Karen Adams » The Michelangelo Drawings at The Met 2/1/2018

The Michelangelo Drawings at The Met 2/1/2018

There was a great deal of publicity surrounding the exhibition of Michelangelo drawings at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I had heard it was opening just before Christmas and would only be up for three months, and it would be the most amazing opportunity to see so many Michelangelo drawings at one time.

I knew I couldn’t get away during the holidays, so that left me with the first 6 weeks of the year to get to New York and see the show. My college pal in LA decided to join me, and we stayed with a friend of hers in Chelsea. Our timing was good as I heard the crowds were like cattle in a pen when it first opened, and you couldn’t see the work up close.

I’m so glad I didn’t miss this rare exhibition. To be able to stand with my eyes 10 inches away from 500 year old MICHELANGELO drawings …they were so captivating and timeless! The tiny cross-hatched lines defining a nose, or a bicep, or a breast were so delicate and precise. Don’t even get me started on his perfect foreshortening of the figure.

The magic of the experience is renewed when I thumb through the book Michelangelo: Divine Draftsman and Designer that was published in conjunction with the show. I left New York feeling spiritually/artistically excited, with much enthusiasm for continuing the age-old tradition of making art.