New York Art Trip

Looking at art is a priority for me, and I'm fortunate to be able to sometimes travel to where I want to see some art. Last weekend, my husband and I went to New York so that I could see several shows.

First up was Edward Hopper's New York at The Whitney. The sketches above are typical of the notes and sketches I make when I'm looking at art - just jotting down some thoughts. The two photos are some of the more surprising works that I saw in the show. I love Hopper's paintings - seeing them all together reinforced the slight stiffness that is characteristic of his work, so these looser, more dramatic drawings and watercolors were a real treat.

Next up was Alex Katz, Gathering, at the Guggenheim. I went into this with a preconceived idea of it being an awkward show that I would not find very interesting. Boy was I wrong! 

The scale of Katz's work was perfect for the way art is displayed in this (weird but wonderful) building. The best part, as I sketched above, was being able to see the work all together on different floors at the same time across the spiral.

After, I went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and looked at more American art. 

Last was Just Above Midtown at MOMA - a show about a Black-owned gallery that opened in the early 70s, focusing on women and Black artists. It was refreshing after two days of old white dudes. But I went in not knowing any of these artists, so I just started writing down every artist's name, then as I went through and saw more, I would think, "Oh Senga Nengudi also did that piece in the front..." It was so useful in getting to know these artists! It was a gorgeous show.

After a break, I went to visit Matisse. He is probably my favorite old white dude at MOMA.

And that was it! Then we went home and I made some changes in the studio based on the thinking I did while looking at this work.