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The tourist
Under strict instructions from Aaron, I visited the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. "Never mind about the other paintings and such," he said, waving his hand in punctuation. "Go see 'El Jaleo' by John Singer Sargent." So I did. Later, I found that Henri didn't like the museum much, but I enjoyed its intimate atmosphere, its serenity and the scent of the flowers in the courtyard. The sight of sunlight striking the 16th century Venetian window frames not only took my breath away — it made me itch for my camera which was unfortunately in my bag in the cloakroom. Photography isn't allowed anywhere in the museum, which is a real shame. The space around "El Jaleo" in the Spanish Cloister had been specifically designed for it. The gold frame is hung leaning slightly forward, so that one has the impression of watching a performance on stage. Apparently, the painting used to be lit from the bottom (again, in accordance with the idea of a stage) but the light fittings were being fixed or re-installed, so we weren't so lucky. What moved me was the amount of subtlety and care which Mrs. Gardner (as all the museum assistants called her) had employed in installing the collection. The paintings did not make as deep an impression on me as the gentle suggestion of beauty by the integration of portals, tiles, and other art objects into the museum's interior architecture. I was awestruck by the treasures of old books and letters; in the Long Gallery's chapel on the third floor, there was a leaf of Gregorian Chant from a 15th Century Italian choir book which completely swept me off my feet. (Okay, so I get excited about such things ...) So next time if you happen to have a few hours in Boston, have a peek in the Gardner Museum — it has been designed based on the concept of intimate experience of art and has a feel that is very different from typical museums. Feed thy senses. Posted by sniffles at March 09, 2003 07:04 PM