A Trip to the Met

The American Wing lit up at night

The Annunciation by Ambrogio Lorenzetti, 1344, from the Sienna show

 The Pieve Altarpiece by Pieto Lorenzetti, 1320, from the Sienna show

The moody, atmospheric Copenhagen Harbor by Moonlight by Johan Dahl, 1846

Garden at Vaucresson by Edouard Vuillard, 1920, which is a favorite.

     After the astoundingly upsetting election results, TD and I needed a trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art for some beauty and relief from the darkness. We like to go on Friday nights which are much less crowded than daytime hours. Our first stop on the second floor was to the current blockbuster called Siena - the Rise of Painting. Florence, Italy, is often thought of as the cradle of the Renaissance, but this exhibition focuses on the work of the painters of Siena. The installation of the show is very striking. The rooms are dark and black columns create a vertical height. On the dark walls the golden paintings glow and it's blessedly quiet so its like being in a cathedral. The paintings all have the lovely Italian Renaissance palette - rose, tones of blue, orange and gold, gold, gold. The Annunciation, pictured above in simple tones of gold, blue and rose, captured my attention . The angel's golden sashes on the rose-colored robe were highly textured as if they were encrusted with jewels. The angel looks poignantly at Mary as she lifts her eyes skyward. It's a great Bible story and this painting beautifully expresses the emotion. My favorite thing I saw all night.

     When we came out of the show we proceeded across the hall to the 19th and Early 20th Century Art and Sculpture Galleries, which I love and have been in a million times, but we were interested to see that the Galleries have been painted in new colors and the art work rehung in new ways. It was so refreshing and fun to go through again. Then we went down that long hall lined with drawings and prints and found ourselves in the European Paintings 1250 - 1800 Galleries that were closed for so long as they were redone with new overhead lighting. Those galleries also have been painted new colors and the art rehung in unexpected ways. Those galleries are so vast we just walked through some and will return to investigate further. 

   Lastly, it was time to retire to the Balcony Cafe for a cocktail. Yes, Friday nights is Date Night at the Met and the Balcony Cafe sells cocktails while a musical quartet plays. We usually breeze in easily but we had to wait in line this time and cool our heals for a bit. That night, on offer was a fallish cocktail with cognac and apple cider. I said to the counter man, "How is it?" and he replied, "Strong." Good, we'll take two, and it was yummy. We found seats at a little table and enjoyed the music while peering out on the majestic vaulted ceiling of the Great Hall below. 

     After awhile, it was time to toddle on. There was a quick stop in the book store and then we headed home revived by the Met, which is like going to church for me.