Raphael – Sublime Poetry

 

If I had known how much I would enjoy the Met’s Raphael exhibit I would have headed over to see it sooner.

I had already seen most of the paintings that they highlighted in their publicity for the show in the various museums they had come from. (Uffizi, Borghese Gallery, Louvre)

And on our recent visit to Rome we spent a day in the Vatican Museum, primarily so I could see “The School of Athens” at my leisure.  After that, I thought I pretty much had it covered.

But this show includes several studies for “The School of Athens.” – including this one.  Wow!

And while I may have seen some of the paintings before, I had not seen the drawings which are so fragile that they probably aren’t displayed much even in their home museums. (Louvre, British National Gallery, Vatican)

I was simply blown away by how beautiful his drawings are.

His mastery of perspective applies to faces and hands as much as buildings.  I never thought about that before.

The show does a wonderful job matching drawings -

with finished pieces when it can. (Check out that exquisite perspective.)

And when it can’t, it shows a photo from the final piece to provide context.  Very cool.

As I looked at my photos to select the ones I wanted to post in this blog,  I realized how much I wanted to be able to study these drawings at length, preferably without the crowds.  Which gave me an idea. 

So, I went over last night at 7:00p.m. when most people were heading off to their Knicks watch parties. Surprisingly, it wasn’t that much less crowded.  I guess other people had the same idea.  But I did get the extra time I craved.

The exhibit wraps up on June 28^th and will not be traveling.

Here’s a link to photos from the Michelangelo exhibit…

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2018/02/michelangelo-at-met.html

Some from Alice Neel…

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2021/04/alice-neel-met.html

And a wonderful kimono exhibit…

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2023/02/kimonos-at-met.html

 

Cheers!

PJ

© 2026 PJ Lehrer

Dance Parade 2026 - p2

 

There were so many good costumes that didn’t make it into my first post

that a second one was called for.

Variety was of course the word of the day.

But kids too.

Lots of kids.

Sometimes wrangling them appeared to be a bit challenging.

But other times it was clear just how adored they are.

And how determined they were

to make their parents proud.

See you next year!

Here’s a link to the first blog…

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2026/05/dance-parade-2026.html

One from the Dance Parade in 2022…

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2022/05/ny-dance-parade.html

And one from the Mrs. Maisel 5^th Avenue pop-up…

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2023/04/mrs-maisel-on-5th-avenue.html

 

Cheers!

PJ

 

© 2026 PJ Lehrer

Burren Illuminated

 

This month’s piece from the Illuminated Ireland series features a photo of a dolmen (Neolithic tomb) in The Burren.

Located in County Claire, the area’s name comes from the Irish word “Boirinn” which means rocky district.  Despite its name and appearance, 70% of Ireland’s flower species can be found here. 

This is the original photo…

The letter “B” drawing…

And the collage.

Another photo of the final version.

Here are some previously posted embroideries…

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2013/03/embroidery-shells.html

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2014/11/embroidery-ducal-palace.html

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2024/05/embroidery-st-patricks-cathedral.html

 

Cheers!

PJ

 

© 2026 PJ Lehrer

Liberty State Park

 

I’ve wanted to visit Liberty State Park in New Jersey,

ever since I saw photos of the 9/11 Memorial.

It did not disappoint.

I figured that if I was going to visit,

I might as well do it during the spring so that I could enjoy the flowering trees.

So, when the park reported that their cherry trees were peaking on Instagram,

I hustled over - only to discover that it was fake news.

There were a few Okame trees in bloom,

but the Kazan’s which I had hoped to catch, weren’t ready for prime time yet.

 C’est la vie.

Here are some other blogs from spring in New York.

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2018/04/roosevelt-island-cherries.html

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2021/05/riverside-park.html

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2022/04/manhattan-skyline.html

 

Happy sneezing!

PJ

© 2026 PJ Lehrer

Dance Parade 2026

 

This was the 20^th year of the Dance Parade.

I stumbled on it by accident a few years ago,

and was very impressed with the wide range of costumes on display.

The dancing is lovely too.

You get a real sense of the melting pot that is NYC when watching.

Costumes, music and dance all melded into unique patterns.

After several days of cool weather, it was a balmy 78 degrees and sunny for the parade.

Maybe a bit too warm - especially for the dancers.

As with all NYC parades, gaps in the action can be a bit tedious.

But with visuals this pretty it’s worth sticking it out for at least a while.

https://danceparade.org/

Here are some blogs from the Tartan Day Parade…

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2014/04/men-in-skirts.html

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2016/05/men-in-skirts-2.html

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2018/04/tartan-day-parade.html

 

Cheers!

PJ

© 2026 PJ Lehrer

Brooklyn Botanic Garden – 4/17/26

Thanks to some unseasonably warm temperatures in mid-April,  NYC had a blink and you missed it spring.

 

The Kazan cherry trees – which are the stars of the season, bloomed in only two days!

So, I did what any rational New Yorker would do – I raced over to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden before it was too late.

Since I have so many photos of the Cherry Esplanade that I’ll never be able to top,

my true goal was to catch the tulips,

which typically bloom simultaneously with the Kazans and change every year

In addition to the area near the conservatories, they are now planted in the Shakespeare Garden, and the Osborne Garden near the Eastern Parkway entrance.

Sadly, the Osborne Garden was severely damaged by this winter’s storms and the trellises are now heavily scaffolded while they do repairs. 

This unusual breed of tulip actually has multiple flowers blooming from the top of a single stem.  It’s the first time I have seen one like that.

Much to my surprise, I was greeted with a lovely scent when I arrived, because the lilacs were blooming early.  I rarely get a good shot of them – they just aren’t that photogenic – but I always shoot them anyway, just so I can enjoy the smell. 😉

Here are some previous blogs from spring at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden…

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2012/04/cherry-blossoms.html

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2013/06/brooklyn-botanical-gardens.html

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2013/12/a-touch-of-spring.html

Cheers!

PJ

 

© 2026 PJ Lehrer