We've been twice now to see the exhibition Pen and Parchment: Drawing in the Middle Ages at the Metropolitan Museum or Art. Medieval drawings have been one of my favorite art forms ever since I discovered the Ebbo gospels in a college art history class. Last night, when we went back to see the drawings for a second time (it ends today), I started to buy the exhibition catalog, but noticed that most of the images were very small and of poor quality, which is surprising for a book put out by a museum. I fretted (not too much, but a little) over this while we listened to the museum's chamber music, because I really wanted to study the drawings some more, and on the way home I had the idea to look at the museum's website.
And oh, boy, am I glad I did! The website has an exhibition blog, with lots of images, in better quality than the book, and you can enlarge them greatly. There's also lots of commentary by the museum's curators. If you like this kind of thing anywhere near as much as I do (which admittedly not everyone does), you'll really enjoy looking through this.
Sadly, one image that I really liked, of four noble persons on horseback, is not on the blog. It reminded me of the four Pevensie children hunting the white stage at the end of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Nor are the wonderful astronomical drawings of Orion and one of the Canis constellations. But there's so much to enjoy already, including the drawing above of the Ascension with apostles looking up at Jesus' feet (not the ones in the photo, but at the top of the page, in half a mandorla), shown above. I think I'll go buy a tiny fountain pen and get started sketching...
6 comments:
I can see very clearly through your blog that one of the many benefits of living in the city are the museums! I may have blackberries, but what rich (homeschool) resources you have at your fingertips. :-) The Medieval drawing blog will come in handy though for Michaela's history study this year. I'm grateful for the link! Thank you!
Must get in there....soon.
I'm sure I walked through this exhibit... glancing briefly at a couple of manuscripts. I was on my way to another all.
I'm ashamed to say that I didnt make the deadline to see Monet's Water Lilies which have been on display at The High all summer long. My excuse was that I'd seen them in Chicago....
Museum websites are wonderful and I'm slowly learning to delay purchasing until I've had a chance to investigate the catalogue/book online.
Would the drawing with the four noblemen be by Durer? or is he too late to be considered medieval?
I really enjoyed reading this post and looking through the blog. I really love this sort of thing, and I hope you *will* take up this sort of drawing, Laura. You are such a gifted artist.
Silvana, it's quite a toss up, isn't it? Blackberries (not the electronic ones, of which we have plenty), or museums? I think we tend to appreciate whichever one we *don't* have. Or at least, I think C.Z. doesn't fully understand how rich the museum is ;-).
BTW, have Michaela check out the interactive timeline of art history on the museum's website. It's great!
MacBeth, what can I say? Yes, you *must* get in there soon ;-). But I don't get there nearly as much as I used to, either, since I moved to the other side of the park.
Dana, I always feel so sorry for tourists in the MMA. There's just no way to do that huge place justice in one day. Our family actually has a term for such overload--we call it a "museum headache"!
The drawing wasn't Durer--it was earlier. I'll have to check the catalogue for the title of the manuscript when I go back so that I can look it up at its original museum. I think the reason the drawing reminded me of Narnia was that the figures had rounder faces, almost like children (yes, I know the Pevensies were supposed to be grown up by then, but still...). In fact, they reminded me a bit of Pauline Baynes' illustrations for Narnia. I wonder if she studied medieval drawings? I wouldn't be surprised!
Susan, I haven't gotten the pen out yet, but I really do mean to. Too many little paper-work things today, but soon ;-).
The interactive timeline looks wonderful. Thank you, Laura! I think it will supplement her history study nicely.
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