When I learned that there was going to be a Rubens exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, I envisioned drawings of voluptuous females, a lot of rolling, dimpled flesh. In the past, I’ve enjoyed this artist because he painted women, not girls. Somehow he made flesh look silken and sensuous.
Peter Paul Rubens’ life was not typical of most artists. He was never starving, never penniless and only achieving recognition posthumously. His life was one of shining success. Born into a prominent family, Rubens lived most of his life as a beloved figure, rich as a court painter and a high-level diplomat.
At the Met show it amazed me to see what the artist could do with a piece of chalk and a pen and paper. The exhibition spans Rubens’ entire career. It includes 115 drawings. It wasn’t too much. Usually I get tired and find most museum shows too big (guess my attention span is limited!). Not this one.
Interestingly, Rubens conceived a painting in steps: quick pen and ink sketches-then more elaborate drawings and oil sketches followed by more refined drawings. I particularly enjoyed his family portraits and the drawings of the landscape around his country house. If you’re fortunate enough to see this show, watch for one drawing titled “17 Shades of Dancing Peasants.” As I admired it, I could almost hear the music they were dancing to.
“Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640): The Drawings” remains at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Fifth Avenue at 82nd Street, through April 3.
I’ve got a gripe! I would guess, if you are a moviegoer that you’ve endured the same inconvenience. I get ready to see a film so the first thing I do is check the schedule. I rush to get there on time. Ha! First I have to sit through half a dozen commercials, pounded by an advertisement blitz-ear-bursting and annoying. But wait-there’s more. A barrage of previews follows. What’s going on? After all, I pay to see art, not ads. And the coming attractions are thunderous.
I try to arrive early at movie houses so that I can find the seat I prefer, and so that I can see where I’m sitting. As a result, I become a prisoner-sometimes for as long as 30 minutes-before finally getting what I paid for. I find myself wishing there was a delete button to erase the high-decibel sales pitches.
Granted, in our world of wars and killer tsunamis this issue may not rank very high on the list of things that keep me sleepless. But I resent the advent of the commercials. For goodness sake, show the movie at the time it’s listed to start! I have an idea: Let’s all shout at the screen during the pre-film garbage. If I do that on my own I’ll probably be asked to leave.
Generally, the month of January is not a very good movie month. A savvy moviegoer faces a barren landscape except for a few like “Sideways,” “Aviator” and “Million Dollar Baby.” Now it’s Oscar time, but I’m going to tell you about a film that hasn’t even been mentioned-but I found it interesting.
“In Good Company” has Dennis Quaid maturing nicely into an unabashedly old-fashioned masculine type and it suits him-and me too. The story is a sort of fairy tale about good versus evil. The setting is contemporary corporate culture, something my adult children know about. The focus of “In Good Company” is on the men. An aging ad executive-that’s Dennis Quaid’s character-finds himself with a 20-something boss who is dating the demoted man’s daughter. The ending is Cinderella-like and I didn’t mind.
This month I plan to get to Central Park one day between Feb. 12 and Feb. 27. On those dates there is going to be the biggest art project the city has ever seen, at least since Central Park itself was designed in 1857.
If you were told that the color of the art project was saffron would you know what color that might be? I had to look it up in two dictionaries. One said saffron is a deep orange, another a moderate orange to orange-yellow. The idea is to cast a warm glow over the park at a gray time of year and, indeed, February usually is gray.
The colossal artwork-in-the-park will support 7,500 gates festooned with saffron-colored fabric panels along 23 miles of the park’s pedestrian walkways-that’s from 59th Street to 110th Street. If you’re wondering how much such a project would cost, try $20 million. Next question: Who will pay for it? Happily it is being financed by the artists, Christo and Jeanne-Claude. The artists aim to create a “visual golden river.” In addition, the artists are paying New York City for additional security during the period that “The Gates” is on view.
Since February is traditionally a dead winter month, the city’s tourism marketing group is hoping that “The Gates” will draw lots of tourists who will also stay at hotels, go to restaurants, museums, Broadway shows, etc. If you plan to see the artwork-in-the-park and want to dine in the Central Park Boathouse, make your reservations now for the 16-day exhibition.
Actually I plan to go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to view the project because its rooftop will be open. What happens if it snows? The chief engineer has even prepared for that by buying 150 snow shovels to clear the paths. Are they over planning? I don’t think so.