Medium of the Art/ Technique of the Artist: In this painting called "Overlook Mountain, Woodstock, New York", the artist, Ernest Fiene paints with oil onto a canvas. Using oil really showed the textures of the picture he wanted to appear. It also made the colors blend well into a colorful masterpiece. Of course it was difficult in getting the textures into the picture that I took, but seeing it in person and looking at all the blends and bumps the oil made made the painting come to life as if I could step inside the painting itself. Fiene used techniques to consider the modern away forms are taken by the present human eye today. People like to see liveliness in art and this was definitely accomplished in his work. He used the bright colored hues to show his admiration of a French painter showing the culture behind this piece of art as well.
Design of the Museum: The particular wing that I spent a lot of time in and caught my attention was the Asian culture wing. This wing as you can see, had wooden floors, great lighting, and open space. The wooden floors matched the Asian culture and gave the art a rustic, historical, and important aspect. I have always been intrigued by the Buddhist culture and seeing the sculptures of the Buddha and Lord Ganesh was very appealing to me. My favorite part of this wing though was the view it had outside. The back wall was covered with windows viewing out to a botanical garden with a waterfall and walkway in which you could either admire from inside pr even go outside and walk through the garden. This view made me enjoy the artworks even more with nature clearing my mind and making me feel more relaxed with the sound of the waterfall in the background outside.
Art and Core Values: I had two pieces of art that caught my emotional attention and meant more to me than just artwork. The first is called "Ode a l'Oubli" created by Louise Bourgeois. This art is several framed pieces of hand sewn and stitched cloth collected through her life. It shows the steps and forwardness life takes everyone in different ways. Her art mirrors her childhood experiences of wit and anger and I relate to this when my parents got divorced. She provides this art piece for reconciliation and closure of the past. It says to me that the past is the past and one can only move forward and build upon it. The framed cloth that says "I had a flashback of something that never existed" is something that really hit me hard because at times I imagine what things would have been if they were a different way and imagine a different life of my own, things that have never happened to me. Then, the second artwork I chose is called "Primary Series: Blue Stone" created by Lee Krasner. It consists of blue ink on woven paper and is viewed by each viewer differently. I relate to this in that I view many objects and ideas very differently from others. Sometimes I think viewing these ideas differently means I'm wrong or odd, but this art makes me realize that every single individual can't see the same idea in art and that is what makes us human.
Art and the Good Life: The Good Life is different to every single person. This artwork is called "Reina Xochitl (Xochitl Queen)" made by Alfredo Ramos Martinez using gouache on newsprint. Xochitl is a day in the Aztec culture celebrating the good life. In celebrating the good life, according to this art, we celebrate the beauty and truth and remember that life is like a flower in that it is beautiful, but does quickly fade. It reminds us to enjoy the celebrations because life does not last as long as one thinks. This art shows that we want to achieve what the Xochitl goddess does in the picture with symmetrical cactus in the background showing qualities of formality of life while also holding beauty close to oneself. When enjoying the good life we must see the importance of beauty, but still have the seriousness of life in the back of our minds. She holds the beauty as if showing it off while still gripping onto it with the cupping formation of her hand around the flower, protecting the beauty, cherishing the beauty that life provides.