(Metropolitan Museum, Gallery 812: European Paintings. Fri., 11.02, 2012)
Re. River Rocks by Gustave Courbet (French, 1819-1877): (typical of Courbet's late work?) muted, quiet meditation on solitude and peace. Except for a touch of relief in the left foreground, which a patch of sunlight seems to provide, the entire space, a small body of water enclosed by trees and shadowy stillness, is a study of middle and deep values of browns, greens, and blues. Nothig registers lighter than a v.5, and fully a third of the painting is handled in v.8, 9, and 10. His blues (and I remember this from others of his paintings) are green-tinged cerulean opaquely applied and, while not bright, act as a "sweet-spot" among the masses of moist leaves and breathing shadows. Re. Courbet's The Calm Sea, 1869. A wonderful sense of sparkling air and expansiveness, all brought down a bit in tone. His golden sands are ochre, not yellow, and his azure blues have just a touch of gray to take the edge off. Re. Courbet's The Fishing Boat, 1865. The sky with clouds built up along the horizon are especially beautiful --- blued gray masses that have a touch of violet in the gray shift between themselves (v.4 each?),against a quiet sky of dying light shown in an opal pink and baby blue, both knocked down some.

^ The Calm Sea. oil on canvas, 1869. Gustave Courbet (French. 1819-1877). Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Among other things I saw, I want to remember these:
> Sir Seymour Haden [British], 1818-1910 On the Test, ca.1856
> Thomas Frye [Irish], 1711/12-1762 Portrait of a Man, 1760
> William Hoare [British], ca.1707-1792 Portrait of Wm. Pitt the Elder, ca.1754
> Jonathan Richardson, Sr. [British], 1665-1745 Portrait of Jonathan Richardson, Jr., the Artist's Son, 1729
> Cornelius Varley [British], 1781-1873 Portrait of a Man In Profile 
> Josef Diveky [Hungarian], 1887-1951 -Rocking Horse with Three Children -Kaulitz Dolls 
   (I) -Kaulitz Dolls 
   (II) Colored lithographs published by Weiner Werkstätte, 1909
   "The postcards were used to market the workshop's products to a wide audience."
> Richard Teschner [Austrian], 1879-1948
> Vilhelm Hammershøi [Danish], 1864-1916 Moonlight, Strangade 30, 1900 Oil on canvas [severe compositions and limited palette of mostly grays. lovely.]
> Wilhelm Bendz [Danish], 1804-1832 Study of Light Oil on paper
> Johan Christian Dahl [Norwegian], 1788-1857 Cloud Study Oil on paper.
> Fritz Petzholdt [Danish], 1805-1838 German Landscape with View Towards a Broad Valley, ca.1829 Oil on paper
> Richard Wilson [Welsh], 1712/1713-1782 Welsh Landscape with a Ruined Castle by a Lake Oil on wood
> Charles Rémond [German], 1788-1825 Terrace of the Capuchin Garden, Sorrento, ca.1823/24 Oil on paper
> Alexander Desgoffe [French], 1805-1882 Cloud Study with Distant Mountains Oil on paper
> Simon Denis [Flemish], 1755-1813 Aniene River at Tivoli Oil on paper
> Simon Denis Landscape Near Rome During a Storm Oil on paper
> Aldro T. Hibbard
> T. Allen Lawson
> Joseph Wright of Derby, ARA, 1734-1797
> Pierre Puvis de Chavannes, 1824-1898
> Paolo Farinati, 1524-1606