365 Days at the Met

December 27, 2018 Gallery 248 is tiny, with only two cases, one displaying Cambodian stoneware containers from the 11th and 12th centuries, the other  an Indonesian terracotta from the 14th or 15th century.    I suppose the former case didn't fit easily into the next gallery, which centers on statuary from the Angkor period.  Some of the containers assume fanciful forms: an elephant, a chicken, a rabbit. Who knew there were rabbits in Cambodia?  The terracotta, today's object, is perhaps 20 inches high and depicts Men Brajut, the Javanese version of the Hindu goddess Hariti, protector of children. She kneels on one knee, her other knee raised. She appears to be weaing a sarong tied beneath her large, bare breasts; she also wears what seems to be a leaf-shaped pendant necklace and rosette-shaped ornaments above her ears, so that the image presents human and vegetal forms of life. Her square-ish face is full-cheeked.  She is the protector of childr...

September 26, 2018 Gallery 247 centers on the art of Indonesia during the centuries surrounding the turn of the first millennium C.E. It contains many small statues in bronze and copper alloy, but also jewelry and other objects of gold. (I did not know that gold was mined in Indonesia, or perhaps it was imported.)  I particularly like a cup made of silver, decorated at its base with a circlet of gold balls; it is simple but elegant.  Many of the objects depict Buddha and Buddhist deities, but I also note ornate halberds and musical instruments, including hand bells and slit gongs. I can almost hear in my mind the music accompanying temple ceremonies.   Today's object is a carved stone relief, perhaps 8 feet high, from 14th century Java and captioned "Posthumous portrait of a queen as Parvati." Parvati stands on her mount, a bull, and is flanked by her two sons, Ganesha at her right hand, Karttikeya, the god of war and general of the gods,  at her left....

December 20, 2018 Gallery 246 contains objects from Burma and from central and northern Thailand that were produced during the seventh through ninth centuries. The wall placard says that, in general, the Indian influence was stronger in peninsular Thailand than in these areas, which were not on the major trade routes linking India and China. I don't find most of the objects all that compelling, although I have to admit that my desire to get home before we get hit by a major rainstorm trumps my desire to look at them closely.  So much for my aesthetic sensibilities! That said, I'm interested to see that faces made in stucco look much more plastic- and funny, with big noses and receding chins, than those made of stone. These stucco and terra-cotta figures, I read, often adorned the sides of temples. Today's object is a small clay plaque, perhaps six inches high, that shows Buddha seated on a raised platform under a bodhi (aka bo) tree flanked by ...

December 17, 2018 Gallery 245 contains stone and bronze sculptures made during the pre-Angkor period (from the fifth through the eighth centuries) in the Mekong Delta and peninsular Thailand. A linga, along with large-breasted figures of Durga, show the Indian influence, but many  faces strike me as quite different from those I've seen on Indian statuary. They're charactrized by rounded cheeks, full lips, and flattened noses; indeed, some look almost Negroid in appearance. I'm taken by a small statue of Ganesha, whose hyper-realistic elephant head tops a chubby human body. Today's  work speaks to the fluid nature of gender in Hindu cosmology. Made of bronze in 7th-8th century Cambodia and 36 inches or so in height, it portrays Ardhanarishvara, a composite of Shiva and Parvati. The left-hand side of the statue shows Shiva, identifiable by his third eye; a slightly raised area above his upper lip denotes a mustache. Parvati, on the right,  is, of course, miss...

December 14, 2018 Gallery 244 is the first of a series of galleries that center on Southeast Asia. A caption speaks of the strong religious and other cultural ties between Southeast Asia and India, since Indian traders en route to China sometimes stopped off in Southeast Asia, married local women, and settled there. This gallery is devoted to the art of prehistoric Southeast Asia. It contains many small bronze and earthenware objects dating from 500 B.C. E. to about 300 C.E.  None of these objects seems -- to me, anyway -- to be associated with Hinduism or Buddhism. But they have several things in common with early works from other cultures: a profusion of battle axes, geometic designs, and figures of humans, animals, and beings that seem to combine human and animal characteristics. Imaginary animals, too -- I take note of a 1st-3rd century  bronze incense burner with a spout in the form of the elongated neck and head of a dragon.   Made in Vietnam, it would seem ...

