Delights: March 20 to March 26

March 20: Clinging to the side of our refrigerator is a slightly crumpled paper napkin that one of my sons gave me years ago. Probably grabbed along with a few cookies at our church’s fellowship hour, the napkin apparently reminded my sons of me.

I recalled the napkin today when Jeremiah, hearing me groan while creating a new website (me?), asked, “Mom, how do you get yourself into these predicaments?” I pointed to the napkin. Sadly, I don’t drink caffeine, so the question remains unanswered!

March 21: While visiting the National Gallery of Art yesterday, I sought out my new friend Brian. I got a chance to ask him the question posed to me by my blogger friend, Mr. P. — why would a painter copy another’s work? “For practice,” explained Bruce. He said his own work focuses mostly on figures, which look vastly different from the Old Masters he copies. Now he wants to learn how to paint the depth, texture, perspective and detail associated with 19^th century landscapes. 

He said he regrets not having chosen the landscape nearby, ablaze with orange and soothed by a transparent creek. Would he copy this one next? “No, no. Back to figures for me,” Bruce said. Perhaps I can look forward to watching him copy Mary Magdalene in Ecstasy some day.

March 22: The other day, as I walked in glorious sunshine from the Metro to the National Gallery of Art, I noticed a man reclining on a lawn chair in front of the museum. He sat in the shade of a charter bus; soon enough, he would hop back into the driver’s seat after his riders had their fill of Rembrandts, Renoirs and Rafaels. But for an hour or two — thanks to exquisite forethought — he was perhaps the happiest person on the National Mall. 

March 24:  Anticipating a day trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, I boarded a (very) early train to Manhattan and…

• became that tourist who — pointing her camera skyward — attracts a small crowd  (“She must be looking at something good!”)

• paused on the busy Fifth Avenue sidewalk to enjoy springtime under a scaffold

• whimpered on the steps of the Met because an unprecedented Rafael exhibition would open a few days after I’d left town

• and then, to my delight, learned from Seattle tourists that Met members could see the exhibition today, which I (kind of) am as a Smithsonian volunteer.

Once inside the Met (and, YES, I could get into the Rafael exhibition!), I took a docent-led tour of 19^th century American art, where I picked up lots of information and ideas, paid my customary tribute to the Met’s splendid Egyptology collection (for which I feel simultaneously uneasy and grateful), made a few inspired connections to enrich my SAAM tours (Bruegel the Elder & Grandma Moses!) and finally found the Rafael exhibition. 

This breathtaking collection of Rafael’s paintings and drawings reflects the radical generosity of 63 museums and private collectors — and a talent beyond my power to comprehend, never mind describe. I lingered in front of two old friends (gorgeous works that Bruce and I sought in vain two weeks ago at the National Gallery of Art), but found myself truly transfixed by Rafael’s sketches. His paintings explode with rich colors and compositions; his drawings, however, show a delicacy, a precision and a vivacity exceeding (if this is possible) the beauty of his paintings. Ah, but his paintings. . . .

March 25: Boy, am I tired today. I was also extraordinarily tired yesterday during my walk back to the train station from the Met. (Ice cream definitely helped, but a spring would return to my step only by, uh, not stepping at all.) The subway beckoned; however, earlier in the day I had spotted a sign for a free Festal Evensong at the 19^th century St. Thomas Episcopal Church, located half way between the museum and the station. So why not rest my weary mind, body and soles in the cradle of the church’s perfect acoustics and twelve glorious male voices? I did, and it was sublime. 

I wish I could report that Evensong fully rejuvenated me. Turns out I needed one more thing:

Bonus: While at the bar, I asked two young men, who were sharing my hightop, what brought them into New York City. We live here, they replied. So why are you in a train station bar? That’s a good question, they said, and explained their secret for getting super cheap New York Knicks tickets at Madison Square Garden across the street. When I thanked them for chatting, they said they were just about to start a conversation with me! What sweeties.

March 26: Coincidentally, my friend Aileen sent me a note yesterday about the Rafael exhibition. When I recounted my adventures (and mentioned that the show would close in three short months, with no reprise anywhere), we concocted a plan to go. Train tickets now in hand, we have glories before us. And this time I’ll take photos.

Bonus: If you appreciate stained glass, I implore you — with more than my usual enthusiasm — to watch this 13-minute Met video explaining the astonishing artistry and innovation behind a newly acquired Tiffany window. (Even if you watch no more than the first two minutes, you may find yourself awestruck.) Based on a design drawn and colored by premier Tiffany artist Agnes Northrup, the window, called Garden Landscape, shimmers with extraordinary embedded color, texture and design created largely by female glass makers who used chemicals and glass-inside-of-glass techniques to achieve mottling, confetti, striations and so many other effects.

The video shows us many exquisite details and delves into the stories behind Tiffany’s numerous women artists — and the woman who commissioned this wondrous piece. The Met’s glass curator describes this masterpiece as one of the most complex and technically innovative windows she’s ever seen. 

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If you’d like to browse my past delights, please consult the “word cloud” featured at the very bottom of this post. Find a theme or two that interests you and sift through the sands. Or learn a bit more about my Blog by visiting my Welcome page. You’ll also see links to four essays that were published in print magazines. I’m glad you’re here!