David A. Cotrin Asian Art Wing. Harn Museum of Art, Gainesville. 14 January 2017.
Medium of the Art / Technique of the Artist
It was rather remarkable to be able to view an authentic Monet in person. While all of Monet's work is widely publicized and can be found in practically any art textbook ever composed, it is nowhere near the same thing as being able to see all the individual paint strokes up close. The piece, Oat Field, is obviously of an oat field which is surrounded by lush greenery and perfected with a light blue morning sky. Being able to see all of the minute details in person, I more highly regard both the work and the painter due to being able to acknowledge the work that went into the piece. Everyone can try their hand at painting, but hardly anyone can compete with Monet. His techniques are unrivaled to this day, exemplifying the popularity of his works. The painting made me feel calm and content, I could nearly just feel the sun on my face and a light breeze coming through the trees when observing it.
Design of the Museum
While I thought that all of the exhibits were nicely put together and presented, I was particularly drawn to the David A. Cotrin Asian Art Wing's design. From the dark brown and off white contrast, to the natural lighting, the exhibit's design in my mind surpassed any other. What I found most appealing about the exhibit was just how well thought out the design was and how everything within the exhibit seemed to nicely mesh with each other. The natural lighting just seemed to make all of the pieces more vibrant and exciting. The sculptures laying on the floor made me think of some sort of modern hip parenting playground. The exhibit neither seemed bare or clustered, dull or too busy. Art filled the walls and sculptures both covered the floor and reached for the sky. The Asian Art Wing made me feel at peace with myself and rather relaxed.
Art and Core Values
The sculpture titled Family appealed to my family values and emotionally reminded me of the love and respect I hold for my immediate family, especially my parents. Visually, the two adults are watching over and protecting the small child. They seem like your ideal happy little family. The parents not only get to protect the child from the angle that they are positioned, but are also able to nurture it and watch it grow. This physical manifestation of family helps me to pinpoint my own personal internal ideals regrading family life and the reasons that I love my family so dearly. The sculpture makes me long for my family as well as remind me of how much they mean to me because of how much I love them. It helps me to see the unbiased, unabridged version of my family ideals as it highlights what I hold to be most important regarding those closest to me.
Art and the Good Life
In Siddhartha, everyone is striving for internal peace, for the emptying of one's mind. Kurland's Sheep Wranglers reminds me of just that. From the sheep blindly following their shepherd to the school children thoughtlessly lounging in the pasture, the picture nearly screams content and tranquility. The piece is able to communicate this theme through the carefree expressions of the young girls and their childish antics. The landscape itself also contributes to the leisurely, content theme as image holds all that will sustain the sheep and keep them from harm. The sheep are likely the most important part of the composition, as if you know anything about sheep, you know that they can't take care of themselves as all. To see them leisurely grazing in the pasture, you know that they have been protected from wildlife, fortified from disease, and have been made to lie down and rest, which they will not do without a shepherd to guide them when domesticated. This scene adds to my understanding of the theme as its more of the American, European setting i'm used to. I more greatly appreciate this theme after being able to view it in action and not only thought of in words.
Credits:
Harn Museum of Art, Gainesville. 14 January 2017.