“No More
Rosy Celestial
Fantasies”
At the Frick

By: Esther Larson

The Frick is bringin’ New Yorkers back to the ‘80s – not the scrunchies, slap bracelets, and MC Hammer pants trends of course – in classic, classy Frick style, they’re bringing back Johannes Vermeer’s piece “Girl with a Pearl Earring” for the first time to New York since 1984. In the recent NY Times piece reflecting on the Frick’s new exhibit “Vermeer, Rembrandt, and Hals: Masterpieces of Dutch Painting From the Mauritshuis” – they refer to this woman as “that gal with the turban, the Christmas-bulb gem, and the over-the-shoulder, did-you-say-something glance.”  It’s worth a visit to see her.

And not just to see “this gal”.  Other pieces in the exhibit include both religious and non-religious pieces and according to the Times review, “Even religious paintings were religious in a changed way. No more rosy celestial fantasies; cherubs and Calvin didn’t mix. Heaven looked like earth, and the other way around.”  This reflection mirrors this N.T. Wright observation of God as Creator “God’s plan is not to abandon this world, the world which he said was “very good.” Rather, he intends to remake it….That is the promise of the Christian gospel.”  So New Yorkers – whether you’ve been to a museum this week or haven’t been in ages, this exhibit is a great excuse to plan a visit before January 19th.