When you look back on your life, you realize that most of the significant paths you've taken were the result of a seemingly accidental series of events. And yet, most of us can probably pinpoint the moment that led us to a decisive transformation.
I don't remember when I decided to become an arts writer but I can certainly recall what made me fall in love with art. It was the "Les Tres Riches Heures du Duc de Berry," an illuminated Book of Hours filled with private prayers and calendar pages for Jean de France, duc de Berry (1340-1416), one of the most important patrons of the late Middle Ages.
Now The Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan is preparing a facsimile edition of the "Riches Heures'" sister Book of Hours, the "Belles Heures," which is part of its collection. The need to unbind the book for reproduction has given The Met an extraordinary opportunity to display all of its 172 illuminations. It is an opportunity that viewers should not miss.
What drew me to the "Riches Heures" and by association, the "Belles Heures," also created by the Limbourg Brothers -- Herman, Paul and Jean? At first, I think it was the palette -- lapis-lazuli blue, pink and gold, with accents of red and green. It reels you in and then envelops you.
There's something sheltering, too, about the medieval world the "Belles Heures" depicts, even though its subjects may be the lives of Jesus and saints from ancient times. The castles, turrets, slithering roads and lack of perspective cloister the viewer, reminding him of an age when war, plague and everyday hardships were the norms. Sometimes it's good to be indoors, or at least, tucked into your little corner of the world.
But what's most striking about the "Belles Heures" is its tremendous humanity. The story of St. Catherine of Alexandria -- which is told so that it mirrors the Passion of Christ -- is filled with pathos. Just the way that her hair falls over her blindfolded eyes, exposing her downy neck as she waits prayerfully to be beheaded, well, those tresses are just like a cascade of tears. (That same humanity is evident in the accompanying show, "The Mourners: Medieval Tomb Sculptures From the Court of Burgundy," through May 23.)
FYI: The duc de Berry was the son, brother and uncle of three successive kings of France. The throne was not his destiny. Yet today, he is the one we know and remember.
It pays to patronize the arts.
"The Art of Illumination: The Limbourg Brothers and the Belles Heures of Jean de France, Duc de Berry" is on view through June 13. 212-535-7710, www.metmuseum.org
The Arts Muse blog is a partnership between long time arts writer Georgette Gouveia and ArtsWestchester, your complete arts guide.
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Meet The Arts Muse:
Georgette Gouveia
Georgette Gouveia is editor of Westfair Communications’ WAG magazine. Prior to joining Westfair in 2010, she served as senior cultural writer with Gannett/The Journal News. She is the author of “The Essential Mary Cassatt” (Harry N. Abrams/Wonderland Press). Her blog is a partnership with ArtsWestchester.
Contact Georgette: ggg0722@earthlink.net
ArtsWestchester is your complete arts guide.
Founded in 1965, it is the largest, private, not-for-profit arts council in New York State; its mission is
to provide leadership, vision, and support, to ensure the availability, accessibility, and diversity of
the arts.
ArtsWestchester provides
programs and services that enrich Westchester: our grants help fund concerts, exhibitions and plays;
we bring artists into schools and community centers; we advocate
for the arts and build audiences
through our marketing initiatives.
In 1998, ArtsWestchester purchased the nine-story neo-classical bank building at 31 Mamaroneck Avenue which has since been transformed into the Arts Exchange, a multi-use resource for artists, cultural organizations, and the community.
www.artswestchester.org
Founded in 1965, it is the largest, private, not-for-profit arts council in New York State; its mission is
to provide leadership, vision, and support, to ensure the availability, accessibility, and diversity of
the arts.
ArtsWestchester provides
programs and services that enrich Westchester: our grants help fund concerts, exhibitions and plays;
we bring artists into schools and community centers; we advocate
for the arts and build audiences
through our marketing initiatives.
In 1998, ArtsWestchester purchased the nine-story neo-classical bank building at 31 Mamaroneck Avenue which has since been transformed into the Arts Exchange, a multi-use resource for artists, cultural organizations, and the community.
www.artswestchester.org
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