Spanish Art at the MFA
Jul. 18th, 2008 10:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kenjariToday I went to the MFA to see the El Greco to Velasquez exhibit. It was really good. The paintings were arranged into thematic areas (portraiture, saints and apostles, religious works, still lifes, etc.) which served to illuminate what was going on socially, politically, and artistically in Spain's Golden Age. I got a lot out of the written material, too.
I have never been an admirer of El Greco's work - the elongated figures and surreal lighting just don't quite do it for me. However, this exhibit gave me a better understanding of his paintings. I think it helps to think of his work as being a highly prescient precursor to modern surrealism. Also, seeing just about any painting "in the canvas" always gives me a different perspective.
It was quite nice, too, to see several works I had been familiar with from viewing them in online art archives, like Velasquez' "Immaculate Conception" and Maino's "Adoration of the Magi". I find that many paintings are of a much different size than their electronic images suggest (usually, they are quite a bit larger). In a strange coincidence of timing, the last room of the exhibit was the still life section, with all of the works featuring tables set with food. I ended up there at just about 1pm, when I was starting to get hungry.
I have never been an admirer of El Greco's work - the elongated figures and surreal lighting just don't quite do it for me. However, this exhibit gave me a better understanding of his paintings. I think it helps to think of his work as being a highly prescient precursor to modern surrealism. Also, seeing just about any painting "in the canvas" always gives me a different perspective.
It was quite nice, too, to see several works I had been familiar with from viewing them in online art archives, like Velasquez' "Immaculate Conception" and Maino's "Adoration of the Magi". I find that many paintings are of a much different size than their electronic images suggest (usually, they are quite a bit larger). In a strange coincidence of timing, the last room of the exhibit was the still life section, with all of the works featuring tables set with food. I ended up there at just about 1pm, when I was starting to get hungry.
