being TJ Rutkowski

The Frick has been on my list of New York City sites for quite some time, and today I made the trip. I suggest using the audio guide when you go to get a colorful commentary from the curators. The diversity of the collection is striking. While I enjoyed the paintings, sculpture, furniture, rugs, and architecture, two portraits stood out for me.

Whistler captured Comte Robert de Montesquiou-Fezensac in a simple and dark moment. The portrait is full-length and seemingly life sized. When looking into Montesquiou’s face, there is ghostly connection capturing your gaze and bringing you into the solemn moment.

James Abbott McNeill Whistler 1834 – 1903
Arrangement in Black and Gold: Comte Robert de Montesquiou-Fezensac, 1891-1892
oil on canvas
82 1/8 in. x 36 1/8 in. (208.6 cm x 91.76 cm)

In contrast to dark connection Whistler makes, Bronzino tells a story of youth in his portrait of Lodovico Capponi. Capponi appears confident in his pose and costume, but the intricate details of the buttons on his vest, the layers of fabric, the stitching, and the locket in his hand speak to a life and world he is still learning to navigate.

Agnolo di Cosimo di Mariano Bronzino (1503 – 1572)
Lodovico Capponi, 1550-1555
oil on poplar panel
45 7/8 in. x 33 3/4 in. (116.52 cm x 85.73 cm)

While these paintings are currently on display, the collection rotates and they are not always hanging.