Cocktails with a Curator: Bellini's "St. Francis in the Desert"

In the first episode of "Cocktails with a Curator," Xavier F. Salomon, Peter Jay Sharp Chief Curator, hosts us for happy hour at his apartment. The subject of tonight's presentation is the Frick's beloved painting "St. Francis in the Desert," by Giovanni Bellini, and the complementary cocktail is the Manhattan.
To see this painting in detail, please visit our website: collections.fr...

[@karenkovach3901]

This is what I always hope for when visiting a fine arts museum--a beautiful description of the work and the possible intention of the artist. But Xavier went a step farther by relating the painting to our current state of affairs and concerns to the Coronavirus that is surging through not just countries but continents. Thank you so much for the series. I look forward to enjoying them all.

[@philliphamilton3591]

Karen Kovach Thank you Karen, you perfectly expressed my own feelings and response to Xavier’s wonderful talk. Thank you both.

[@rc93013]

Thank you for your efforts in putting these videos together...I live in Santa Barbara CA but I was in NYC with my wife and daughters on Thursday March 12th when the city “locked down”. I had hoped to visit the Frick with my daughters that weekend but we had to leave Friday morning (two days early) due to COVID chaos. I have watched all four videos, thus far, with my family each Friday evening (cocktail in hand). You are providing us much joy and inspiration for dinner time conversation. Thank you! Wishing you and your loved ones health. RC

[@davidmasello2035]

Bravo! That's a profound connection Xavier makes between the blossoming of life right now and the simultaneous taking away of it. I've always loved this painting, but I will now forever look at it differently and remember it as being emblematic of these times through which we are now living.

[@susanwalker4670]

Enjoyed this very much.

[@marthaupton8458]

A painting of such affirmation of God’s gifts to us through nature and wonderfully explained by Mr. Salomon. Look forward to next week.

[@ritat1]

This brought tears to my eyes! Thank you, Xavier, for your inspiring presentation. I learned so much about St. Francis (my grandfather, father and nephew share his name!). I llove how you relate the painting to current events. And I love Manhattans! (and I live in Manhattan!)

[@nuriapereira3395]

I applaud this initiative and I enjoyed it last Friday from my NY apartment, joined remotely by my friend from Spain. Looking forward to the next one. Thanks! Very powerful and moving.

[@belkysherrera9047]

It is an excellent initiative. I loved the time with this great painting. Thank you!

[@carpenc1]

Thank you for doing this. Such a perfect choice for this time.

[@samanthamccloskey4299]

Just wonderful! Thank you so much!

[@nangoodman5410]

What a wonderful way to enjoy the cocktail hour! Thank you! Hope this continues after we are no longer sequestered!

[@plasticbike]

i love this. someone should post a manhattan recipe. in advance. for those watching later, here is a basic, wonderful manhattan 2 oz Rye Whiskey (or Bourbon, if you like it sweet) .75 oz Sweet red vermouth (Dolin Rouge is a good, widely avail option) 1 -2 dashes Angostura bitters pour the above ingredients over ice and stir for aprox 30 seconds strain the liquid into a chilled (preferably coupe or martini-shaped) glass garnish with a maraschino cherry if you have one. (luxardo brand maraschino cherries are great!)

[@chriswoods2647]

Excellent idea. Thank you for keeping us connected to and educated in the art of the Frick.

[@billmcconville9980]

As a Franciscan I found the curator’s comments insightful. I have a copy of this painting in my room in the friary. He enriched my viewing of a painting I look at every day.

[@ellenboswellschiefer4485]

An extraordinary synopsis of the painting and I will tune in next week. Life, Death, Rebirth , Thank you .

[@tineseinen5998]

Thank You. You tell the story of this painting with such passion. I'm going to watch the other videos

[@LizLesnick]

What a treat, thank you!

[@ee233]

Thankyou for an excellent explanation this is wonderful as i am in Australia.I am looking forward to next week.Thank you for doing this.

[@robertmather6152]

Very informative and a wonderful, original delivery format. Looking forward to your future presentations. Thank you.

[@cynthiacross5024]

Thank you. I'll look for the next episode.

[@IamDarthMuller]

Thanks so much for this.

[@MrY1313]

Thank you!

