Jude. "Old Man's Cloth, 2014." Close Up, Travel Words, Accessed January 24, 2017 https://smallbluegreenwords.wordpress.com/tag/museum/
Technique of the Artist
This piece is titled Northeast Gorge at Appledore by Childe Hassam in 1912. The aspect of this painting that truly stood out to me was Hassam's technique of using small, often messy or abstract brushstrokes to result in the creation of the scene. This is a common feature in Impressionism, and one that always impresses me in that when the strokes are examined from up close, they are often of differing colors and patterns. The rocks by the water, for example, appear from a distance to simply be brown, but when looked upon closer it is actually the result of purple, green, orange, brown and grey strokes all placed together to culminate into one single entity, a rock, and then these all result in one final beautiful image. The vibrancy and variety of the colors in this piece is what caught my attention, as I admired the technique and how that also creates an almost blurry haze over the dreamlike perfection of the scenery. A deep respect for the beauty of nature is what I feel this image tries to portray, and is how I grew to interpret it.
Design of the Museum
The design of this exhibit focusing on Asian art is by far one of my favorite sections of the museum. Although there appears at first glance to be a dearth of work, the wing actually appears to be making space for the many sculptures presented in this wing. The feeling of this wing is indeed contemporary, with hardwood flooring and wall details, but possibly the feature that adds most to the serene ambiance of the room is the large window, allowing natural light into the exhibit. The Asian Water Garden is the backdrop of the room, and it's most beautiful features are visible through the window, as if it were a carefully created piece of art. I also enjoy the arrangement of smaller pieces on the sides of the wings, carefully arranged in shelves. This exhibit overall made me feel as though I were in another place, and makes me equally respect the pieces, new and old, abstract or carefully defined.
Art and Core Values
This is a photo of 3 generations of peasant Russian women called Russkie #92 by Anastasia Khoroshilova in 2007. This photo both demonstrates to me the value of heritage as well as the bond of family. Both of these themes affect me and evoke feelings of both longing and love, as I miss my family deeply here in college, and will always cherish and remember them, yet the feeling of loving my family and culture so much that I miss it makes me profoundly happy that I am lucky enough to have a family and culture so unique and loving for me to miss.
Art and the Good Life
When walking by this silkscreen painting (Baez, Myrna, En el patio de mi casa, 1980), I noticed the engagement of the conversation between the two men in the field. I feel as though this painting reflects "sharing the good life", in terms of the intelligent discussion between the three people, as well as the shared time of being in one another's presence, sharing ideas and opinions. This is also both symbolic of friendship, possibly demonstrated by the two men in discussion, and love as signified by the naked woman staring out of the picture looking with almost a smirk at the viewer. These three sit outside in a forest of some kind and all seem out of place in their setting, yet appear comfortable, enjoying their communication and company, sharing and spreading the good life between one another.