100 Days of Art History Jinjins

42/100

Portrait of a Woman with a Man at a Casement

Around this time, I took a trip to the Met with fresh eyes, primed by this project. It was a different experience to look at all the paintings there as I imagined myself in place of all the people--it made the art feel more immediately relevant to me, and helped me notice the details and idiosyncrasies more. I bought a large coffee table book full of masterpieces of the Met from the gift shop, and the next 7 or so entries are all taken from that book.

This one called to me because of the man's profile sneaking in from the left. I thought it was hilarious. You almost don't notice him at first, and then suddenly there he is, sliding in and invading the lady's personal space. She seems completely unfazed. They're facing each other without seeing each other at all, in this strange tiny space full of windows. It's a truly inexplicable situation to depict and I loved it.

Reference image is from The Met, where this picture is today.

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