It's a little tiresome, the reverence that the Frick inspires, so I've designed a new ad campaign: "Miss this collection? ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR FRICKIN' MIND?" For me, the standouts are the Vermeer paintings. This is not an unusual choice. What I like is how particularly unlovely these people are. They look like folks I'd see at the grocery store. I also admire all the drama and mystery: Someone has sent a letter, and its contents are disturbing, and our heroine must digest the information, but she must also wear a "semi-public" face for her maid (her intermediary), who is standing nearby, having thoughts of her own. I think there is a lesson for writers in a Vermeer painting: You don't have to explain everything. Probably, the work is more powerful when you *don't* explain everything. I'm additionally moved by two depictions of St. Francis--one famous, one not. Francis walks outside, in the wind, among the bunnies, birds, and cattle, and ...