One of the reasons I moved to New York City at the beginning of my career was to be around its great museums, from the Metropolitan Museum of art, to the Frick, to the Pierpont Morgan Library, to the Museum of Natural History, and many others. I make regular trips to all of these in order to spend a few hours in bliss, inquiry, or research.
I was up at the Met this weekend for the later cause, taking in the sublime landscapes of Albert Bierstadt and Frederick Church to prime my pump for a new commission. I wanted to experience the works first hand and determine just how large I needed to tackle my future project. Needless to say I spent a good half hour absorbing these beautiful paintings, some of the greatest landscapes ever created.
Albert Bierstadt
The Rocky Mountains, Lander's Peak
1863
73 1/2 x 120 3/4 in. (186.7 x 306.7 cm)
Frederic Edwin Church (1826–1900)
Heart of the Andes
1859
Oil on canvas
66 1/8 x 119 1/4in. (168 x 302.9cm)
I also made a visit to the orientalist room in the 19th Century wing to evaluate my technical progress on another commission on the table. I have a long road to travel before I come close to the technical and compositional brilliance of Pasini...some days I should just hang up the brushes...
These visits keep me very humble.
Enjoy the high res scans!
Alberto Pasini (Italian, 1826–1899)
A Mosque
1872
Oil on canvas
35 x 26 1/4 in. (88.9 x 66.7 cm)
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