One of the things I wanted to be sure to do during this trip was to see the Frick Collection - since I would be sans children for those three days and the Frick doesn’t admit children under ten, it was the right (and perhaps only – for what…five more years?) time.
Accompanied by my own personal docent, Ann Engelhart, it was a wonderful visit. In addition, the audio tour is 
rather idiosyncratic and even amusing.
There are, of course, many fine pieces at the Frick, but it was especially thrilling to be able to see the Holbein St. Thomas More, famously arranged on the same wall, across the fireplace, as the Holbein Cromwell (with a St. Jerome looming overhead, in between).
There really is no substitute for seeing a piece in person. There’s a depth and a soul to this portrait which is striking and unavoidable – a presence.
The Bellini St. Francis in the Desert is a marvel as well.
And the Vermeers, and the…well, you get the idea.
It’s also nice to have an artist guiding you along of whom you can ask those nagging questions that you’ve always felt too dumb to ask. Questions like, “Okay, how do they paint this so you can’t see the brushstrokes?”
How do they paint that so they don’t have brushstrokes showing?
I love the Frick!
A few years ago a friend of mine had a fellowship there, and she gave me a private tour before opening hours – such fun!
One of my favorite things is the life-sized angel (Jean Barbet, 15th C?) in the courtyard.
Jeff
Click on my site. The colored California type surfer wave on the frontispiece is oil. If you use minimum paint per area, strokelessness is typical. When you use oil in prodigal quantities, you tend to leave brush strokes. In skies, a blender fan brush is used to really attain more perfect brushlessness.
….ps…..paint is mixed with a medium composed of e.g. stand oil, varnish and turps. Increase the first two and brush strokes are more easily attained; increase turps and the opposite occurs.
Huh. And I learned something new today! Thanks, Bill.
I had no idea that this portrait was in the U.S.
You’re welcome.
As a New Yorker I find the Frick my favorite museum. The new Moma is a frenetic disaster and the Met is a treasure trove but very crowded. The Frick is an oasis with your longtime favorites welcoming you back. The added pleasure of the court and the glimpse of garden only add to the serenity.
Amy,
Next time you are in Pittsburgh you should visit our Frick Art and Historical Center. It is housed in Helen Clay Frick’s childhood home (Clayton) where she spent her happy early years, before the family moved to New York City. It’s like a time capsule of Victorian life. There is also a lovely small art museum on the grounds:
http://www.frickart.org/index.php
Always enjoy your travel writing. I put the Blue Moon Hotel on my list. Looks great.