Modernism assignment

On my visit at the Met Museum, a particular piece of modern art that caught my eye was Joseph Stella’s Coney Island, painted in 1914. It is a circular painting, mounted with a gold frame. Joseph Stella was an American painter born in Italy in 1877 and died in 1946. He was best known for his paintings of Industrial America such as paintings of the Brooklyn Bridge or Coney Island. His piece on Coney Island is an oil on canvas painting and looked like a kaleidoscope of bright and beautiful colors. With the many shapes and different colors, it is essentially an abstract painting. His use of colors are coordinated with the lights and crowds at Coney Island. Coney Island is a popular area in Brooklyn known for the beach, entertainment, and tourists.

This piece of work is abstract which is  a branch of modern art. I believe modern art is meant to be different, expressive, and sometimes strange. Abstract art uses different shapes, colors, lines, and forms to create a visual reference, which is sometimes hard to depict. I’ve always liked abstract art because I can create my own idea of what I think the art piece is. I was primarily drawn to this art piece because it looked really pretty. When I went closer and examined this art piece and description, I felt like I could see lights, perhaps at night and the sky. Some parts of the art, towards the middle, had intricate small dots which was interesting. I could also see shapes overlapping as well as the jagged lines.

At the bottom right of the piece was his signature in really small light letters, almost as if it was going to mix with the paint. The questions I would ask about this painting are why those particular shapes and how long did it take to paint it? Overall I really liked the painting as well as the trip to the Met. I learned a lot about the different types of  modern art, mediums, and techniques while trying to find an art piece.