The Cathedrals of Art

An elaborate interior unfolds like a cathedral of fantasy, crowded with figures, glittering chandeliers, and ornamental flourishes rendered in soft pinks, golds, and pastel hues, giving the whole scene a playful, theatrical air. The piece was painted in 1942 in oil on canvas, and it is held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It came to the museum as a gift from Ettie Stettheimer. The artist, Florine Stettheimer (1871–1944), was an American painter who also worked as a costume designer and designer. One detail worth lingering on is the way the chandeliers seem to float above the crowd, their delicate forms echoing the decorative columns and arches that frame the busy, celebratory gathering below, as if the entire space were built from light and color rather than stone.