[@marielune1000]

Thank you so much Xavier for such a wonderful initiative. I enjoyed very much. The beauty of the painting, the beauty of Saint Francis´ text and the beauty of your voice tone, made an extraordinary cocktail. Looking forward to see more . Greetings from México

[@pambuxton663]

Love this

[@mariemento1603]

Just excellent! See you next week!

[@dr.nicholaswood4916]

Bravo ! Thank you my new friend.!

[@dturner4714]

Very disappointed it started early and cannot be seen again Doug, upper west side

[@guey-meihsu1188]

Thank you very much for this episode! It's nice to learn something new and insightful. By the way, that donkey looks very much like the one in Shrek...

[@susprime7018]

See Brother Sun and Sister Moon, Franco Zeffirelli. Very enjoyable, soothing and informative.

[@anubis6697]

Where is the ice?

[@TheBearAspirin]

I thought the cocktail was going to be a Bellini LOL

[@bifeldman]

I have been of the opinion for many years that this Bellini is the finest painting in the Western Hemisphere.

[@kerrycobb9245]

This was wonderful. Looking forward to the next one. Thank you for doing this.

[@gilmorgenstern2498]

Very enjoyable, looking forward to next week's episode. One thing that would make this more meaningful for me would be if you would talk more about what it is I'm looking at but not seeing in the work itself as a lay person. Technique, composition, etc. Thanks!

[@rowanmoody9444]

So many details in the painting that I had never noticed before! Bravo!

[@tourphil]

The Washington Post of January 17, 2021, has a commentary by Sebastian Smee on this painting - which in turn led me to this video. So much free intellectual stimulation. Who could be bored or feel homebound during the pandemic? I’ve seen “St. Francis” at the Frick on more than one occasion. But I will look at it with a fresh eye on my next visit.

[@maureenserafini1949]

Thank you so much for your lovely explanation of this painting! I enjoyed your commentary & perspective and look forward to the next! I enjoyed visiting The Frick so much last year, such a beautiful home, now museum❤️

[@malfwb]

Thank you for this beautiful reflection on Bellini’s St Francis from the Frick, my favorite collection in my beloved New York City. You are helping us get through this very difficult time.

[@antonellaarzone7784]

Grazie, interessante e piacevole. Un arricchimento importante per queste nostre giornate tra le mura di casa. Un'iniziativa che cercheremo di proporre anche nei nostri Musei

[@ryanmilton2643]

Xavier, thank you. This was unexpected! What a time in the world to step back and embrace the universal. PS: You are the doppleganger to my young brother who is also an accomplished artist.

[@christinemiles9077]

Thank you so much. Studied the painting many years ago and you opened my eyes. The poem was very helpful in understanding the background and relevance today.

[@thomastallerico6340]

Still love them and still watch them.

[@chadwickworldwide]

Thank you for this. Fascinating detail and story behind this painting.

[@LutheranLiarNYC]

This is wonderful. Until next week! Oh, and thank you, dear Frick.

[@SusanLH]

Thank you for taking the time to create these talks. The power of the internet means that I am watching and learning from the second lock down in Melbourne Australia. I enjoy these for so many reasons: your soothing voice, your excitement and enthusiasm and of course the content.It's now early August and I'm two weeks into watching what I know will be an enjoyable and education experience. Thank you. :)

[@ritabiro5105]

It was a very serious comment about nowdays problem .Conserning St Francis painting an monastery life I saw Zeffirellis Film I loved.As I studiing a little italien and have the bible in that language also it is difficult to keep somtimes the christian beleives but necessery to bee for eternal life and struggeling to understand also beuty about kept nature and to reach the heaven after our death.Thenks I am lokinf forward for the nexst.Arrideverci

[@debrapincus7267]

Excellent! Short, sensitive, bracing. Well done. Just the sort of thing to top off the day. Thanks Xavier. Debra Pincus

[@siavashshaghighi2655]

Interesting take on Bellini painting. I think it is a bit over stretchy to talk about a few philosophical issues like nature of life and such and try to connect that with this paintings unless you have a few cocktails fogging your brain cells!

[@ianfogden2606]

Beautifully delivered and informative "by which you cherish all you have made "... looking forward to this Friday

[@applecrumble8625]

Does anybody have a good recipe for a Manhattan? My family and I are embarking on this series tonight 😋🍸

[@amherst88]

Thank you very, very much for posting these . . .

