Good Life Tour of the Harn Meghan Connolly

This artwork is one of the pieces of Giovanni Battista Piranesi's Views of Rome. There is so much more to these etchings when you see them in person as opposed to looking at them in a picture because there are so many tiny details that you probably wouldn't even notice from a photograph. It is probably unclear in this photo but in the sketch, on the ground a many people working and conversing with each other. These sketches are so small and detailed that the museum supplies magnifying glasses for visitors to use to really appreciate the intricacy of the drawings. While looking at this artwork I thought about how much time, effort, and planning must have gone into creating which made me appreciate it that much more.

The wing of the museum that I found most appealing was the back section where the asian art was exhibited. Not only did I enjoy the sculptures and other pieces of artwork in this room, but I also really liked all the natural light that came in through the back wall that was made of all windows. I feel since there were many different kinds of rocks and minerals shown in this room the sunlight added to the feeling of being in nature and finding art in natural occurrences. Another part of this wing that was appealing was the garden in the very back. This are was a very tranquil place with flowers, flowing water and a small bridge. The whole area was very relaxing and quiet which helped to focus on the artwork once I went back inside.

A couple of my personal core values are freedom and equality. One of the areas at the Harn that involved these two ideas was the section celebrating female artists. A lot of the posters that were on display in this area drew attention to how women's artwork weren't being recognized as much as they should have been. These pictures explained the goals of a group called the Guerrilla Girls which was to tackle the underrepresentation of female artists in art shows and museums. They make sarcastic and eye-catching posters to get their point across but what they are most known for is wearing gorilla masks. These masks hide the members' identities so that they can make the public interest focused on the issue and not the group's individual members. I feel it was very courageous of these women to realize there was an injustice going on and to be able to peacefully stand up for themselves.

This photograph of three young girls holding hands by Sebastian Salgado portrays people going through the effects of poverty, industrialization, and political oppression. This particular picture shows three girls from Paraiba whose economy is primarily agricultural. Frequent droughts caused the people who depended on their crops to really struggle to live comfortably. This picture to me shows three girls who, although they are living a difficult life of poverty, still have each other to lean on. Just because economically things might not be so great it doesn't mean a good life with love and care from friends and family is out of reach. As we learned in class, money and comfort are not what make a good life. It's the relationships we have with other people that bring us closer to a good life.

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