At The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, it was the gold that caught my eye. My original Instagram caption joked that I had found an era with exactly the right amount of it. The photograph and short film below record that delight in ornate interiors and the objects within them.
A room full of things to notice
The photograph holds several small worlds at once. There is a painted portrait above me, a dark sculpture on a pedestal, a porcelain vessel and the curling ornament of a gilded table. The eye can move from a face to a surface, from a large frame to a tiny detail.
Gold gives those different objects a shared rhythm. It catches light along the edges, gathers around the painting and returns in the furniture below. In the film, the camera moves closer to the decorative surfaces. A detail that might disappear in a room photograph becomes the centre of attention.
Decorative arts at The Met
The Met’s European Sculpture and Decorative Arts department brings together furniture, sculpture, ceramics, textiles, metalwork and other objects. Its period rooms combine architectural elements with furnishings to suggest interiors from different times and places.
The museum identifies the Wrightsman Galleries with French eighteenth-century decorative arts. They offer context for the kind of richly worked interiors that drew my attention. The collection can be approached through craftsmanship as well as history: how a surface is built, how materials meet, and how objects relate within a room.
A closer look at The Met’s decorative details
Galina’s original New York museum Reel records gilded ornament, furniture and decorative details at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Looking with a painter’s attention
You can begin with a simple visual question. Where is the brightest part of the scene? In this photograph, the pale clothing in the portrait and the gold around it draw the eye away from the darker background. Then look for a repeated shape or colour. The blue on the porcelain and in the painting creates another connection across the room.
Taking that slower route through an image leaves space for enjoyment. You can notice a balance of light and dark before reading a label, then let the label deepen what you see. The artwork, its setting and your own attention each contribute something to the visit.
My own paintings return often to landscape, light and stillness. This museum diary records another pleasure: spending time with intricate, abundant detail, simply because it is beautiful to look at.
Visiting The Met in New York
The Met Fifth Avenue is at 1000 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, beside Central Park. Use the museum’s official visitor information for current hours, admission and gallery closures. The museum has more than one location; the Fifth Avenue address is the relevant one for this story.
Continue the New York diary with Iris van Herpen at Brooklyn Museum, where sculptural fashion offered a very different encounter with beauty. Or return to the GALI ART collection to see the paintings I make myself.
A few questions
Which New York museum appears in Galina’s film?
The film and its cover photograph document Galina’s visit to The Metropolitan Museum of Art, commonly called The Met, in New York.
What are decorative arts and period rooms?
Decorative arts include objects such as furniture, ceramics, textiles and metalwork. Period rooms bring architectural elements and furnishings together to suggest an interior from a particular time and place.
Was this an exhibition of Galina’s paintings?
This was a museum visit. The artworks and objects shown belong to the museum display; Galina’s own paintings are presented separately in the GALI ART collection.
Sources & original photographs
Adapted from Galina’s Instagram notes, with her original photographs and films. Museum information is linked to official sources where relevant.