[@karenfeuer-schwager2504]

I did not have a cocktail with you all. I participated only after my morning hike in the wilderness that surrounds my small town in Southern California.Everything that was said and the poem read, resonated and gave depth to my thoughts at the start of my summer day. THANK YOU for this enrichment Mr Xavier F. Salomon.

[@donnamasi1406]

Thank you for expanding my knowledge and bring a few moments of peace into my living room. I miss my visits to all of the NYC museums. D.M.

[@jonathanmarshall3162]

Contemplative. Thank you

[@michaelbaenen2388]

Thanks for this wonderful initiative which is witty without being snarky and sustaining without being pious. I've just made plans with a friend to have a virtual happy hour during the next installment. Go Frick!

[@NEntv58]

An amazing picture from an amazing collection. How fortunate you must feel to be leading the effort down there.

[@judyleibrook3743]

The painting, your words - so appropriate for these times. Thank you. Meditation to follow.

[@galleryguide9913]

A very beautiful and meaningful reflection of one of the great masterpieces of the collection. An articulate reflection of how painting of a Medieval Catholic saint of the Venetian Renaissance can have relevance on many levels beyond its original cultural context. Mr. Salomon has given us a rather engaging look a one of the fundamental purposes of art; that is to make us ask questions and to reflect on the existential meaning of our lives. Tibi gratias ago.

[@songee4500]

Surely the cocktail should have been a bellini? 😉

[@danielasansone8898]

Wonderfull. I saw this masterpiece last year with My family. Few days ago my sweet 19’s little girl died . She loved art and she enjoied so much the time at the Frick’s. We are italian . Thanks for all. Art make me feel closer to her.

[@IamDarthMuller]

I am so sorry for your loss.

[@danielstevenson6465]

Thank you so much for this! It is probably my favorite painting in the Frick collection, and it is wonderful to hear your thoughts on it.

[@slemay82]

Thank you for sharing your insights, and for drawing out so beautifully the connection between Bellini’s painting and our current reality. We hope you enjoyed your Manhattan and look forward to joining you again, virtually for now, and in person in front of the painting some day.

[@annettebulchandani7513]

Really enjoyed listening to you on Bellini’s “SAINT FRANCIS IN THE DESERT”.

[@alienalajna]

Wonderful presentation - honestly I have only seen up to five minutes, but that's enough to indicate the quality - but allow me to point out, regarding the subtitles, that whereas at 4:43 we hear (in the comment about Bellini's signature) "trompe-l'oeil", we read "templari". The only Templari I know of are the famous order of knights, so I suppose this is a mistake. Elsewhere, much more amusingly, I have seen an artist's medium described as "tempura" instead of "tempera".

[@frickcollection]

Thank you for the correction.

[@alienalajna]

@@frickcollection Di nulla!

[@sandraeugeni7606]

Wonderful presentation! I really enjoyed it, thanks so much.

[@gingerbrennan5740]

Oh god beyond all praising

[@polinkoful]

Thanks for doing this! It's a great way to see the beautiful painting, learn its background, and feel connected to the community.

[@rjensen4951]

The Frick is my favorite NY museum. Thank you!

[@louisedewhirst6107]

Really enjoyed this. I have always loved this painting and this was a nice rethinking of it. I even happened to have the ingredients for the Manhattan. Cheers!

[@ottarsdatter]

And cheers to you too, Louise! I accidentally made a martini, my usual evening tipple, before tuning in. From now on I'll know to check ahead of time for the appropriate recipe.

[@alienalajna]

Now that I've seen it to the end - my cocktail a bit of Caffé Borghetti - I can confirm my first impression. I appreciate very much Professor Salomon's emphasis on the importance of humanity's place in nature, a point of view of great importance to me and which I share with him (and with St. Francis). Let me offer a recollection of about 50 years ago - one of the more vivid that I have from that time: around 1971, while a student at Columbia College, I took a class in drawing conducted by Professor David Lund. We usually spent three hours drawing from life, but one day Lund took the first half of our time to show and speak about Bellini's St. Francis in Ecstasy, as I believe he called it. With a large reproduction set on an easel, he held forth on the painting with both knowledge and veneration. He explained the details, and emphasized that, seen formally, the picture is a network of many intersecting triangles. More essentially, he showed how the painting is a triumph of power, all the more triumphant for its restraint.

[@tylercoburn]

Why the early start?

