[click on picture to enlarge - taken via iPhone]
Ugolino and His Sons, modeled ca. 1860-61, executed in marble 1865-67 - Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux (French, 1827-1875)
As part of the Museum's popular "Holiday Mondays" program, the Museum, which has been closed to the public on Mondays for some 30 years, now opens its doors on major Monday holidays. This new tradition began last year. Met Holiday Mondays are sponsored by Bloomberg (this blog is not, although anyone willing to sponsor it is more than welcome!).
So since it is Columbus Day and it is Monday, I am taking you to the Met again. Let's stay in Petrie Court and have a closer look.
That tormented gentleman is Ugolino dell Gheradesca, whose story is told in Dante's Divine Comedy. He was an Italian nobleman living in Pisa in 1284. In a conspiracy, he was accused of having betrayed his town by being negligent in battle. He was condemned and locked up in a tower with his sons and grandsons. The entire male line was therefore left to starve to death. French sculptor Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux depicts here the moment when Ugolino, condemned to die of starvation, considers the temptation of devouring his children and grandchildren who offered to sacrifice their bodies to keep their father alive. Brrrr...
But those museum folks have a sense of humour! See, just to the left of the sculpture at the back of the court, there is a lovely European-style café set against the backdrop of Central Park: Petrie Court Café. There you can enjoy a well deserved snack and a drink while the good count, starving, contemplating cannibalism, stands not too far from you. Ah those secret curatorial jokes, gotta love them!
11 comments:
I have not been to the museum for the longest time, maybe I should!
I am so impressed by the iPhone quality....your images are beautiful...
Condemned to death by starvation contemplates cannibalism... Isn't that kinda odd? I mean, the guy was already old, it should've been the other way around. Ugolino, what a name.
This is such an intense work of art and it always seems to me to get lost in what amounts to an atrium between two different buildings, now sharing a common facade. Did you get any close-ups of Ugolino's face? It would be worth posting.
Comme quelqu'un a dit ici, je n'ai deja aller aux musees pour longtemps...il y a dix ans je suppose! Mais je ne m'inquiete pas, je visiterai beaucoup de musees a Paris!
Je t'envie, tu peux raconter une histoire tout en anglais bien que tu es plus confortable en francais.
Si c'est moi, je prendrai trois semaines pour la raconter en francais!
What a great idea, to have museums open on days when some/most businesses are closed! I like that and I'm glad that you took me to the museum with you even if I did have to work on Columbus Day.
belle photo, une autre version du penseur. j'aime beaucoup le contrasme avec la personne assise qui dessine (enfin je pense) la sculpture (tres belle).
Dans les cafes du Musée, il y a Roof Garden Café , où on a une superbe vue de Central park , mais si je me rappelle bien il est pas souvent ouvert.
:)
I love the Met but I haven't been there in almost a year. I think I will visit it again soon.
Well Eliane, I too can just sit and wonder for hours on end in some museums.
Thanks for your recent comments at South Shields Daily Photo
•keropok: you should! What are you waiting for? ;)
•barbara: yeah me too! Perfect for someone like me who has not the slightest of what she is doing. :) And thank you for the compliment. :))
•fénix: age and wisdom - sometimes that's all it takes to win the game, dear.
•strangetastes: I know what you mean: the Met is a building made of different buildings. I've come to appreciate it as I learned more about it. The building with the brick façade is actually the original façade from way back when it was built in Central Park. The entrance to the museum was right there. As the museum acquired more works of art, they had to expand. Expansion depends on donations, grants they get from the muesum patrons. Which explains the different phases you can see in the building styles. The museum is also limited in its expansion by the fact that it can only grow as far as the block on which it is built. Considering all that, a lot of ingeniousity was used to find more square footage to display the works of art.
You are right, his face is incredible. I have not taken a close-up of us face. It's just point and click - there are no setting to play with.
•photolicious: Quoi? Dix ans que tu n'as pas mis les pieds dans un musée? Profites-en bien à Paris!!
•lynette: sorry you had to work. I am glad you enjoy this kind of post since I am planning to take you guys a few more times there.
•olivier: amusant de comparer avec Rodin... Le Roof Garden est probablement fermé à présent. Il est ouvert tout l'été si le temps le permet, bien sûr.
•maria elisa: :)
•ming: go! Go!!! So much to see. And you know Fridays are cheaper, right?
•curly: it can be just the break that you need. You are very welcome.
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