Yesterday afternoon found me in Philadelphia again, with a break between checking progress on a Glasgow kitchen in Glenside and a Sub-Zero/Wolf appliance showroom opening in the Navy yards. Wanting a little time to myself, I thought that a short visit to the Museum of Art would be a good filler. I still had the armor collection on my mind. Mid afternoon parking during the week by the boathouses is easy and convenient, and museum traffic is light, so I was able to quickly get in and out of the galleries.
Working in product development with high end cabinet companies, I'm pretty tuned in to the rigors of craftsmanship. But the level of skill that went into making suits of metal armor like what is on display here is far more impressive when I think about how manufacturing technology has advanced in a few hundred years since these objects were created by hand. Humbling to consider.
Beyond that, I wonder about the appeal that this genre holds for me. Human and animal forms aggressively interpreted in sinister form. Anthropomorphic and alien at the same time. I think of science fiction and fantasy movies, with Imperial storm troopers, Darth Vader, Robocops, Transformers. I can't help wanting to understand this fascination better. But for now, I will have to satisfy my curiousity with these occasional stolen moments gazing like a child at these eerie displays, with a sketchbook and pencils.
17th century armor, Philadelphia Museum of Art, 8 1/4 x 11 1/4, 2B graphite pencil