After a long and (for me) painful absence for conservation, Andrea del Sarto’s The Sacrifice of Isaac is once again on display at the Cleveland Museum of Art. del Sarto’s unfinished masterpiece from 1527 is on a massive wooden panel. The painting’s unfinished state opens a window into the artist’s studio, and shows us his working method. The…
Due to the bad weather, the usually crowded Cleveland Museum of Art cafeteria was practically deserted today. The fare isn’t good enough to fight jostling lines, but today’s peace made the none-too-good food perfectly acceptable. Especially hungry, my designer salad was delicious, piled delightfully high with anchovies and blue cheese. After lunch, I did my usual tour, storing away much to think about and study–stolen treasures.
After 8 years and $350 million, the Cleveland Museum of Art has–finally!–completed its ambitious renovations. The long awaited (by me) opening of the new West Wing’s China, India and Southeast Asia collections means all collections are once again on view after the long hiatus. I am a fervent admirer of Asian art, especially painting, so I stomped…
I attended the annual Cleveland Museum of Art Staff Exhibition the other day. Like last year, the show is in the museum’s lower level by the parking garage. Unlike last year when renovations forced traffic through this area, the exhibition space is now well off the beaten track. The quality–like last year–is uneven. Exhibitors come…
For me, standing in front of a painting is like listening to a concert or attending a play. I try to meet the artist on his terms and I open myself to the work to discover its secrets. Most of all, I enjoy looking at paintings; it gives me intense pleasure. So, if you see…
The Cleveland Museum of Art, like most museums, rotates the paintings in its permanent collection. The museum recently rotated its Dutch School collection, happily bringing into view this little gem by Gerrit Dou. When I say little, I do mean little. This exquisite painting is a mere 6 3/8″ x 4 3/4.” Take a moment…
A professional from Guadalajara visiting Cleveland for the first time was enthusing about the city’s many attractions, especially the art museum. “It’s magnificent–world class,” she exclaimed! “The Rubens, the Velasquez, the Goya…,” she rattled-off several more masterpieces she’d seen. “I know,” I nodded, “I visit the museum every week.” “Every week? But, WHY,” the astonished art lover…
John Singer Sargent and William-Adolphe Bouguereau are not normally considered together, yet their careers overlapped for several decades. In the ‘Undergrad’s Giant Book of Art History’ Sargent is counted among the progressives, while Bouguereau is thrown in with the anti-progressives–history’s losers (according to the Giant Book). Indeed, in many fables in the ‘Undergrad’s Giant Book of…