Cathy's Art Diary

Exhibition dedicated to Andrea Riccio (1470–1532), the Renaissance sculptor, at the Frick Collection . The joy of this exhibition was that it brought together multiple models of the same sculpture and explained what the differences were and why the models differed. It also brought together four of the five known lamps from the Frick, Ashmolean, Lourve and V&A. Very touching was the Carrand Vessel where they had brought together the main vessel from the Bargello in Florence and the cover from the V&A. It seemed such a shame that they would be parted again. It would be nice if they two could spend six months in each place. I loved a wonderful plaque of the entombment complete with hysterical figures with a real sense of movement and grief. Also a wonderful seated nude with a syrinx (Pan pipe to you!). Reviews New York Times

Small exhibition at the Frick Collection in New York bringing together their three Verneer’s on one wall for the first time in ten years. The three pictures “Officer and Laughing Girl”, “Mistress and Maid” and “Girl Interrupted at Her Music” are all quite different but lovely. “Mistress and Maid” is a slightly untypical picture focusing on the action of the maid handing the lady a letter but leaving out the background details. This gives it a nice intensity. The other two are the more usual scenes set in the corner of a room with familiar furnishings and pictures. “Girl interrupted at her music” has a slightly unfinished look. I love the cool intensity of Vermeer and this was a great opportunity to see three together within a small flick of the eye of each other!