Meet the Met.

I am ridiculously naïve for thinking that there is any feasible way to fit in all of the things I wanted to do in NYC this visit within the time constraints I created for myself. A key example of that is the sad realization that, no matter how much I try to convince myself otherwise, one cannot possibly do a quick drive-through of the Met just to check out a couple of paintings and take a "quick peek" at a fairly comprehensive retrospective (centenary exhibition, actually) of one of the most fascinatingly twisted painters of the 20th century. Alas, this is just not possible. No. Part of the issue is that I had forgotten this museum was in possession of such a treasure trove of awesome paintings. So, the earlier part of yesterday was consumed by the Met's European painting wing, getting some quality face-time with Bastien-Lepage's Joan of Arc, failing to find Sargent’s Madame X, and, of course, drooling my way through the Bacon exhibit. By the time I was done, there was no time to go over to the Brooklyn Museum for the Caillebotte exhibition, though I managed to convince myself I would have time for that next Tuesday sometime. We’ll see about that.

Joan of Arc - painting by Jules Bastien-Lepage

A painting by Franz von Lenbach - see this previous post for info on my visit to the Lenbachhaus in Munich...

And here's a nice (if blurry, sorry about the photo quality) one by Ilya Repin, I didn't realize they had any of his work...

...nor did I realize they had any by an old favorite of mine, Eugène Carrière - but, lo and behold, here he is. I know most people love a colorful painting, but his monochromatic palette is somehow most pleasing to me... as for modern painters, I think Michael Grimaldi leans a bit in this direction as well - and beautifully so.

After a stroll through Central Park and some forays into fabric stores and such, Susan and I found the NYC shop of Parisian chocolate shop Debauve et Gallais, and later I met up with lovely and talented fellow painter/fellow Studio Escalier student Sarah in the great café at the Neue Galerie. In the evening Susan and I went over to the Joyce Theater to check out the latest offering by MOMIX entitled "Botanica" – a breathtaking combination of dance, performance/fabric art and visual effects that I found to be extremely engaging. RECOMMENDED! Tragically, the high cost of theater tickets kept us from venturing out to see Mike Birbiglia's "Sleep Walk With Me" or Neil La Bute's "Reasons to Be Pretty" – but MOMIX was splendid, I'm glad I saw it. It's been too long since I’ve seen some good dance. Right on!