backstory: Scale
Running survey classes in art history, which I used to do a lot, means that you often teach about objects that you’ve never seen in real life.
Recently, I was at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and saw a few works that I had taught for many years but only knew from digital images. The most striking was Wilhelm Lehmbruck’s Standing Youth of 1913. I guess I never looked at the dimensions in the book and what I thought was sort of a table-top sculpture was suddenly towering over me. Looking up at that figure’s face reminded me there’s just no substitute for experiencing things in real life. Glad I’m able to do that a bit more now than before.
Tracy Fitzpatrick
Director, Neuberger Museum of Art
Interim Managing Director, The Performing Arts Center
Find me on Twitter @tracyfitzart