365 Days at the Met

  July 28, 2025 When I walk into gallery 642, I see an odd assemblage of works: four frescos (subsequently transferred to canvas) by Tiepolo and his school that imitate sculpture and depict classical figures representing arithmetic, grammar, geometry, and metaphysics (what is  metaphysics, anyway?); a huge Tiepolo oil painting; and three18th-century  French portraits.  Then I notice that there are two introductory wall signs. The first deals with the role of painters in creating what the sign calls "immersive  interiors, " I have only an instinctive sense of what this term means, but the sign points out that many artists were engaged in the design of theater sets, gardens, tapestries, furniture, and interior decor more generally. The second wall sign discusses the use of pastels in 18th century portraiture. This certainly explains the mix of genres. The Tiepolo painting is so immense - maybe 20 feet across and 12 feet high - that it occupies a whole wall of the ...

  July 19, 2025 I was ambivalent about going to the Met today - not that I had anything much better to do - but what a spectacular return it turned out to be! Gallery 641 contains 11 canvases by Goya, all of them notable.  These include “Two Majas on a Balcony” - although I learn that the Met version may have been painted by a follower. The original is in a private collection, and I'm annoyed that it's inaccessible to the general public. Also in the gallery is an old friend,  "Don Manuel Osorio, " a work I've known since I was young and first saw it in Betsy Chase's wonderful book on art for children. Goya depicts the little boy, dressed in bright red and holding his pet magpie on a leash, while three cats - one of which is indicated only by a  black form and shining eyes -  crouch watchfully, either hypnotized by or preparing to pounce. on the bird.  A number of portraits show Goya’s skilled brushwork, especially in painting lustrous fabrics. Today’s selec...