[@stuartbee5716]

Thank you for posting

[@petersmith2273]

Thank you, Xavier. Very interesting and profound. I'll drink what will be my first Manhattan to you and the Frick at the first opportunity. Currently in self-isolation in Wiltshire, UK

[@philliphamilton3591]

Thank you Xavier, totally captivating! Not sure how to make a Manhattan, so settled for a good old Gin & Tonic.

[@Iamsegesest]

excellent!!

[@marymiller9559]

Tuned into this with difficulty at 5:05, just in time for it to be over. Misleading info on Frick website, and poor link.

[@leonmeyer7806]

The series is so erudite and eloquent. Xavier's knowledge and insights are wonderful. Please do a piece on Titian's Portrait of a Man (this paintings neighbor in the Living Hall). The enigmatic and romantic portrait. My favourite painting in the Frick.

[@susanhepburn6040]

Thank you very much, Xavier. It was so good to put this painting into a wider context. Very much appreciated.

[@danie4dunes]

This is such a wonderful series .. thank you very much. Informative and delightful. Thank you.

[@jayneneewing2369]

What a marvelous description and explanation of this wondrous painting. Thank you very much, sir.

[@kengoto5]

A wonderful commentary on this painting!! Xavier splendidly explains how to look at, and associate our life and world, with works of art.

[@loreleivancouver6551]

This has been an erudite and entirely enlightening and insightful discussion of Bellini's painting of St. Francis in the Desert. It certainly reaffirms my Catholic upbringing and my own beliefs which remain steadfast and true to the Church and community via prayers and patience as we navigate our plight with this blight we face collectively. Thank you Xavier ~ I look forward to your next instalment.

[@dottiejeffries939]

Thank you so much. Your commentary is enriching, including the reading from St. Francis's writings and all the backstories. And fascinating to learn of San Lazzaro degli Armeni. look forward to the next episode. And please send the cocktail recipe ahead of time. I didn't find in my emails from the Frick Collection. Bravo.

[@judithpacht9304]

Thank you, Mr. Salomon, for helping us inhabit Bellini's St. Francis and his temporal desert, his loved animals and his celebration of our world with Brother Sun and Sister Moon -- the poem is magnificent. Looking forward to meeting The Polish Rider on Friday evening.

[@sylviaturks1933]

Wonderful premiere! I enjoyed it very much and look forward to the next episodes. Thank you very much! Wishing you well from Germany!

[@joanbegun9089]

Thank you for sharing your profound knowledge and adding so much to my appreciation of the writting of St Frances and this painting by Giovanni Bellini.

[@lindsayli2438]

Thank you so much for this wonderful exploration. You have brought it to life. Wishing you good health, and I will look forward to next week's cocktail. Cheers!

[@dianethomas1244]

Learned a lot listening to this, thoroughly enjoyed the isolation happy hour from Melbourne, Australia. Thank you. Look forward to the next Cocktails with a Curator.

[@MylifeinJordan]

Thank you, so much! I will be back next week. I would like to see the curators drinking more throughout the video to make it more interactive. For example, have us take a sip every time we hear a 'key word' about the painting.

[@benoitdeschasse2759]

Cheers ! 🍸 The Frick Collection definitely deserves a visit. Thank you so much ! Benoit from Paris

[@hughcurtis4741]

Just loving this weekly podcast - thank you Xavier and how fabulous is the Frick!

[@sammonicuslux]

A beautiful and poignant meditation. Thank you very much!

[@gaetaneverna2488]

Such a rich experience, the content and the concept is thought-provoking and meditative.

[@christinajackson8118]

Thank you for sharing. Lovely to take part from lockdown in North Wales!

[@annamariasergiostefani7554]

Jusr beautiful. Sergio Stefani, New York.

[@elianegans1695]

Thank you Peter--this is truly an auspicious occasion. to hear you, to see the works of art and to drink the fabulous cocktail. Grazie, Merci..

[@willyummiest]

What a great series! The Frick is one of my favorite museums. Mille grazie.

[@isabelbarber4816]

Whenever I see this painting in person, I see the rippling through the rocks - a great echo that radiates (from? around? through?) st francis. I am always struck by the movement in the stillness

[@Michael-sg1ut]

Is there any consideration as to the name of the city and castle in the painting? 🐀

[@paulandrejkovics5426]

Rachel and I are thrilled that you are doing these, Xavier. We look forward to more. Stay safe and enjoy your Manhattan