A recent drawing marathon held in the Court and Cosmos exhibition galleries on May 6, 2016. All photos by the author, except where noted
«The Seljuqs were nomads from Central Asia who came to dominate a vast area of land stretching from modern-day Turkmenistan to Anatolia (eastern Turkey) and the shores of the Mediterranean. These nomadic master horsemen and hunters, along with the craftsmen of the lands they conquered, created a style and a standard of beauty that prevails to this day. The exhibition exploring their work, Court and Cosmos: The Great Age of the Seljuqs, on view through July 24, 2016, is a key component of my residency at the Museum and has been the source of inspiration for many of the projects and activities I have developed over the last 17 months.»
My residency, made possible in part by the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art, encouraged me to study the history of the Seljuqs and to use this knowledge in my work. Events I've mentioned in previous blog entries, such as my interdisciplinary gallery conversation, the rug project developed with Met interns, and my recent drawing marathon at the Museum, have all referenced this culture and aesthetic.
The most recent event I led was a two-session drawing marathon that took place in the Court and Cosmos exhibition galleries, culminating in a theatrical life-drawing session with multiple models and Seljuq-inspired props. The inspiration for the props I created—which included masks, fabrics, and cut-outs of mythological figures—was based on sketches I had created at the great Seljuq sites in Anatolia.
My visit to Konya, once the capital of the Seljuq sultanate of Rum, brought me to the Karatay Museum, formerly the great palace of Kubadabad, where I sketched the motifs I saw on the turquoise-blue, white, and black tiles. The ornamentation on the outer walls of the Seljuq mosques, medreses (schools), and caravansaray (traveler's lodge) complexes inspired the patterns used in the fabrics I printed and, more abstractly, in the rigid geometric poses in which I positioned the models.
Models wearing masks inspired by tiles in the Karatay Museum in Konya, Turkey
Left to right: A model clothed in textiles from Tokat, Turkey; detail view of a mosque entrance in Konya, Turkey; and a model wearing a Seljuq guardian lion mask
In an effort to create a seamless connection between my residency and my teaching work at the School of Visual Arts, I have held many of my classes here at The Met over the past academic year. I always encourage my students to use the Museum as a resource—a great place to draw, to study art, and to help define the content of their work by viewing works from the time periods and curatorial collections that interest them. Together we have used The Met as a reference point for specific works and projects, including a recent one whereby students in the Visual and Critical Studies program created their own pieces inspired by visits to and artworks from The Met collection.
The Education Department, with the generous encouragement of Maya Valladares and staff members too numerous to mention here, has allowed me to also create numerous drawing events. On April 15, I led a Drop-in Drawing session during which I encouraged participants to draw expressively and quickly, and to focus on the essence of the subject—whether it was a live model or a figure made of stone—rather than on precise rendering. Toward the end of the evening, we invited participants to join us in the Department of the Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas, where I directed performer, artist, and life model Calin Fernandes in a series of poses influenced by works in the gallery. The energy and excitement of having so many people drawing together, including many "professionals," was an unforgettable experience and a highlight of my residency.
Drop-in Drawing event held on April 15, 2016, in gallery 354. Photo by Filip Wolak
My focus on the Islamic arts at The Met helped rekindle my interest in the boteh, a motif more commonly known as paisley. My research of this timeless form throughout various galleries of the Museum has inspired me to curate an exhibition on its history and cultural and economic relevance, to take place at the School of Visual Arts in March 2017. As part of this investigation, I assigned my drawing students (all graphic-design majors) a final project in which they created their own interpretations of the paisley motif, examples of which can be seen in this video slideshow.
Even after my residency concludes, The Met will continue to be a part of both my studio and teaching practices. This quote from one of my students, Benjamin Ryan Yankowy, exemplifies exactly why bringing students to the Museum is of such high importance to me:
Drawing at The Met is both an analytical study and a creative study, and I have learned more about my process than ever before. My only regret is that the class is over and that more art students can't experience what I have.
School of Visual Arts Visual and Critical Studies student Benjamin Ryan Yankowy drawing in the Luce Visible Storage Center in the American Wing on March 22, 2016
Related Event
Expressing What Matters: An Exhibition by The Met's High School Interns (Ages 15–18)
Friday, June 17, 6:30–7 pm
The Met Fifth Avenue - Ruth and Harold D. Uris Center for Education
Read all blog posts related to Peter Hristoff's residency at The Met.