Speed of Life

For me, exhibitions devoted to the paintings of the Spanish artist Diego Velázquez always evoke a sense of wonder and possibility. Velázquez' paintings hold me spellbound. I will be in Verona, Italy in May and will find my way to Paris for sure. Perhaps a rendezvous with the esteemed restorer from the Van Gogh Museum - René Boitelle ? An exhibition produced jointly by the RMN-Grand Palais and the Musée du Louvre, in collaboration with the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna. Curator  : Guillaume Kientz, curator in the Department of paintings, Musée du Louvre Exhibition design  : Maciej Fiszer Diego Velázquez Portrait of Pope Innocent X 56"x47" oil on canvas c1650 Galleria Doria Pamphilj, Rome 25 March 2015 to 13 July 2015 Open : Sundays and Mondays from 10 am to 8 pm, Wednesdays to Saturdays from 9 am to 10 pm Closed on Tuesdays Closed 1st May Closed at 6pm on 25th and 26th March Access : metro line 1 and 13 « Champs-Elysées-C...

Portrait of A Man (Self Portrait?) Velázquez oil on canvas circa 1634-35 Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York photo by Angel Franco/ New York Times Portrait of A Man (Self Portrait?) detail Velázquez oil on canvas circa 1634-35 Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York photo: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York Years of discolored varnish and overpainting have a revealed a fresh new face in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's 17th Century Spanish Collection. Carol Vogel has an informative article in today's New York Times: An Old Master Emerges From Grime Vogel interviewed Keith Christiansen, the Met’s newly appointed chairman of European paintings:“It’s bugged me for 25 years. The quality has always been there. And I had a hard time believing that a work of quality was the product of a generic workshop.” Keith Christiansen had Velázquez expert Jonathan Brown look at the restored painting. Vogel reports his response: "“One glance was all it took,” Mr. Brown said, adding later, “T...