At The Met

A note on my visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art on 2 Sep. It is a large museum, rather eclectic (or is that "comprehensive"?) in its mix of exhibits and artwork. As someone was saying, a combination of the dear old British Museum and National Gallery (plus many other things, including Suzhou gardens!). The Met can be all things to all men.

The main part of my time was spent in the American collection. Partly because once in the US, it makes sense to see works by US artists. But also because after the Musee D'Orsay, the museums of Florence, and the Egyptian and Grecian collections at the BM, it was time to see something new. The American collection is dominated by one man – George Washington. First of all, the large painting of “George Washington Crossing the Delaware” by Emanuel Leutze. I did not realise before that it was painted on such a monumental scale. The picture is of Washington looking resolute, standing on a small boat. His men are around him, some breaking the ice before the boat and the others rowing the boat onward. Other boats behind follow his lead. Facing this painting is another large painting of Washington and Lafayette (another Revolutionary General, I suppose) supposedly talking at Washington’s plantation, Mount Vernon. Above this, two portraits of George and Martha Washington. More portraits of George dot the other rooms.

The other series of paintings in the American Collection which I enjoyed very much were the landscapes by the “Hudson River School”. These painters were inspired by the thought of showing God’s presence in nature and include Thomas Cole, Asher Brown Durand and Frederick Church.

Guided by Frommer’s, I also chose to spend a few moments in the European section to look at the “Studiolo Gubbio”, which is essentially a small wood-panelled study room. The panelling represents bookshelves and cabinets on which are various books, scientific devices (of the day) and includes a bird in a cage. The Met’s note:

“This detail is from a study, (or studiolo), intended for meditation and study. Its walls are carried out in a wood-inlay technique known as intarsia. The latticework doors of the cabinets, shown open or partly closed, indicate the contemporary interest in linear perspective. The cabinets display objects reflecting Duke Federico's wide-ranging artistic and scientific interests, and the depictions of books recall his extensive library. Emblems of the Montefeltro are also represented. This room may have been designed by Francesco di Giorgio (1439–1502) and was executed by Giuliano da Majano (1432–1490). A similar room, in situ, was made for the duke's palace at Urbino.”

The Met also featured the Temple of Dendur, which is an ancient Egyptian shrine presented to the US govt by the Egyptian government. Whilst this is one of the Museum’s principal exhibits, I was disappointed in that it lacked sufficient detail and background to give visitors a better sense of the historical context of the shrine, its place in the community and so on (unless I missed this totally).

What else did I see at the Met? The Tiffany collection was lovely – lamps, vases (see lovely irridescent flower vase on the right), windows in beautiful glowing colours; the 4 knights charging down the middle of the hall were fun. See some other photos here.

Yes, I also visited the Store. Prices are a lot cheaper than those in Singapore – only to be expected.

In general, the Met is a most worthwhile place to spend a morning or a day (if time permits). Especially, with student discounts ($10 as compared to $20).