Today I explored the museum in search of an answer to the question "what is the good life?" After spending some time scanning the exhibits and evaluating each piece, I put myself in the shoes of the artist. Every curve, blemish, color tone of each piece serves a specific purpose to making the piece a true work of art, just as in life. In life we take the little things such as friendship, race, religion, and engagement to create our good life, or our piece of art.
The Faunesse Debout by Auguste Rodin was a piece which I focused on the technique used. Rodin has a collection of sculptures that were created to depict the gateway to hell, this piece was one of the many. This is a small scale sculpture of the original piece, which was a massive sculpture in the doorway of the musee d'arts in Paris. The body positioning of the model speaks to me in a sense of defeat. The bowing of the head and presenting of the arm shows that the being is prepared to be accepted into the next life. In the case of Rodin's collection, the sculpture shows that the model is ready to be accepted to hell due to an action of wrongdoing.
The Asian wing of the museum is without a doubt my favorite area within the complex. Not only does the natural light bring energy, the wooden framework brings a sense of comfort, and the foliage from the wet garden bring a sense of tranquility. The forging of glass and firing of pottery is my favorite style of artwork. I enjoy a piece that is built, rather than painted. This wing of the museum is filled with these three dimensional marvels.
I chose Dancing Ganesh as my favorite piece that represents the good life. This sculpture represents blessings and the solving of problems. Ganesh is a symbol for positivity and acceptance, two aspects of life I see to be essential when it comes to experiencing a good life. Ganesh is found in the entrance of almost every single Hindu sanctuary.
The rock garden is the most accurate representation of my core values. Aside to the value of serenity, the rock garden displays originality, organization, and neutrality. Each rivet in the pattern of rocks shows the originality of the artist that formed it. To form a rock garden the artist must move freely in the direction their body and energy leads them. Aside to its containment of originality, the rock garden shows organization. Each larger rock and greenery is organized to cause a feeling of completion. The lack of bright coloration puts your sense of sight at ease, and the light breeze relaxes every other sense. The feeling of being in the rock garden is difficult to describe, but it is an ultimate feeling of relaxation that one must experience.