The Cloisters, Washington Heights, New York City, Part 3

We visited the beautiful Cloisters museum in Upper Manhattan. Read Part 1 here and Part 2 here. This is third and final installment of our visit.

This museum is a feast for the eyes as well as the history-hungry soul. I study medieval history in my spare time, so our visit was the fulfillment of a quest long in the making. There is truly too much to absorb here; one visit is not nearly enough. In similar manner, snapping a few photos and posting them online does not do the museum and the park justice. It’s just simply lovely.

With that said, I highlight some of the things I especially liked or found interesting. You really must read Parts 1 and 2 if you have not already. These give you a well-rounded view of the entire experience.

As we meandered down cool stone hallways, we ventured into small alcoves and rooms filled with artifacts and beautiful works of art.

These gilded ladies grace a large side table, hefted onto an elaborate dais. The one of the far left reminds me of Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth.

Off to the right is an enormous (bronze?) lecturn. My photo does not do the piece justice– the lecturn is HUGE. A speaker would stand behind the eagle, reading from a book propped on the stand. Can you see the stand? Such would give the listeners the impression that the eagle was speaking to them!

This is from a 1,000 year old German stein. The gold work is so elegant yet the small wooden figure is rather crude in comparison.

We entered another room filled with endless religious objects.

I was intrigued by the statue of Jesus in a wheeled donkey. Called a Palmesel (a palm donkey), bishops or priests would haul this out every Palm Sunday in a parade. The people would imitate the Jerusalem crowds of the first century, throwing tree branches and shouting their praises as the palmesel passed by. This ritual ended after the Protestant Reformation. This piece dates from the 15th century.

This is a closeup shot of one of the figures on a 12-century Belgian baptismal font.

This part of a reconstructed chapel dates to the 12th century. That is Christ carved out of wood. Th eoriginal colored plaster in the domed area is of the Madonna.

My daughters by a large Gothic door. I was completely overcome by the architecture.

A candelabra. Can’t you just hear the chanting monks now?

I love this museum. It’s a place you can visit again and again. It’s peaceful and quiet and simply gorgeous. The grounds outside the museum offer lovely views of flowering trees and the Hudson River. Well worth the visit!

The Cloisters
99 Margaret Corbin Drive New York, NY 10040
(212) 923-3700

The Open Studio in Catskill, NY

We were merely strolling up and down Main Street in this quirky little town, looking for a restaurant. Every cafe or eatery that we tried was closed. AT least we got to stretch our legs after the long 2 hour drive from home, and at least we got to see the Cat-n-Around cats of Catskill, a uniquely artistic venture in the area. But we were hungry and thirsty and could find no where to lay our heads, lol.

Passing by a store front, something caught my eye.

This artifact was found among others, in a chipmunk borrow [sic] in Greene County.

According to Miriam Levin, author of “Rodents, Culture and Customs” (1), all chipmunk art has a religious function. This has been identified as an important deity, believed to have the power to attract nutritious seeds.

(1) Random House, 1988

Then this:

When the moon was young she used to smoke this pipe.

I bust laughing, right there on the street. I looked up, and saw the name of the place: Open Studio. We ventured inside. It was quite the coincidence that the place was open, as it’s regular hours are only on weekends, and other times “by chance or by appointment.”

The place is like a little museum of quirky works of art. The art is not my style (I prefer more formal, classical pieces), but the placards with the artwork was delightfully humorous! I love it!

This is the cosmic egg from which the universe emerged.

This was my favorite:

In the Amazon there were found the remains of a barbaric god, his name was TeeVee. He self destructed, methodically shrinking the heads of his worshippers, eating their brains and pitting out the rest, until none was left.

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!

The studio is run by artist Dina Bursztyn, an artist originally from Argentina but living in New York City and now Catskill, NY, since 1976. She received the attention of The New York Times in a review of her work.

Before the Hudson was called Hudson, and even before it was called Mahicanituk, along its shores there used to live a tribe of diminutive sculptors, now believed by many experts to be extinct. *  It was a highly civilized tribe and had a taste for the monumental. “Balance” is perhaps its only remaining monument in existence today; however some archeologists claim that there are many more to be found, its components scattered, waiting to be put together.   * A minority of experts claim that the tribe is not extinct at all, but that it has mutated to a smaller size, so small that it is virtually invisible; proof is their water sculptures, easily sighted at sunset.

It was a pleasant diversion on a hot day in a strange town. We eventually did find a restaurant. More on that, later.

James Tissot Exhibition at Brooklyn Museum

The Brooklyn Museum will be hosting a spectacular exhibition of the watercolor paintings of the illustrious 19th century French painter, James Tissot (1836-1902). It looks marvelous! The exhibition is “The Life of Christ,” and will include 124 of Tissot’s watercolors. Tissot was a remarkable painter– in an era when French painters were still dabbling in impressionism, pointilism, and heavy oil washes, Tissot was moving toward realism in watercolor. His paintings are lovely, and give a glimpse into the thoughtfulness of the painter.

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