Peachy at The Met: Rembrandt and Degas: Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
Above is our favorite part of the entire Rembrandt and Degas exhibit which is red chalk circa 1855-7; we love the flesh-colored base and the use of shadows that evoke an erethral feel, and there was quite a lot of extraordinary work. Of course, Degas admired Rembrandt and the similarities will become apparent straightaway. The series of three small self-portraits by Rembrandt van Rijn also caught our eye so be sure to be on the lookout for those as well. Finally The Engraver-1857 impressed us: we liked the expression captured as well as the hat worn by the subject. And don't miss the Cardinal's heads at the bottom! An intelligent array of etchings, this exhibit will delight you and further your appreciation of portraiture even more.
Don't miss the fantastic pointillism you'll see adorning the walls outside the exhibit on your way into the Lehman wing, and the impressive chandeliers to the the rooms on either side of the exhibit.
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Rembrandt and Degas: Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man—on view at The Metropolitan Museum of Art February 23 through May 20, 2012—features a series of early portraits by the two artists and highlights the Dutch master’s guiding influence on the young French Impressionist. The first exhibition to examine this subject, it unites some two dozen works by the artists, including oil portraits, drawings, and etchings from the Metropolitan Museum’s collection and other museums in the United States and abroad. The intimate scale of the exhibition and size of the works on display illuminate the unique kinship that exists between the self-portraits created by Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669) and Edgar Degas (1834-1917) at the start of their illustrious careers.
