Medium of the Art / Technique of the Artist: The piece I am standing with here is an untitled piece by John Chamberlain. It is made of aluminum from crushed cars. I think this medium is very symbolic and shows that art can be anything. Also it represents the reuse of materials thought to be garbage which goes a long way in the heavily materialistic world that we live in today. Once i read why the artist had used these pieces as a sculpture made me appreciate the work that much more. It isn't just a piece of art, it is a statement about the culture we live in and also caused me to look at my own life and think about the way I live. The work made me feel personally responsible for all the waste that we as humans make for the world. It made me sad.
Design of the Museum: The entire Harn is designed incredibly well to accompany the art that it holds. My favorite wing of the museum was by far the African exhibit though. Describe an exhibit or wing of the museum that is particularly appealing to you and explain why you find the design of that exhibit or wing appealing. The way the African wing of the museum is set up compliments the artworks perfectly. Immediately when you walk in all the artworks seem to demand your attention. The lighting and the use of space allow you to see all the artworks right when you walk in but the lighting is not too bright to where you have to squint. The arrangement of the art really surrounds you in the culture of the African continent. The exhibit made me feel cultured.
Art and Core Values: This is a piece by Angel Botello called The Encounter. This work shows the first time that Spanish explorers touched down on the island of Haiti. While the painting distorts the image you can see the confusion on the natives faces. To me this related to my core value of being kind to others. History shows that the explorers were not kind to the natives and still to this day tensions exist. This work brought forth the emotion of sadness in my heart. Realizing all the pain of the natives and the evils done to them when they really could do nothing about it. This helps me better understand why kindness is so important in this world and how much better things could be if we were all just a little nicer to each other.
Art and the Good Life: Describe an artwork in the Harn that conveys a Good Life theme and explain how that work evokes that theme. This is a piece by Emilio Sanchez called Little House by the Sea. It is an incredibly lifelike rendering of exactly that. The vibrant color ways and use of simple geometry perfectly convey what the good life means to me. A simple and quiet life on the ocean. The main theme that this painting shows is the theme of self. The scene is so lifelike and serene that you can almost picture yourself at this location. The feelings that this painting brings forth are ones of calm and quiet. If I could live in this painting I would be living my good life.