At the end of February, my husband Alex and I spontaneously planned a trip to New York City to visit his sister, Ruby, who is making her dreams come true in the big apple with her incredible voice. Yes, you should look at the link. Not only did we get to see Ruby, but Alex's mum flew in from Prague. Both Alex's mum and Alex had been to New York City before, but it was my very first time. It didn't disappoint; it was a really spectacular trip filled with macarons, chocolate for dinner (literally, see "Max Brenner",) and so many more yummy treats. We went to a few major NYC must-see places like Times Square, a ferry around the Statue of Liberty, and the 9-11 memorial and museum which was an incredible experience.
One of my favorite days in the city was spent walking around Central Park eating cookie butter sandwiches, listening to an accordion player, and people watching all the happy New Yorkers come out to play in the sunshine. We made our way through Central Park to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I was giddy! Every museum seems to have its own charms, and the Met was no different. I must say, I really love even the lobby area of the Met. (The big pots of yellow flowered branches against the stone are so, so beautiful!) As always, I was most excited to see the impressionists, and this time, the American painters, too. I had about a gazillion favorites and my phone is full of detail shots.
Standing in front of Madam X, however, was an incredibly impactful moment for me. First of all, I never expected her to be so huge! I know that Sargent often painted quite large, but for some reason, this elegant beauty was always smaller in my mind. I was not disappointed, though! Sargent really lives up to his reputation. I love his deliberate, yet masterfully haphazard brush strokes. I love that when I see a Sargent painting in life I feel like there is something really human about the figures, and there is something equally really painterly, too. I love that when I see a Sargent painting I feel like Sargent himself has just finished the piece and is right there in the room observing his masterpiece react with the museum goers.
Below are a tiny portion of the amazing work that caught my eye. It's really true though, you can spend days in the Met and still not see it all! I can't wait to book another trip back to NYC to visit the Met again soon! What are your favorites at the Met?
Above paintings are not to scale. Left to right, top to bottom: Theodore Robinson, A Bird's-Eye View; Franks W. Benson, Children in the Woods; John Singer Sargent, The Hermit; Camille Corot, Cow in a Barn.
Above: Robert Henri, Dutch Girl in White
Above: Dwight William Tryon, Dawn–Early Spring.
Left: John Singer Sargent, detail. Right: Simon Denis, detail from Cloud Study.
Above: Mary Cassatt, Young Mother Sewing. (Image source found here.)
