Medium of the art/Technique of the artist
This piece of artwork was particularly impressive to me because of the medium, which is polychrome and gilded plaster. Polychrome is used to decorate architectural pieces, and in this case was used over the plaster medium to provide an elegant finish. If it were not for seeing this statue in person, I would not have been able to fully appreciate its attention-commanding brilliance, elevated in the Harn at approximately twelve feet. The artist, Audrey Flack, purposely made the statue tall and shining to draw on classical ideals of democracy and egalitarian society, especially with regards to women. The aim of this piece which I clearly felt, was Flack trying to level the playing field between men and women
Design of the Museum
A wing of the museum I was particularly fond of was the SFI Exhibition Hall in Honor of Avery Myles. I admire the design of this wing for many reasons. Firstly, I love the numerous windows that allow a flood of natural light into the wing. Being a large wing with plenty of space, this wing still feels so open and vast, almost as if to prepare you to open up your mind. I love the minimalism in the white walls, wood-grain floor, and succinct displays. Being early on in the circulation of the museum, this wing prepared my mind to receive what the museum had to offer me.
Art and Core Values
For myself personally, the rock garden by David A. Cofrin in the Asian Art Wing struck a chord in my core values. Rocks are such a powerful symbol for me as something that stands firm, unwaivering, prepared to endure. A rock is very symbolic for me and my faith as to what I should build my life upon - the rock, not the sand- and brings out the emotion of courage from deep down inside me. Also, the Asian architecture of the rock garden reminds me of the values of the Asian culture that I admire, honor and respect.
Art and the Good Life
This statue of the seated Buddha to me is the most accurate depiction of the good life. This piece reminded me of Siddhartha, and his quest for enlightenment. The seated Buddha is a representation of discovered enlightenment followed by a life of peace and understanding. I believe the seated Buddha represents the final destination of the good life, but the life of the Buddha represents the journey, similar to what we see in Siddhartha.
Credits:
Created with images by Sangre-La.com - "iy6843.JPG"