Arts at Baruch

Mercedes Matter Gallery Tour (Arts at Baruch)

November 3, 2009

In this workshop Baruch students got a chance to attend a real art gallery Mishkin Gallery on 22nd St and it was the last baruch workshop i needed to complete my six workshops. The gallery contained art by Mercedes. The artwork was set up in the order of Mercedes life and we were shown at least 10 different pieced of artworks which were a timeline of Mercedes life. She found out that she wanted to paint since she was 6, “My career was determined at the age of six when my father, Arthur B. Carles, bought me a small paint box and took me out into the French countryside to paint by his side.”When Mercedes was 12, she returned to Europe to live in Italy. She was influenced by Giovanni Bellini. This is where Mercedes gained her primary education in art history. Important artists from Rome and Florence were Giotto and Cimabue. The most important piece of art work in the gallery was the final one in which there was skulls. The piece was drawn by charcoal on canvas, and it was the climax of the tour. The painting was done during the time mercedes husband died. The use of charcoal on the canvas is so chaotic and messy it somewhat shows the feeling and emotions of Mercedes during a traumatic experience in her life. This workshop was crowded as it was on of the last workshops for arts at baruch there were tons of students lined up to enter and the gallery only permitted entrance to a few students at a time. We waited an hour before going in, but overall the gallery was quite dramatic and eye catching