Recently, I visited the Boston Museum of Fine Art and thoroughly enjoyed what was around each and every corner. Standing in front of John Singer Sargent's "The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit" was like a religious experience, and I actually had a lump in my throat. You can see famous paintings time and again reproduced for you in a book or on line, but still nothing matches standing in front of the actual work. This piece was much larger then I ever imagined - it's practically wall-sized. Magically, the two large Chinese urns in the painting appear in real life flanking the painting. It's dark wood floors seem to extend onto the museums own dark wooden floors making the viewer feel as if they are standing in the room with these little girls. It's a heady feeling and a lovely one.
I also enjoyed viewing a another Sargent painting nearby that I hadn't seen before - "Rehearsal of the Pasdeloup Orchestra at the Cirque D'Hiver". It almost looks nothing more then a quick study, but the curves and the movement in it actually feel like the music the musicians must have been playing.
Another room I had trouble pulling myself away from (and came back to frequently) was the John Singleton Copley room. Here many of his find portraits hung including depictions of early American settlers. The most captivating piece though, again a wall-sized one, "Watson and the Shark". I was stunned and absorbed immediately with this dramatic work that insists on pulling you in to the terror filled scene. It even caused a rather horrific nightmare that night involving a hungry shark! Again, seeing this work in books versus standing in front of it holds no comparison. Everyone must see this work in person!
If there was one disappointing moment in my visit, it would involve viewing J.M.W. Turner's famous work; "Slave Ship". This is a very important piece which made a declarative statement on the heinous behavior between humans. Instead of being given it's due as a centerpiece, it was forced into a cramped corner with another work hung above it. This work should stand alone in a prominent place for all to view and study.
In a nod to the Chicago Art Institute, while looking at the Impressionist collection (small in comparison, but really enjoyable), the requisite heavy frames surrounding these delicate works caused a scalloped shadow to cast on many of the upper areas of the canvases, something I have never seen in Chicago. They either need to rehang or rethink the lighting in these galleries.
This museum is full of treasurers and some beautifully rendered rooms with thoughtful touches such as artist-rendered benches to enjoy the views and a rotunda with Sargent murals that make you dizzy looking up! Another favorite touch was a room painted in various soft gray tones mimicking mountains in the atmospheric distance. I hope to visit this museum again sometime.
