My weekend in Philadelphia was pretty incredible. I didn't draw or paint as much as I originally intended. That's not because I was being lazy or didn't feel like it, it's just that there are so many places and things to explore. My girlfriend and I walked around the entire city, but my favorite place of course was the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The building itself is beautiful, the architecture is similar to classic Greek temple fronts, which I love. My favorite piece of artwork that I saw in person was at the Perelman building (The Perelman building is off the main property, but there are shuttles that take you to the Perelman frequently and for free. ) The painting that I admired the most and was most inspired by was "The Gross clinic" by Thomas Eakins. Eakins being a native to Philadelphia is a very important part it's museum.
The "Gross clinic" was on display at the Perelman because it was just recently restored. I think they did an excellent job of restoring the painting and explaining why and how they did it. I stood and stared and stared for at very least an hour. This painting in person is 100 times more incredible than it is in photos. I suggest everyone make the pilgrimage to Philly to see this. They also have the "Agnew clinic" and some oil studies at the Perelman, but in the main building the have a lot more work of his to look at, including sculptures, drawings, photographs, etc. I know there's been a lot of things being said about Eakins and his life, but I try to separate the artwork from the personal life of the artist. At least somewhat.
-R
No comments:
Post a Comment