Everyone’s favorite Impressionist is back: The Museum of Modern Art has mounted a thoughtful, pocket-size exhibit called Van Gogh and the Colors of the Night. Focusing on a sole recurring aspect of this artist’s work—the world of the night as it played out on his canvases, and in his life—is an inspired idea, and MOMA uses the opportunity to show paintings both renowed (The Starry Night, 1889) and under-viewed (Lane of Poplars at Sunset, 1884, is my new favorite).
Attending a member’s viewing this weekend made it clear that New Yorkers are still mad about that van Gogh boy, which brings up a minor quibble. In mounting such a popular artist, why didn’t the curators choose a friendlier section of the Museum? I suspect the only person who gets an optimal look at these paintings is the night watchman; so packed were we (yes, non-members will need special tickets, and will be allowed entrance at timed intervals) that despite my “membership” I felt anything but special. Long dead is the idea that a museum’s design might create a sense of zen apt for viewing works of art. Which was why I blanched at a patron’s muttered admonition that “people don’t know how to walk through a gallery, they don’t realize that there’s a flow.” I thought the issue was architectural, but she sounded like an expert—wonder what finishing school she went to?