I might as well be a tourist

Today we're going on a trip
to the Metropolitan
Museum of Art.











My favorite exhibit is outside the museum. The steps are always full of a moving picture of lunch breaks, 5th graders single-file, the strange tourists that come with their luggage, the oblivious couples, and the regulars (you can spot them because they come without big purses or backpacks, walk straight to the cashier and pay $1 instead of $15, and then proceed without their face in a map).



Come on, let's go!

Here's the great hall staircase. The lighting is magnificent. You'll have to exuse my irrepressive exuberbance (see, there I go with redundant
descriptors. I am that excited about the Met).

The Greek and Roman art on the first floor is spectacular. There is plenty of opportunity to reflect on our fascination with the human body.

And now up the the stairs to the European paintings, another incredible part of the permanent collection.
Here, the fascination turns to war.

My favorite examples are "Judith with the head of Holofernes", painted in 1530 by Lucus Cranach the Elder. Clearly ahead of his time.

And also "The Triumph of Amelius Paulus", by Carle Vernet for the French Royal Academy in 1789.



Over in the Asian art wing, an entire wall is covered with this ancient tapestry.

Right now, the special exhibitions are Samuel Palmer and Robert Rauschenberg. The Samuel Palmer collection includes a bit of everything from his life as a painter and etcher.His landscapes, for which he's most famous, are agonizing and Romantic. Really lovely. The Raushenberg "Combines" exhibit garnered a lot more attention than the Palmer paintings, but it didn't deserve to as far as I'm concerned. I shouldn't compare the two, but as far as attractions go, Palmer won.

And now for a walk down Madison Avenue. It's sunny and warm...too good to pass up.