Great Works II

I have been lived in Brooklyn for several years and I never thought about visiting Brooklyn Museum of Art. Thanks to this assignment, I finally have an opportunity to explore vast collections and great cultural treasures all around the world within a day. They include Ancient Egypt‘s Divine Feline exhibition, African Innovation gallery as well as Native American spiritual art pieces. In addition to these ancient art works, you can also visit modern and contemporary art works from exhibition such as Revolution Works from the Black Arts Movement. The most memorable exhibition for me is The Dinner Party by Judy Chicago, the most significant icon of 1970’s feminist art.

I was attracted by the exhibition first because of its spectacular open triangle shape connecting there separate tables. Each table was decorated by thirteen unique place settings. For each setting, there is a gold ceramic chalice on the upper right corner, a delicate china-painted plate in the center, utensils displayed evenly on both sides of the plate and an embroidered cloth placed underneath everything. In each cloth, a well-designed name appears intricately. When I looked at the floor, I was surprised to see many black-colored words spreading across the floor under the triangle table.  As a spectator, I have many questions in my mind. What is the purpose of this party? What do they celebrate for? Who are behind those names? Why only 39 plates are displaced? Why choose a triangle setting? What do those words mean?

The Dinner Party was created for recognizing and celebrating the achievement of 1,038 actual and mythical female figures publicly. Most of these women had been neglected by society when they were alive. Thirty-nine place settings represent the most significant ones and the names of the other 999 women are inscribed on the floor. I admire this exhibition not only because of its innovative design, but also its meaningfulness. It reminds me of the sensuous woman and women figures in Candide.  All these women figures suffer from inequality in various ways and contexts.  The sensuous women didn’t have equal social status and opportunities to support herself as men did; therefore, she had to depend on men and eventually enjoyed doing so. Honored women figures struggled for making their ideas known, fought against gender perception and fought for equal rights. I can’t stop thinking the word-feminist after I left the museum. What does it really mean by being a feminist? Does the desire for equal rights enough label a woman feminist?

Shakyamuni Buddha with Sixteen Arhats

The Rubin Museum of Art contains so many fascinating ancient artwork of the Himalayas, mainly focusing on Tibetan art. Even though the museum had a large number of interesting exhibitions and paintings, the piece of art that intrigued me the most was called the Shakyamuni Buddha with Sixteen Arhats. This artwork was painted by an unknown artist and depicted the ancient Buddha sitting down in lotus position on the center of the painting. The painting was made in Northern India, now known as Tibet.

Reading the description of the painting, I was able to figure out that the Shakyamuni Buddha with Sixteen Arhats had significant meanings behind it. First of all, the artwork contains the ancient Buddha in the middle of the painting. The main reason why is due to the fact that the Buddha is a prominent and noticeable icon in the Buddhist religion. Followers of Buddhism worship and praise the ancient Buddha to achieve enlightenment. Another major aspect of the image is that the Buddha was painted with rich colors such as royal red. As a result, we can conclude that the Buddha is usually painted with wealthy materials to indicate the the Buddha is a powerful figure. When I first looked at the artwork, my eyes went directly to the center where the Buddha was illustrated. Therefore, the artist purposely made the religious icon stand out by making the Buddha drastically bigger than everything else contained inside the painting. The image appeared to be symmetrical and conveyed a sense of a three-dimensional space. The contrast between light and shade in Shakyamuni Buddha with Sixteen Arhats gives viewers the illusion of a three-dimensional space. The Buddha is also surrounded by Sixteen Arhats. The Sixteen Arhats are pure individuals who attained nirvana. Among those Sixteen Arhats, there are Four Guardians of the Directions pictured at the bottom right of the artwork. These four directions are north, east, south, and west. The number four is also extremely significant because it relates to the Buddha’s teachings of the Four Noble Truths.

To conclude, the Shakyamuni Buddha with Sixteen Arhats was not only captivating to look at, but it also helped me understand more about the Buddhism culture. A viewer of an museum can interpret a piece of art in many different ways. Hence, looking at an artwork can raise an individual’s knowledge. In my opinion, I think paintings or any artworks in general that make you understand more of a topic is extremely beneficial.

-Moe.

Wandering around the vibrant and colorful artwork displayed in the American Folk Art Museum of the Upper West Side was me, on a nice Wednesday afternoon. I observed the brilliant pieces presented in the gallery by artist Ralph Fasanella whose work spoke volumes as his pieces depicted urban working life and his critiquing of American life following the events of World War II. The one piece that turned heads and caught my eye was a painting titled “American Heritage” (1974).
At first glance, the piece had a lot going on in all directions as this piece centered on the front entrance of the White House with a rather patriotic scene. Masses of people bombard the scene of the White House but a closer look in detail reveals a not-so-pleasant scene. People in the painting aren’t celebrating an occasion but they are mourning lost ones as they surround the stared and striped decorated coffins. Funerals are being held in front of the White House, but who these people are mourning is a question that any spectator would ask. People are mourning the deaths of notable figures and heroes in American History such as John F. Kennedy, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. These figures were either assassinated or executed which brings light to the intent of the artist and why Ralph Fasanella chose to depict this scene in his painting.
With this painting, Fasanella expresses his anger and criticism of American politics following the post-world war II era. Above all the funerals being held is a dove that no one shall miss whom sits atop the White House as it seems to symbolize peace and its view of displeasure on American politics that took place during the eventful era. Peace activists loom the scene Fasanella criticizes the system of American politics as destroying anything to keep the system moving as this piece operates to show the struggles and sacrifices that came along with trail of American History.

