New York Museums and Galleries, short visit

Got to the Matisse/Picasso today and liked it . Crowds not too dense and was able to look at the work without too much distraction (sometimes the distractions are enjoyable..watching people looking at art.)

Some favorites: Two bronzes by Matisse of Backs, A large sleeping nude charcoal by Picasso, the line of the face, the freedom of the sketch. Many of Matisse's rooms made me want to look and look and enter and blink in the light, stand on the rugs, know the people in the painting.

Nextone, do you know how to do links? (Not that I have given any myself yet.)
But maybe you or we can find a link to the paintings you are talking about.

When I get to NYC this summer I plan to go to the Metropolitan. You could spend days and days there, and not be able to take it all in. I love that place!

I'll try to find some links.

Ossobuco, right now I don't have anything specific, other that to say how my view of art was expanded by going to all the galleries we visited. I had always gone to museums when visiting big cities, not taking the time and not even appreciating the value of going to galleries.

In many cases it was like going from the sublime to the ridiculous when traveling from the Met to a gallery in Soho or Chelsea; yet it was so effective in enlarging my sight, my ability to view art with more discrimination.

Much of the art in galleries is more accessible, less intimidating than "great" art, which is so incredible that it seems almost inhuman.

For me, it was a discovery that I will use from now on in my effort to become more educated about art. I began to understand the process, how an artist develops a style and becomes more adept with a brush or with her/his ability to present an idea that is beautifully and subtly captured in their paintings.

I should also say that an idea doesn't have to be subtle. In one gallery, there were paintings of faces and bodies covered with blood. I couldn't stay in the room, the paintings were so troubling; but after getting over the initial shock, I was able to look back and appreciate the artist's impressive skill. That was also a good lesson--to see art that isn't what you would choose to buy and to see art that you truly dislike as far as content, but which you admire for the skill displayed. It all adds to one's foundation of understanding.

My most important lesson was to go with someone like Osso; someone who is knowledgable but with whom you are so comfortable that you can express yourself freely without worrying about sounding like a fool. To be able to talk freely, back and forth about what you are seeing at the time, adds to the experience exponentially.

Aaaaaack, I see I never did go back and list a lot of the art I/we saw in NYC that week in 2003, to give photos of it if possible, and our reactions. I've still got the list somewhere...

meantime, I'm bumping this thread up for others to talk about new york museum and gallery visits.