Drawings from the Met

Juan de Pareja after Velazquez, 2009, pencil in moleskine sketchbook

It's been a while since I've posted images of my moleskine drawings. I still carry three moleskines in my bag, that has never changed, although I haven't been doing as much drawing as before. I do get a lot of drawing done when I visit the place I call my sanctuary, the Met museum. The few pages posted on here are some of the drawings I've done during my visits in 2009. This is also my third moleskine sketchbook, which was begun after the second book was stolen in December of 2008.

Visiting the Greek and Roman sculpture galleries has been fun. It's such a pleasant experience to draw from these amazing marble sculptures while hearing the sound of running water from the fountain in the middle of the courtyard. This area of the museum has become one of the main destinations within the museum for artists. You can see many with their sketch pads and drawing tools trying to capture the grace of these stone figures.

The Lute Player after Valentin de Boulogne, 2009, ball point pen in moleskine sketchbook

I try to visit the Met at least once a month, and after six years of doing so I have memorized the location of most of the works on view, at least the paintings hanging in the European galleries. This is why it's a nice treat to run into a new painting that has been brought out from storage or that has just been recently bought. This was the case with The Lute Player, a beautiful work done in the style of Caravaggio by the french painter Valentin Boulogne.

Marble Torso of a Boy, 2009, ball point pen in moleskine sketchbook

Marble Head of Herakles, 2009, ball point pen in moleskine sketchbook

This is the second time I've drawn the head of Herakles. I was very proud of the first drawing, and after I lost the sketchbook I felt the need to re-draw it in the new one, hoping that I would do a good of a job as the first. I say this is okay, but I still prefer the first one.

Marble Statue of Herakles Seated on a Rock, 2009, ball point pen in moleskine sketchbook

This is perhaps one of the most beautifully sculpted torsos in the history of art. Every view of this piece is breathtaking, and it took me a while to make up my mind as to which side I would draw.

Detail from The Holy Family with Saints Francis and Anne and the Infant Saint John the Baptist, after Peter Paul Rubens, 2009, ball point pen in moleskine sketchbook

The Holy Family by Rubens in one of my favorites in the Met's collection. He has such a way of creating movement in his pictures, everything seems to be in circular motion that takes you on a visual ride. I have always liked the way he portrayed the baby Jesus in this painting, with his little stocky body twisting and reaching as Mary holds him steady, graving to his naked rosy flesh. This sketch doesn't do Rubens justice, I know, but this was one of those quick sketches I squeezed in that night before the museum doors closed.