.03
Probably the best thing about coming to this new New York is the opportunity to get out of my old two-mile radius. I was getting tired of the same old galleries, eating at the same bars... though I miss the view from my old apartment.
For my money, I'm most interested in the Rosemarie Trockel exhibit at the NMCA and the "Where Is Jack Goldstein" exhibit over at Venus over Manhattan. It's nice being able to take the exhibits at my own pace without Peter someone asking me what it's supposed to mean and does this place have a cafe and "Neal, that's just a spoon in a box", and "I hate modern art". You know? It lets you contemplate. The Venus over Manhattan's really hanging out there this season; they fired a guard a few days ago and don't have time to retrain someone before the whole exhibit opens, so they're canvassing one-third of the entire floor at any given time. It's tempting, but way too easy So don't be surprised if you see a docent looking anxious over there. It's possible they're hiring, if you're looking for a job.
Now it's time for an art trick. Everyone knows Michelangelo's The David, and if you don't, you're either not from this galaxy or I don't want to know you. It's an immense masterpiece of Renaissance art to be certain, but what many don't realize is that David's expression changes depending upon where you're standing.
This is the typical way that people see The David's face - from below, from an angle. That's due to the height of the statue. David looks confident and defiant.
However, Michelangelo faced his statue head-on standing on a raised platform when he carved the facial features. So what he saw when he carved it looks almost like an entirely different statue:
Face-to-face, David looks a lot less confident, and much more like an anxious boy facing down a murderous giant. Which way did Michelangelo intend for his statue to be read? Different scholars think different things, but I'm of the opinion he wanted his creation to depict that confident persona. Michelangelo wasn't exactly a wilting violet. Using mathematics, he likely accounted for the much-lower position of the viewer in his carving - making the statue all the more impressive.
Overexposed though it may well be, I'll never get tired of seeing it.
Also, there's no feasible way to transport it without breaking it apart. As a fun historical aside.