Michelangelo Mini-moon

Kensington neighborhood
{Toronto supports street art!}

After the wedding D and I took a trip to Toronto for a few days to enjoy being married. I hadn’t been there in more than 10 years and D was excited to show me his favorite “Brooklynesque” neighborhood. We stayed near the university and the vibe was great. There were lots of intriguing art and clothing shops which were mingled in between coffee and tea houses and restaurants and bars. We did feel like we were back in New York City—except that everyone was super friendly and liked to chat with you!

Michelangelo at AGO

Our trip happened to correspond to a fantastic art exhibit at the Art Gallery of Ontario. It was a show of 30 of Michelangelo’s drawings from his private studio collection from Florance! Yay! D is a big art appreciator, especially of the old masters, so he was eager to see this show too.

And what a show it was! There was a great modern twist to the exhibition design. It was a beautiful blend of a classicly hung art show and an interactive museum exhibit. The first thing I noticed was that Italian classical music floated in the air in the gallery.

chalk drawing of female head by old master
{My absolute favorite drawing of the show. I could look at this all day long…}

Michelangelo’s red chalk drawings were shown in simple dark blue wood frames with a hit of gold leaf on the beveled edges. Among the framed art were a few large flat screen panels showing enlargements of his smaller drawings and sharing collections of quotes that Michelangelo had said.

The show also emphasized that his drawings were a unique look at his in-process thinking. You could say his imperfections (though it was hard to see them.). There were several quotes by Michelangelo that spoke to the difficulty of the Creative, that art does not come easy. Instead it is the result of many hours of hard work and struggle.(ah-huh!)

Art Gallery of Ontario

It might seem silly, but knowing that even the Old Master, Michelangelo, had trouble with his drawings and clients made him crazy at times made be feel a little better about my own work and business. No matter the age, all artists have the same mountains to climb and must combat the same doubts. Grazie Michelangelo.

Do you have a favorite Old Master Artist?