What I respond to most in these galleries, I think, is the humanity of the Hindu gods. They do the things we do -- make war, dance, make love.  They are full of energy. And, except for Chamunda, they are highly sensual. I am not sure how to think of the many images of Buddhas and bodhisattvas. Renunciation of the worldly has not been my thing. But this coming year, during which I have resolved not to buy new clothes (I have enough for the rest of my life!) will give me a taste of that. Perhaps the highest accolade that can be paid is that the South Asian galleries make me want to return to India and to have Charly share my experience of the country's vitality and color.  

December 12, 2018 Today's visit leads me to yet another Met discovery, or rather, a gallery I knew was there but had somehow never looked at on previous visits to the South Asian collection. Gallery 243, up a short flight of stairs from the main collection, contains reassembled architectural elements from a Jain meeting and prayer hall in Gujarat -- three side walls, each perhaps 15 feet long and supporting a balcony (the restorers left out the fourth wall  to let light in for easier museum viewing), and a domed ceiling.  Made of teakwood and constructed in the last quarter of the 16th century. these elements are carved with fantastically elaborate designs. On the lower register of two of the walls, for example, a procession of ducks or geese flanks either side of the balcony support; above that, there are small human figures separated by columns; and above that, there is a row of geometric elements that may represent flowers or urns.  On the third ...

December 7, 2018 Gallery 242 is a vey small gallery containing objects, mostly statuettes, that come from Sri Lanka and   date from the second through the 18th century. Almost of the images are of Buddha or bodhisattvas, and I read that the art and culture of the island were (are?) predominantly Buddhist. One exception is a small early 19h century ivory figuren of a king. The king's hand is, however, raised in the "abhaya mudra," signifying compassionate protection, or "all is well," that characterizes so many depictions of Buddha himself. One such depiction is today's image, an18th century statue of Buddha perhaps 24 inches high and made of copper alloy covered with gilding.  The workmanship is quite extaordinary, with a marked contrast between the smooth skin and the many wavy pleats of Buddha's robe.  The figure's rounded cheeks are offset by a sharp, almost aquiline, nose. His well-articulated ears are adorned wih long rectangular earri...

December 5, 2018 Gallery 241 holds stone sculptures dating from the 8th through the 13th centuries that come from a number of different regions of India. A particularly appealing work  shows an amorous couple. She is seen in profile and stands on her right foot, while her left leg is raised and thrown over her partner's right thigh; her right hand circles his shoulder, and her eyes appear to be closed. For his part, his right hand supports  her upraised left thigh. Light smiles play on both figures' lips.    Many statues are of elaborately jeweled goddesses and other female figures, all with the same high, rounded breasts and many with impossibly narrow waists  In contrast to these is a statue of  a Jain enlightened person sitting in a yogic pose; it is made of white marble and is distinctive in its simplicity.  The most haunting image for me, however, represents aging and death, not life. Presumably a full-length figure -- the legs below the...

December 4, 2018 Gallery 240 houses a remarkable collection of small statues, largely copper alloy works from the period of the Cholas, the ruling dynasty in Tamil Nadu between the 9th and early 13th centuries. I remember a number of them from my explorations of these galleries before my trips to India: a standing Hanuman, with his monkey-like face and graceful human body (except for the long tail!) captured in a contrapposto pose; a charming pot-bellied Ganesha; and an unforgettable Shiva Nataraja, whose flying locks convey the energy of his  celestial and timeless dance. I'm also touched by a tender statuette of Krishna being nursed   by his foster mother Yashoda. The rather large child suckles at one of her breasts while tweaking her other nipple between his forefinger and thumb. I chose today's image because if its physical and psychological oddness. It depicts a female saint, Ammaiyar, who was  a devotee of Shiva and asked the god to take away her bea...