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum—popularly known as The Guggenheim—is home to renowned artworks by a vast array of artists. Displays are not restricted to traditional paintings by some of the more popular names such as Picasso, van Gogh, Monet, and others of their caliber; artworks of the modern age also have their fair share of space in the museum. Ranging from the common media of canvas and oil, the Guggenheim houses digital artworks, multimedia arts, and installation objects, among several others. The museum regularly showcases exhibitions throughout the year. Currently, The Guggenheim is holding an exhibition of four major ‘themes’: “Under the Same Sun: Art from Latin America Today,” “Kandinsky Before Abstraction,” a tribute to Frank Lloyd Wright, and the Thannhauser Collection.

What particularly fascinated me, of all the exhibitions, was the “Under the Same Sun” collection. The exhibition consisted of artworks of mixed medias by a number of Latin American artists. These artworks weren’t of the typical kind one would expect to see in a prestigious art institution; every single one of them was composed of anything but canvas and oil—plasterwork, light strips, and full-on blasting fans, to name a few.

What seemed to be the centerpiece of “Under the Same Sun” was the plasterwork that made a parody out of the famous Del Monte brand. The plasterwork started out seeming plain before it turned provocative. Where the brand name was supposed to be was instead the phrase ‘Del Montte,’ and underneath it was the word ‘criminal.’ This parody provoked my thoughts as I asked myself, “Why would someone criticize canned tomato paste?”

I was fixated on the plasterwork. After further observation, it wasn’t tomato paste that the artist was criticizing. The phrase “struggles for land” filled up the brand’s space, and the backdrop to the lookalike was a hand of bananas. The artwork was not a demand for tomato paste in Guatemala, as I had presumed; rather, it was criticism on Guatemala’s politics. The plasterwork represented the Guatemalan people’s resource—the bananas—being exploited by “corporate interests.” In my opinion, the plasterwork must be thought as ‘not politically correct’ by certain people; however, the outlet that the artist used to convey their message of political opposition couldn’t be more creative. Personally, it was the crassness of this conceptual Latin American artwork that lured me in.

All in all, this assignment—having to go to a museum—really broadened my perspective. Aside from the visual stimulation, this assignment made me realize that it is important to think critically; in this case, seeing what is hidden in plain sight.

The tranquility found in the “Rooftop Garden Commission” by Dan Graham with Günther Vogt lies in the laughter and quite conversation among the young and the old, of the muffled strides of strangers walking on top the fake grass, and of the winding mirror that reflect almost to all the people and the garden around me. The tall, winding, two-way mirrors between parallel hedges of equal height are like a centerpiece engaging the attention of visitors to enter on either side of the piece. On entering a side of the sculpture, I can see my own reflection, the reflection of another, the reflection of the hedges behind,and the reflection of Midtown Manhattan’s skyscrapers. I’ve become absorbed in the act of seeing.

I’ve read about the commission to be inspired by a maze, but never would I have expected a maze to be as transparent as this, nor as simple as this. I am not lost in trying to find my way out. Despite the curvature of the steel rimmed mirrors, my walk into the sculpture is my walk out. As I walk in, I walk alongside the curve because it is similar to how a movie reel depicts images on the big screen. I can enjoy watching several reflecting images alone, moving behind me as I step forward. With each step, however, I leave people and material objects behind me until I became the focal point with the occupied garden as my backdrop. At the end of the sculpture, I came to face myself, to see myself, to meet myself alone. My eyes were on me. I decide to turn back, essentially to acquit myself from the sculpture. I was then welcomed by the same vastness I chose to give up. I wondered afterward if my leaving these people and those objects behind meant anything if I’m left alone.

Graham’s sculpture is an interesting piece. I met with solitude and companionship much quicker than I would have wanted. However, by forcing the action of looking onto the visitor, Graham shows that these feelings are always around us. We can leave behind anything and gain anyone, but as long as we keep looking, we’ll feel something.

The museum I visited was the Museum of Natural History on the Upper West Side near Central Park. Haven’t been to this museum for at least 10 years, I forgot there were so many exhibits and how big the museum actually is. As a little kid, I would only look at the exhibits that were fun and exciting, such as the dinosaurs or other big animals. This time around, I decided to take a look at some exhibits I’ve never been to or knew that existed. One of them was the Hall of African Peoples.

The Hall of African Peoples displays African culture and lifestyles dating back all the way to ancient Egypt. The hall contains four environments: the grassland, desert, forest, and river. I spent most of my time in the forest region, or the woodland. The exhibit was well organized and represented each region with a different color, so visitors wouldn’t be confused  and easily realize what region they’re in. With so many artifacts and collections, I was able to learn how they developed, their cultural traditions, religions, beliefs, and hobbies. One thing the forest Africans valued a lot was their music. Not only was it a form of entertainment, it was a type of language. They made drums and idiophones out of the limited resources they could find in the forests. These hand made instruments allowed them to express their thoughts and beliefs. In addition to their music, there are so many more aspects of their lives to learn about.

Idiophones

Other Musical Instruments

Overall, having this assignment and coming to the museum made me realize how many benefits a college student can take advantage of as well as the many museums New York City has to offer. It was a great experience to relax and enjoy a day at a museum that I haven’t been to for so long. I recommend everyone to find the time and check out the Museum of Natural History, where you can learn so many things you wouldn’t learn from school or on your own. Plus, there are so many exhibits that at least one will interest you.