Sunday at the Museum

Ah, heaven on earth.  My craving sated for a short while.  There’s nothing quite like a leisurely browse through a museum, as far as I’m concerned.  It’s like balm on the eyes and brain.

Better succor yet: a thought-provoking exhibit which provides just enough to stimulate and a bit more to admire, yet leaves much room for discussion.

This is an apt description of the engaging collection, Magnificenza!  The Medici, Michelangelo and the Art of Late Renaissance Florence.  Works in this exhibit came from all around the world, starting with a handful that were at home in the Detroit Institute of Arts.  I found a number of favorites worth lavishing a lot of time – Agnolo Bronzino’s Portrait of Eleonora of Toledo with her son Giovanni, (c.1545) is one, the glowing countenances, the incredible detail of Eleonora’s dress, the subjects’ relaxed yet formally cautious postures combine in a magnetic composition.  Another lovely piece:  a near life-sized sculpture by Michelangelo which may or may not be completed, representing a young man who could be reaching for an arrow in his quiver or merely reaching.  It’s not clear whether this work was intended to represent Apollo or David, or whether it was finished due to the sporadic roughness of finish and lack of clarity on its identity – but no matter, the piece has a glowing, calm beauty all of its own.  A number of sketches on ochre paper rendered during Franceso Medici’s regime were of sublime detail, utterly incredibly for the amount of detail conveyed in a working document.  Deserving of a room of its own, the spectacular work Judith with the head of Holofernes (c. 1616) by Cristofano Allori will take your breath away.  The photo which appears on line at the DIA’s website cannot compare to the magnificence of this painting.  Its size alone, a nearly life-size depiction of Judith, makes this piece singular in this exhibit.

While not the largest of touring exhibits, this one makes its point: the Medici had an enormous impact on the art of the Renaissance through their sponsorship as well as their desire for works produced outside of their realm of power.

One of the most important lessons of this exhibit relates to the transition of art styles.  From the Mannerist works typical of early to mid-Renaissance to the early Baroque, one sees the shift in consciousness from art as detached depiction and equally detached observation, to art as sensual participation.  The two paintings mentioned above typify this shift.  The first is a portrait, prototypical, wherein the subjects appear in still, studied poses, appearing to be aware of being observed and coolly observing in return.  The second is not a pose without action; in fact, the subject not only appears to know she is observed, but the painter appears to engage the observer through the illusion of the subject reaching out toward the observer in a dramatic appeal to the senses.  How completely these two paintings make a statement as a set, about the nature of the artificial calm and restraint of the Mannerist, and the passionate surplus of feeling in Baroque.

I could go on here about the Roman Catholic Church and the governmental structure of Italy in relation to the art of the time, but I won’t.  Art, while heavily influenced by the consciousness from which it arose, stands on its own merits and speak with its own voice.

This exhibit certainly spoke for itself, in volumes.

5:23:52 PM    comment []

The weather here in Michigan is highly variable.  I’ve heard a lot of people from other states joke about the weather changing from minute to minute.  Sure, we don’t typically have extremes of heat like Texas and Arizona, nor does it get as cold as interior Alaska or as wet as places in Hawaii.  But I really don’t think most folks in the U.S. understand the temperamental nature of the weather here, surrounded by lakes as large as inland seas.

Saturday was warm, almost balmy here, hazy to overcast, sticky.  Yesterday was blustery with gale-force winds all day long.  There were times I couldn’t stay in my lane as I drove to and from Detroit, my small SUV blown around by gusts.  The temperature slowly dropped during the course of the day, drizzling off and on all the while.  Right now as I post this it’s only 48 degrees, winds at 22 mph – meaning there’s a windchill below 32 degrees F right now.  It’s also spitting little droplets – in late fall, these would presage snow.  Ugh.

I was feeling sorry for myself, until I got this e-mail from my dad, along with this photo:

>>Very bad storm yesterday, but past us now.  Still having some lake effect, lite rain, swells, etc.  The storm went south and east of us, passing over the Mackinaw Bridge about midnite.  Had 30 to 40 MPH winds from the NE, then N, then NW.   But we survived…Attached picture was taken about noon Monday, today.  Notice the waves crashing into the pile that has piled up from yesterday's winds.  The ice goes out about 300 yds or more.  Good thing, because the waves would be pounding on the shore otherwise.  Was 37 this morning, and hit a high of 48 before the winds turned from the north yesterday.  This is like late Oct - November weather without the ice on the lake.  No real power outages, though we had about 3 or 4 2-second blinks, enough to have to change all the clocks on the stove, micro, etc.  Can't wait for spring to arrive. <<

I suppose it could be worse here, down state.

The worst part of the storm yesterday came in a separate e-mail from my mom.  Apparently my aunt and uncle were preparing dinner at their summer camp, about 100 yards from my parents summer home, when the oven went on the fritz.  Aunt and Uncle were in the middle of cooking a pork roast, had invited my parents over, only to have to take the partially cooked roast to my folks’ place to finish.  Carried it over in winter gale winds one way, then back to their place when the roast was done.  Sheesh.

I’d have cut it into chops and fried them in a pan before I’d go out in that stuff with a pork roast.  But I won't mention that option to Mom.  You'll note I didn't cut-and-paste her e-mail here.

1:47:14 PM    comment []