Art Explained

Throughout 2013, The Met invited curators from across the Museum to each talk about one artwork that changed the way they see the world.

Vincent  Van Gogh’s Cypresses hangs on a wall in a wooden frame. The painting depicts tall trees on the left side with a swirling sky behind.

Van Gogh’s Materials and Process I Sunday at The Met

Gain a deeper understanding of Van Gogh’s artistic process through new discoveries from recent technical studies of Wheat Field with Cypresses and Cypresses in The Met collection. Hear from Museum experts about how these examinations have enriched our understanding of Van Gogh’s materials and process and shed light on his artistic vision.

Image of the artist cecily brown in front of an abstraction.

An Evening with Cecily Brown

Join artist Cecily Brown and Met curator Adam Eaker for a conversation about Brown’s engagement with art history, influences from The Met collection, and her own singular artistic practice.

The Paradox of the Fool

Unpack the peculiar ways the jester challenged the medieval social order

Deciphering the language of paint in Arshile Gorky's "Water of the Flowery Mill."

"It’s like an extraordinary kind of life that is in the process of procreation."

Walker Evans' candid photos of 1930s subway passengers are early conceptual art

"I think it is one of the first conceptual art projects that I’m aware of."

This 3,000-year-old Olmec face was made to last. What can we learn from it?

"Being able to recognize a face is one of those fundamental survival skills."

How to understand a Jackson Pollock painting

"This painting is incredibly honest; Pollock isn't trying to fool us in any way."

This altar piece embodies the culture of storytelling in the Middle Ages

"Medieval art is very much about a multi-media experience."

Why Charles James saw himself as a sculptor of fabric

"The construction defies any usual dress-making norms."

What makes this seemingly simple drinking vessel rebellious?

"It’s actually a celebration of the exalted status of being drunk."

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