This essay was written in 2005, when the Metropolitan Museum of Art had a wonderful exhibition of drawings by Peter Paul Rubens. That one's long gone, but if you're in…
Tucked away in the triangular Lehman Wing, at the far west side of the Metropolitan Museum, is one of Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres's most stunning portraits. Its subject is wealthy, aristocratic beauty…
Even in an era when scientific discoveries were being made with astonishing rapidity, man's first piloted flight in 1783 ranked as an awe-inspiring event. The Montgolfier brothers began experimenting with…
These comments were originally posted on the Harry Binswanger List in 2003, in response to a discussion on whether Greek sculptures were esthetically inferior because they were painted. I've added…
Most of the greatest ancient Greek works that remain in the hands of the Greek government are on display at the National Archeological Museum in Athens. Here are some of my…
Part 2 of an analysis of Campin's Portrait of a Woman. For Part 1, see this post. Note: The reproduction above - the best I could find on the Net -…
Back in 1996 I started writing on how to look at paintings if you want to go beyond an initial emotional reaction. This is the opening of an unpublished paper…
My favorite short story by Dorothy Canfield Fisher is "The Washed Window," which centers on Booker T. Washington. Fisher's story was published in 1955, forty years after Washington's death. I…
Thomas Ball, Daniel Webster, dedicated 1876. Central Park near the West 72nd Street entrance. Photo copyright © 2017 Dianne L. Durante Fame ... The national reputation of “the god-like Daniel”…