During my New York oil portrait artist workshop I will spend one day, with my students, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I’ll be analyzing a number of great master portraits and talk about how they relate to my teaching.
Today I visited the Met’s 19th Century European painting wing. I went to check out William Bouguereau’s Breton Brother and Sister, one of my two favorite paintings in the museum’s permanent collection. (OK since you asked, my other favorite is Tea Leaves by William McGregor Paxton.) Boy was I pissed off when it wasn’t there. Just typical, I thought. All the crappy paintings by “historically significant artists” clogging the walls and they have to take down a genuine work of genius. Where do these curators buy their eyeglasses? It’s bad enough they took down Lord Leighton’s Lachrymae (Mary Lloyd) a couple of years ago.
As I wheedled my way through the galleries bemoaning the loss of a major landmark of my tour I entered Gallery 827, and low and behold, there was Breton Brother and Sister after all…but wait a minute–I must be hallucinating–there, smack dab in the middle of the gallery’s main wall, now hangs Bouguereau’s major masterpiece, Nymphs and Satyr. It’s beautifully presented and looks beyond spectacular. I’d seen it twice before at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute in Williamstown MA. I was told it will be at the Met for a two-year loan while the Institute undergoes renovations. I am so excited to share this with my portrait workshop students. No reproduction can even begin to replicate its splendor. I will be pitching a tent. I hope they still serve crow sandwich in the cafeteria.
Marvin Mattelson is now conducting his classes and workshops online in Full HD 1080p through his Fine Art Portrait Academy. For further information, or to register for an upcoming offering, please follow this link to his teaching page.
Until next time…
Diane Russell says
June 12, 2012
You made me laugh, Marvin. I’d love to get a photo of you pitching a tent at the Met! I probably won’t be able to see the painting this year, but with any luck, maybe next year. In the meantime, I can visit La Mère Patrie at the museum here in Portland 🙂
Marvin Mattelson
June 12, 2012
Will they let you pitch a tent?
Diane Russell says
June 12, 2012
It would be fun to try 🙂
Grunesschwein says
June 13, 2012 at 12:39 am
I totally thought you meant the “other” sense of “pitching a tent” at the MET.
Marvin Mattelson says
June 13, 2012
No one loves a double entendre more than I, but in all honesty the innuendo was not intended.
victoria selbach says
June 13, 2012
Your writing is always clear and to the point. But I must admit in ‘I will be pitching a tent’ I loved the use of a double entendre.
Marvin Mattelson says
June 13, 2012
Thank you, but my cleverness was unintentional.
Debby W says
June 13, 2012
This is fantastic – the painting, but more that it is accessible for a while. Since I can’t come in for the summer workshop… really hoping it’s still there for the fall classes!
Marvin Mattelson says
June 13, 2012
I called the department of European Painting. They said it will be there for the next two years.
Marvin Mattelson says
June 13, 2012
I have gotten a few emails pointing* out that ‘pitching a tent’ is a euphemism. Although I am familiar with that usage it was unintentional on my part*. It was late, ok? I’ll admit, I screwed* up. Even though standing in front of ‘Nymphs and Satyr’ is a positively orgasmic* experience, and I got very excited* when I saw it, in no way was I trying to sully this family oriented blog. It’s hard* enough to come* up with blog topics without having everyone jumping* in with their own conclusions. If I wanted to write a blog about sex I could easily bang* one out. I hope this issue is now officially put to bed* and we’re finally over this hump*.
*the above words have no intended sexual connotations. If you believe otherwise, please go take a cold shower
Matthew Innis says
June 13, 2012
The insertion of that unfortunate choice of phrase was indeed quite a boner.
Marvin Mattelson says
June 13, 2012
So you’re saying I screwed up! I have a lot to learn about blogging sensei.
Beth Schott says
June 14, 2012
Must be a NYC, translation… I figured you meant to “park” or “remain” right in front, (or something related to the Mets or Yankees).
Back to the topic, a trip to any museum would be great–your slide show was one of my favorite parts of your workshop–and whoa, what a find in your museum, I was thrilled we had more than our ” girl with porridge”‘ which is open storage. I’m guessing we needed the wall space or the 9 Renaults we so generously received from a lady who must have wallpapered her home with them. Aaauuuggghh
Marvin Mattelson
June 14, 2012
The Museum of Intelligent Art. What a refreshing concept!
Christopher Hickey says
June 13, 2012
Marvin,
I am embarrassed to admit that I had to look up the double entendre for “pitch a tent”. I guess we are pretty sheltered down here in Atlanta or perhaps I need to listen to more blues! I have also had the pleasure of seeing Bouguereau’s painting “Nymphs and Satyr” at the Clark and the work commands the room. Like many art students in the 1970’s we were taught that Bouguereau represented the worst in 19th century art. That he, Gerome, or anyone connected with the Academy were to be dismissed as facile technicians. Those challenging the status quo were making the great works. In the past several years I have been revisiting the work and instruction provided by the academicians and have learned to appreciate their love of craft and grounding in life drawing. While I still struggle with the content of many 19th century academic works (I know I am coming with a 21st century bias) there is no doubt that much can be learned from these remarkable painters.
I was surfing the net a couple of nights ago and came across Lawrence Alma-Tadema’s, “Exhausted Maenides after the Dance”. Do you know it? It is amazingly current with the fusion of finished areas and sections in process.
Enjoy “Nymphs and Satyr” for its New York visit!
Marvin Mattelson says
June 13, 2012
If I only had said camp out. I plan to write a blog post–in the not too distant future–about biases, with regards to art, and how they cloud our ability to benefit from things we summarily rule out.
Tom says
June 14, 2012
That Bouguereau is some crazy stuff. Rather than pitch a tent, I’d be tempted to build an altar, with a libation of paint thinner and burnt offering of brushes.
Marvin Mattelson says
June 14, 2012
I couldn’t agree more. I’d just substitute safflower oil for the spirits.
Grunesschwein says
June 15, 2012
I would recommend Siccative of Haarlem.
http://www.artrenewal.org/articles/Technical_Articles/WALKER-BOUGUEREAU/WALKER-BOUGUEREAUpage3.php
Marvin Mattelson says
June 15, 2012
Tasty!