I heard there was a Vermeer exhibition in Ueno, so I went. I’d been laid up with a high fever for a few days and was in terrible shape, the sky was overcast like it might rain any minute, and on top of that the last exhibition I’d seen at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum hadn’t made much of an impression, so I went back and forth about going. But still, it’s Vermeer.
Ueno Park on a weekend is packed with families. With that many people there were lots of events on too, but they were all aimed at families, so I skipped them and went straight to the museum. I’d originally meant to come a bit early and drop by a good restaurant as well, but by the time I woke up it was far too late, so that was out too. Whether it’s eating well or anything else, health comes first, and lately I’ve been living so absent-mindedly that I didn’t even notice my health falling apart. From now on I need to take proper care of myself. I have to set things up so I can.
The exhibition hall
It was crowded, so it took a while to get through. If you have the time, it’s probably better to come on a weekday and take it slowly. There are 32 surviving works by Vermeer, and 7 of them were on show this time. Only 7 paintings, and the ticket was 1,600 yen -_- Honestly, that’s way too expensive. And the really famous works weren’t on the list. The Chagall exhibition before was like that too and I was really disappointed, and here we go again. These people never learn.
Still, I got to see Vermeer’s works in person, so I didn’t regret the money. They call him the painter of light, and even though he lived in the 17th century, his feel for lighting beats that of modern photographers. I’d seen the film Girl with a Pearl Earring before (though it was mostly about an affair), so I thought the paintings would look familiar, but they didn’t. The film can’t show you how great a painter he really was. It reminded me once again that you can never get the feel of a masterpiece from a photo.
On the way I also came across this…
La Boutique de Joël Robuchon was selling desserts to mark the Vermeer exhibition.
No matter how I look at it, it seems like the same stuff they sell in the shop, just in different packaging… -_-; So I ignored it and walked out.
When I came out, a few drops of rain were starting to fall. The forecast hadn’t said anything about rain, so I could have wandered around anyway, but everything felt like too much trouble -_- so I just went home. I couldn’t even be bothered to take out my camera. So unlike me. I need to get back to normal soon… With that in mind, tomorrow I’ll make a nutritious chicken stew.