Much Appreciated Guidance – Review #1
It was a Friday afternoon and what better than to spend the day at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Well, not exactly. Growing up in New York, I had been to the Met a countless number of times. Every year, I would go as a part of a class trip and when I was younger, I was extremely excited. But having gone year after year to the same place, the Met lost its exquisite feel. I would find myself bored. I would walk pass each painting and spend at most a minute on, not understanding how all these people surrounding the painting were mesmerized by it. Were we looking at the same thing?
So, Friday I decided to give the Met another shot. Wendy and I went on a guided tour of the Robert Lehman collection hosted at the Met. I had never been on a guided tour before and had no idea what to expect. I always thought the Met was a beautiful building and as much as I don’t enjoy trips to the Met, once you walk up the stairs and walking through the revolving doors the scenery is breathtaking. So, we waited under the old clock where all the tours meet. Wendy and I were the only ones there and feared that we would be the only ones to take part in the tour. Little did we know, a lot of people actually take part on these tours daily.
A lady named Phyllis Rodman led the tour. She was a soft-spoken person who dressed like every other person at the Met. She knew her information and at was clear by her demeanor that she was dedicated to the artworks at the museum. The tour started quickly and we made our way through many pieces of art, mostly from the Renaissance and Impressionist periods. As Phyllis discussed the pieces, I actually found myself looking at the paintings differently. I had noticed tiny things about the paintings that I would have never noticed had I been observing these paintings on my own. For example, one painting, The Osservanza Master, depicts and old man standing on an empty road staring at a rabbit. At least that’s what I saw. While on the tour, I learned that the man was Saint Anthony Abbott who was tempted by a pot of gold. I didn’t see a pot of gold in the picture but if you look closely, you’ll notice a change in color and texture in the area around the rabbit. The pot of gold was actually scraped out of the painting. I would not have known or understood the painting had it not been for the tour. The tour also provided background information about the painters and the stories behind the paintings. These are things that I would never have gotten from the painting alone.
Guided tours at the Met are a good way to really experience a trip to the Met. Take it from someone who doesn’t find the Met that interesting. Guided tours provide you with information about the painters and how long it actually took for them to make it, the story behind the paintings, and what steps the Met took to preserve the paintings. The guides are also open to any questions that may be asked. The tours are a good way to enjoy something that you don’t necessarily understand or appreciate and you may also learn something along the way. I walked into the Met that afternoon not expecting much and walked out with an appreciation for the artists and the people who work at the Met.