A Cloistered Day

Yesterday, I spent a glorious afternoon at The Cloisters in the northernmost part of Manhattan.  The Cloisters is a branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Like the Isabella Stewart Gardiner museum in Boston (which is one of my favorites) the collection is very specialized, and curated in such as way as to show off the medieval art and architecture of Medieval Europe in a setting that enhances our understanding of each piece's origin.

I always forget the medieval predilection for gruesomeness until I'm exposed to large collections of art or artifacts.  As I pointed out to my date while we walked through the glass room, I am repeatedly disturbed by the fervent obsession with sainted reliquaries and their contents that museums tend to glorify, considering that non-religious obsession with the remains or belongings of individuals who met violent ends is an indication of potentially sociopathic tendencies.  And yet there's something beautifully and disturbingly fascinating in the art of an entire culture that was so focused on capturing the rictus of death, that last instant between life and death.

Having an nearly endless supply of architecture to examine as well as the art provided a grounding counterpoint to the violence of painting, carvings, and statues.  The sweeping arcs of ceiling trusses and grand entryways, the gorgeous stained-glass windows set into alters, and the incredible detail in the smallest of spaces in order to adorn the simplest room with detail and interest and beauty were breathtaking.  The photo below is one of my favorites of the day.

From Trip to the Cloisters

If I hadn't packed up my camera before the post-Cloisters picnic, or the wandering through Downtown Brooklyn and along the Promenade for fireworks, or the return trip searching out Independence Day pizza I might have a different favorite.  But even taking snaps during one part of the day is a vast improvement over my usual, "Oh, I wish I had a photo of this but I left my camera locked in a drawer at home again," complaint. But I'm very happy with the results of my first lesson in how to take a photograph.

Not to mention totally thrilled with the day.

First published at NYC to the Nines