A proud portrait of one of the artist's friends begs for close comparison to imitators. The contrasting oils fall in opposite corners. Except for the majas at the very end, the curators show precious little uncertainty about their judgments. They just point us to the right stuff and crow. These wall labels highlight not the specificity of one artist's point of view and influence, but simply his quality.
Every medium is accorded the same aura of high art.
Whether oils for the Spanish royalty or prints reproduced for a wider audience, no matter. I welcomed the Met's humility faced with the question of who copied Goya's majas . I could not help thinking, however, that the curators reserved judgment this once because they were the ones with the copy. In all fairness, Rembrandt's curators present the intelligence and openness that I missed over in the Met's older wing. Well-spaced rooms display each phase of the artist's career.