Art Medium and Artist Technique

In this piece of art above, titled II-06-94, by Nancy Graves, one may see a collection of items, with very little relation to one another. But with the medium this particular artist used, this sculpture was able to communicate something that may not have been possible though a two dimensional platform. With this crafted art, the artist was able to bring her references to music, botany, astronomy, and anatomy to life. It communicated the idea that these things could coexist harmoniously and work together in support of one another, in the real physical world. This particular medium attempted to take the abstract out of her idea, and I think the goal was accomplished. It had the power to leave the viewer with wonder, optimism, and a new personal view of our own interests and how we could incorporate them together.

Museum Design

This specific wing of the museum pictured above was most appealing to me, for a mixture of reasons. On being its incredibly open and airy layout. In a way, it established an atmosphere that could prepare anyone for viewing art in a whole new light. You have the tall ceilings, white walls, which can symbolize all the room one has to make their own interpretation of what they are viewing. The lighting was another element that added to the experience. It was a very well lit room, leaving not too many shadows to potentially overpower and affect one's viewing of the art. The design and layout of this exhibit made me feel overall very welcome. I'm not a regular at an art museum, and felt quite out of my element, however that specific wing made me feel as if art and understanding art could in fact be for everyone.

Art and Core Values

At a first glance, the whole image of what the artist was trying to portray can be quite unclear, overwhelmed by the many criss crossing lines. When it really come together though is when you look at the title of the piece of art. The painting above was called "Distraught Palm", by Hiram Williams, and after reading that, one can begin to see this piece in a whole new light and analyze the many different elements at play. In my analysis of these elements, I truly began to feel some of my core values being represented--the strong and prominent one being love for the self. Even though that this may have been a "distraught palm" the colors used may tell otherwise. Instead of using darker colors that could very well be associated with the word "distraught", the color yellow was used. It left a feeling of happiness when viewing that piece of art, that joy and love for yourself could still be possible regardless of the situation you may find yourself in. Regardless of the imperfections, loving yourself is still very possible

Art and the GOod Life

This piece of art, titled The Seated Bodhisattva, can most clearly be associated with the Good Life Seeking theme, as it ties closely in with the story of Siddhartha. Seeing this at the museum showed me just how applicable that "seeking" concept could be, given the fact that a prized piece of art in the real world was representing right before my very eyes. This reference to Buddhism is also a reference to seeking the good life, just as Siddhartha had been doing throughout his story. These themes are in fact applicable to outside the classroom, and this piece of art proved that to me. It reminded me, when I least expected it, that seeking the good life is an ongoing process and internal conflict that can be confronted at any given time.