The MET - Behind the Scenes

When I invited a friend to see what was going on at the Met, I completely forgot that her husband was working behind the scenes doing conservatory work. Even when she mentioned that he could get us in for free and show us his studio, the extent to what I would be shown did not sink in.

We got to the Met and started our night with a tour of his studio. He works in the offices/studios where visitors cannot see. His particular office is for himself and one other guy who specialize in painting on wood panel. They were restoring a few at a time. With his chemical engineering background he tends to work on the structural part of pieces and even had one small piece in a homemade incubator because they were working on getting creases out of the portrait. It was famous, but I forgot the name.

He then brought us to a painting studio where they focus on removing old varnish and repairing painting damage. The lighting was amazing and, like the studio he works in, the rooms are newly renovated and fully equipped. This studio included a Velasquez portrait. We also walked through the photo studio. They take infrared and ultraviolet shots to see what's behind the surface of the painting, revealing older layers and sketches. They can print these shots and hung a few on the wall. They could have made an exhibit on their own. We also saw the studio where people work on the frames of paintings. It was so fascinating that these people are working with art that's hundreds of years old and made in such mysterious ways. Looking so close up makes you really appreciate the quality of these works.

I've never been a big fan of old European paintings and this section of the Met has never been a place I made sure to check out when I visit. However, this day it all came alive. For me, it's always been the skill and craftsmanship that are impressive rather than the subjects or what they communicate.

We walked from Alan's studios into one of the galleries where the visitors were roaming. We saw the paintings that were not under construction hung, knowing it's Alan and the people who work with him maintaining them. He showed us one painting where the varnish was starting to discolor, but it wasn't that bad. It would probably need to go to the studio in about 75 years! He showed us where paintings have seems because they were sewn together from the painter not having big enough canvas or from an art dealer who cut them to make more money. There's now one painting up in the Met where the first layer of the painting was taken off to reveal an underlying image and then paint was further removed to reveal a sketched portrait in the middle. The revealed layers gave it an interesting collage feel. Looking so closely at all the paintings got us into a conversation about color and it is so amazing how vivid some of the colors are after being hung for hundreds of years.... one of the ones I pointed out had not even been restored at all!

Looking closely at all these paintings occasionally evoked curiosity about the subject matter. This was unusual for me. I noticed that some of these paintings show women beheading men. I remember that years ago I felt that these old European paintings were very oriented towards male domination. I'm not sure if there were different paintings, if I just missed a few, or if I just glanced over these without knowing. There was one painting near Bosch paintings that had the cutest creatures in the bottom right corner of the right panel.

After looking at these we strolled through Picasso. It felt ground breaking to have Picasso at the Met with all of these historical works. It was the first time Picasso was at the Met and my mother thought it was because they recently hired a new curator. I thought it was a statement of how times are changing and Picasso is seen as more classic than modern. The collection that they had was very impressive with hundreds of works of sketches, printmaking and painting. Alan knew that the Met had an impressive Picasso collection and said that they just didn't display it. The Met has a lot of work that they do not display.

Finally we relaxed on the rooftop with a drink under the bamboo structure of Doug and Mike Stam. This work seemed so modern and interesting, but not as complicated as what Alan has been restoring. I originally wanted to go because of the bamboo structure on the rooftop. However, the unexpected storm that gave Manhattan a purple sky filled with lightning contrasting against the buildings which made them look white was the highlight of the rooftop. I did enjoy the bamboo structure, but the rest of the night had been just too amazing.

SVA Art Education Gallery Show

I was walking down 6th Avenue and remembered that if I turn left on 21st street I might be able to catch the gallery show by the SVA art education graduate students. I was right and the show was great. The SVA professor had his students come up with art and/or lesson plans using a ball. It gave me inspiration and ideas for projects.

Karl Blossfeldt and Ellsworth Kelly

I went to observe a Principal Retreat with Studio in a School (SIAS). My professor at Bklyn College pointed out that SIAS is focused on the end product and that they are selling a product. This is unlike her philosophies of children becoming artists naturally with the right guidance and facilitation, letting the work speak for itself as their expression is interesting enough. I was also agitated by the awe that SIAS inspires after I saw the amount of PD that SIAS artists get compared with art teachers in school. However, at this retreat we were given PD by being placed in the role of the student during their imaginary plant lesson. Surprisingly I was in awe as much as I was when I was an art teacher receiving PD from SIAS. I really think that their way of teaching is great and I would like to incorporate some of that style into my own teaching along with Bklyn College philosophies.

The lesson that I observed introduced me to two artists and I fell in love with their work, particularly Karl Blossfeldt.

The first part of the lesson was to draw plants from observations. The artist puts flowers on the tables, one for each child. She then models drawing from observation, using shapes and/or contour lines. After showing the students the way she draws with contour lines, she shows them the plant drawings of Ellsworth Kelly.

At home I looked online to see who she was and I fell in love with her minimalist painting. I think that I really love minimalism.

The second part of the lesson was to draw from photographs and notice the unusual shapes and lines in the plants photographed by Karl Blossfeldt. The students also think about how the parts of the plant help the plant to function.

The artist working at SIAS said that he was a craftsman who made iron fences and to train his workers he took photographs of unique plants for design inspirations. She said that he didn't even consider himself an artist. However, when I looked online it said that he was an apprentice at an art foundry, but later went to art school and taught sculpture. These photographs were made from a homemade camera and used to inspire sculpture students. I guess more investigation needs to be done to know more about him.

The unit goes on and students draw imaginary plants and paint them using watercolors. Their plants end up having imaginative functions. They then write persuasive essays about why their plants should exist in the world.

Daniel Merriam

Very often I see an artist and I think about what a good idea he/she had. I get envious and wish I could spend money and time on an MFA, wishfully thinking that I could also create something beautiful. However, when I look at the work of Daniel Merriam I am just in awe of his talent and mysterious abilities. There are so few people who can create anything like this. I went to the Animazing Gallery in Soho and really enjoyed looking at his work. I thought that if I had 2000 to spare, I'd definitely get a reproduction. It was also fun to see reproductions of Dr. Seuss, Tim Burton and some beautiful glass sculptures by a new up and coming artist. I hope to get Daniel Merriam's new book.

http://www.danielmerriam.com/index.php?option=com_ponygallery&Itemid=0&func=viewcategory&catid=1

Fireworks on the Hudson

I never get excited about fireworks, but last year when we were in Jersey City with a great view, it was really nice. Last year they said that the fireworks were on the Hudson side because of the 100 year anniversary of Henry Hudson's arrival in NYC or something like that. This year, they fooled us and had it on the Jersey side once more. If only I read the article that was in my bag before we went chasing the fireworks. The article said how many people in Bklyn and Queens will be disappointed because the buildings will block their views. Instead we watched bits of fireworks rise above the shorter buildings of the skyline from the promenade after leaving a rooftop party in Bushwick that had no view of Manhattan at all.

Kaleidescope

I went to Kaleidoscope because I had fun at warehouse parties in the past. Kaleidoscope is a parade where people dress up and party during the day as they do in the warehouses late at night. It's run by the same people who throw warehouse parties. However, I actually didn't have that much fun.

It was fun to see the costumes people wore, but I some people frequent these parties and begin to make friends. I am not one of those people and although I was with three people, I felt like an outsider. I'm not sure I'd like to make that much of an effort to have fun, party and make friends. We'll see...

Northside Arts Festival

The animation shorts that included the film from the last post was part of an arts festival in Williamsburg. I googled a few musicians and found Au Revoir Simone and also saw another showing of shorts. I actually did not pay attention to the gallery art!