures there - but how silly is that - they're photographs.
Then, the Guggenheim, which had a show of John Chamberlain. It was great, but what I LOVED were the Kandinskys! To be up so close and look at them --makes me want to paint right now.It's so inspiring to be around all the wonderful artwork and art friends and discussing art education issues. I came back with a crappy cold - thanks Kris! - but ready to get caught up with my grading and to make some art! Oh - and Dale did some last minute wiring and so I came home to a house full of extension cords and a blown breaker, LOL! That's the kind of stuff we take in stride around here --
2 comments:
Doris Salcedo has a shoe installation at the Akron Art Museum, too. I've visited it several times, and it repeatedly takes my breath away. It is without question a sacred space. I hate myself for never having visited the Cloisters when I lived on the East Coast.
You must go if you're ever in New York - it was awesome. My friends went along - to humor me - but later told me it was their favorite thing during the whole trip.
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