Michael Sporn Animation – Splog

On New Year’s eve/day, we went to the Morgan library. This was the first time I’ve been in the new building since the reconstruction. The new architecture was designed by Renzo Piano and reopened in 2006.

I used to enjoy going through the large iron doors (at least, I think they are iron) which are still there, but are now permanently locked on what has become the side of the museum. There was something grand about it. There’s now a grand new entrance which is wheelchair friendly going through a large faceless glass entrance.

Once inside, you face a high ceilinged room with a great expanse of open space. Dining facilities are all about you, and it’s one of the better features of the building. A nice place to have a cup of tea/coffee and a spot of lunch.

Of course you’d go to the library for the exhibits on display. Closing this Sunday (today) is a show of the art of William Blake. While there, I took out my camera and started photographing some of the etchings and watercolors. No sooner had I shot two of them, than I was caught in my tracks by a guard asking me not to photograph anything. These are the two I did capture:

“Satan Smiting Job with Boils” by William Blake

Satan – “Head of a Damned Soul in Dante’s Inferno” by William Blake

However, I did learn that you can view the entire Blake exhibit by going online to here. There, all of the images are offered (at least through today.) The Book of Job is outstanding as are others from the Book of Europa. However, no photograph or reproduction can satisfy as much as standing in front of the actual article.

Also on display, through March 14th, is a show of Jane Austen’s manuscripts, letters and other artifacts. Being the visual person I am, of course the cartoons by James Gillray, which offer a glimpse of the society she dealt with, are an absolute riot. It was nice to be reminded of his brilliant work.

I was able to photograph several of them, but in two cases images I found on line were better than my soft photos. Here are three examples:

Tales of Wonder by James Gillray

Marital Harmonics by James Gillray

A Little Music or The Delights of Harmony by James Gillray

I was also fascinated with Austen’s letters. Having done a lot of research about Edgar Allan Poe, I’ve seen quite a few of his letters, and the two were writing at roughly the same time.

Letters did not come in envelopes. They were large-ish sheets of home-made paper that were folded into very small parcels and were sealed with wax. Since paper was valuable you did not waste any of it. Writing went from left to right, up and down and in the margins. Wherever there was empty space there was room for more writing. Letters were also contained to one sheet of paper since the carriage of the letter was expensive.

I don’t quite know how they managed their postal system, but it must have been somewhat arcane in comparison with today’s system of dropping a letter into the corner mailbox. I do know that Poe sometimes employed friends to carry letters to those he was writing.

The visit to the Morgan Library was entertaining and enjoyable. I’m sorry I don’t do it more often, certainly considering how close it is to my apartment.

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