– I have to be brief this week. So here it is: On Thursday and Friday I went to the Met, and finished the Asian Wing (Chinese, Japanese, and Korean galleries), spent a few minutes looking at Boroque Tapestries, took in the bit of the American Wing that wasn’t closed off (the unexpected surprise was Washington Crossing the Delaware which isn’t one of those tiny famous paintings… it filled the whole room) and the first floor of Modern Art. My favorite bits were the Chinese Landscape painters, Fudo Myo-o, Kannon, Kamo Matonobo, a piece attributed to Kano Takanobu, Ito Jakuchu, the Heart of the Andes by Church, Kenneth Noland, Gino Severini, Klee, Chagall, Stuart Davis, and of course, everything they had by Georgia O’Keeffe. Do many of these names ring bells to you (because most of them do not for me)?
After the museum on Friday I picked up my wife from work and we spent the rest of the night in a mad dash (an often very slow, bumper-to-bumper mad dash) from New York to Portland, Maine. Our friend Matt had invited us up for the weekend, but he lives on Peaks island, which is only accessible via ferry, and the last ferry leaves at 11:30. We made it, but with only maybe two minutes to spare. The rest of the weekend was spent exploring Portland and southeast Maine, eating good Irish and New Englandish food, and taking the ferry back and forth from restaurants and bars. Maine actually looks a lot like the prettier parts of the UP. Less mining. More lobster.
We got back last night, not too late, but late enough, and had a somewhat relaxing evening. This week, back to the usual.
QUESTION OF THE DAY
– What nation do you most wish you understood better? –