In the middle of the work week, I somewhat spontaneously decided to go to Philadelphia for a quick day trip – wouldn’t have to worry about booking a hotel, carrying luggage, and at the end of the day can still sleep in my own bed. The main motivation was to catch two art exhibits: Philadelphia Museum of Art’s Matisse in the 1930s and Barnes Foundation’s Modigliani Up Close. The pairing was extra fitting because one of the focuses of PMOA’s Matisse exhibit is The Dance, which Albert Barnes commissioned and is in the Barnes Foundation’s permanent collection. With tickets booked, I set out for a day of culture in the city of brotherly love.

The Amtrak ride to Philadelphia was exceptionally punctual. I emerged from the platform in Union Station right at 9:30am and immediately made my way to Rittenhouse Square. I picked up an egg and sausage whole wheat everything bagel from Spread Bagelry, where the wood-fired oven created a smoky dining atmosphere. Hungry, having not eaten yet that morning, I devoured half my sandwich and bagged the other half for later. I was too excited for my day to linger around too long. I wandered the neighborhood around Rittenhouse Square, charmed by the townhouses still decked with holiday wreaths and lighting and admired the different stands at the farmers’ market.

The walk to PMOA was … cold. Not sure what the real feel temperature was with the bitter wind, but I was relieved when I made it up the famous “Rocky” steps and entered into the museum. I was a little bit early for my timed ticket, so I browsed the “Macho Men: Hypermasculinity in Dutch & American Prints”. Those men were bubbling with extra muscles that looked a little unsightly. After about 15 minutes, I queued for the main attraction: Matisse in the 1930’s.

The exhibit showcased several paintings, drawings, and just a couple of sculptures. My favorite part was how they displayed the iterations Matisse went through to create some of the more iconic pieces in the show, the main one being The Dance, of course. The exhibit seems to credit The Dance as a project that helped Matisse out of a creative slump. However, creating The Dance seemed like more like a traumatizing experience than a revelation. Barnes gave Matisse a relatively low commission at a time when he was financially tight. When The Dance was almost complete, Barnes and Matisse realized the measurements were off, and Matisse had to restart the painting from scratch instead of trying to salvage what was done. Matisse became so stressed out about this project that he had a minor heart attack when it was finally installed! Afterwards, Barnes added to the indignities by refusing to let anyone see the completed work. Matisse was literally heartbroken. Afterwards, with Lydia as his new model, the creative process behind The Dream and Large Reclining Nude (The Pink Nude) seemed to be what really reinvigorated Matisse. I enjoyed all the exhibit had to offer, particularly the illustrations that had such simple lines and the paintings that combined still life with seated women at tables. The last room of Themes and Variations and the movie about costume decorations he did for a ballet felt unnecessary though.

After I emerged from the exhibit, I was surprised to see how long the queuing line was, even with the timed entry. I was glad to have gone on the earlier side and went on to enjoy some of the museum’s permanent collection. Even though I already visited the galleries in March, I couldn’t help by see their impressionist collection and my favorites from the more modern section. After a brief break on the second floor to wolf down the second half of my breakfast sandwich, I went on to The Barnes Foundation.

The Barnes Foundation had a nice exhibit featuring Modigliani and how recent research revealed how he sometimes reused canvases for his paintings. Technology was able to show paintings that were done underneath a finished work of art. On my first visit to the Barnes Foundation, the elongated faces and bodies of his subjects really intrigued me. I went home with a print of Portrait of the Red-Headed Woman. I liked the different portraits in this exhibit as well, especially of the nameless subjects. Then, I went to browse the permanent collection and was once again blown away by the density of paintings – so many Renoirs, Matisses, Cezannes, Picassos. It seemed endless. On this visit, I was most fascinated by Van Gogh’s Houses and Figure and bought a print for myself.

With the art part of the day complete, it was time to feed by belly again. I tried going to The Dandelion for a drink but the place was packed. I rushed over to South Philly instead and walked the Italian Market on 9th street briefly before checking to see if Fiorella Pasta had any opening. I was lucky to arrive just as it opened, and they happened to have a cancellation at the bar. Score! I sat down to a two hour, pasta filled meal including a wild boar terrine with chocolate and cherries, a brown butter old fashioned (that was absolutely delicious), a chestnut lasagna with goose that was quite fascinating, and then an extra order of their signature rigatoni (not as good as Carbone’s). Belly full, I wandered my way back to the train station and eventually hopped on my Amtrak home.

What a wonderful day walking around another city, learning about and enjoying art, eating tasty carbs (between the bagel and the pastas) and treating myself to a little day adventure.