Why, the National Gallery of Art, of course. Specifically, the impressive new exhibit of Jacopo Tintoretto’s art, and the new tie-in menu at the Garden Café.
A Rather Fetching Sign Outside the Building
The show, on view through July 7, includes almost 50 paintings and some sketches, as well as a little suspended mixed-media surprise.
Mr. Echols Under the Wax Angel
And, as if one exhibition around this relatively obscure Renaissance master is not enough to lure you downtown, there are two other related attractions: one of Venetian Prints and another of Drawings, both creating dialogs with the artifacts of the main event.
And what a fine collection of paintings that is! At the press preview, among the dignitaries present (including the new NGA Director, the Italian Ambassador and the Mayor of Venice), the two curators of the exhibit spoke on why Tintoretto is not better-known in the New World. Perhaps the large scale of many of his works, combined with the problem of attribution (which curators are working hard to resolve), are why he is not as renowned as other Renaissance painters.
Press Welcome, L to R: Ambassador Armando Varricchio, Director Kaywin Feldman, Curators Robert Echols and Frederick Ilchman
The Mayor of Venice, Luigi Brugnaro, Speaks with the Help of His Translator
I admit to not being as aware of Tintoretto as of Da Vinci, Michelangelo, and others, but Venice is justly proud of their native son. This exhibition has been organized to celebrate the 500th anniversary of his birth. The press tour, as presented by Frederick Ilchman and Robert Echols, started with an early self-portrait, took us through the landscapes, portraits, historical and allegorical paintings, and ended with a wonderfully contrasting late self-portrait.
Mr. Echols and Mr. Tintoretto
Mr. Ilchman Speaks to St. George and a Rather Titillating Maiden Riding the Dead Dragon
Mr. Ilchman Among the Portraits
And the Last Selfie, I Mean, Self-Portrait
Along the way, one of those large-scale works caught my eye. The Last Supper is remarkable for three things: the poses of the disciples, caught in the moment of dismayed surprise as Christ foretells his betrayal by one of them; the figure in the lower left corner, thought to be a portrait of the painter’s daughter; and (and this is my personal sense of remarkable, not any art-historical sensibility), the plates of distinctive-looking rolls on the table.
Very Large Last Supper
Close-Up of Rosette Rolls
According to Leslie Contarini, a member of the Venetian delegation, these are traditional Venetian rosette rolls. She cautioned that they are best consumed fresh. It’s a homey detail, but fits the overall tone of the painting.
And now to my favorite part: the new lunch and brunch menus at the Garden Café, designed to extend your Venetian experience. This is the third menu that the Chef Chris Curtis, of the Constellation Culinary Group, has styled to match an NGA exhibit, and a highly successful and delicious evocation it is. The standout dish is grilled octopus, the star of a seafood-heavy lineup.
General Manager Aaron Beaver and the Tasting Table
View of the Garden Cafe
In company with a cured-fish appetizer over grilled polenta and salmon with pine-nut sauce (with a chicken piccata for the pesce-averse), the octopus and cannellini bean salad evoke Venice as well as any painted view of the canals. Chef Chris told us that it was his favorite dish to cook, even though (or maybe especially) it must be timed just right: first seared on the plancha, then braised for one hour and 10 minutes “exactly,” then finished on the grill.
Tentacles!
Other elements of the menu include baccala mantecato (a classic Venetian dish), a spread made from dried cod which Chef Chris adapted with crème fraiche;, and the spring pea salad, as a tribute to the season. Desserts include a Morello cherry tart with whipped ricotta and hazelnuts, and tiramisu with espresso mascarpone. O heaven!
Dessert
Go see the Tintorettos and enjoy the Garden Café menu, then close your eyes and imagine you can hear the calls of the gondoliers. It shouldn’t be too hard.
Tintoretto: Artist of Renaissance Venice West Building, National Gallery of Art, daily through July 7.
