The Arts in NYC Fall 2012

Last Friday I went to MoMA for the first time in my life, feeling apprehensive about the intellectual works of art that are referenced to being at MoMA. As I walked around, I noticed the various artists categorized by floors and rooms and the different styles of art that each of them had. From enormous paintings of rectangles with a few stripes to random objects that weren’t augmented at all by the artist, the museum offered a view of the diversity of art that captivates each person that looks at it in its own way. A few things stood out to me right away. The first thing that i really enjoyed was the painting of the continents colored by the    national flags of those countries. This picture demonstrated to me all the different cultures around the world and how they intertwine with other cultures next to it. While America had one flag, Africa had dozens of different flags that made for a very interesting design. There were many different paintings of this kind, with different colors and patterns. As i watched people gaze at this painting, I felt that this type of art united viewers of different cultures and ethnicities as we were all watching this one painting and trying to comprehend its relevance.

Another work of art that really appealed to me wasn’t even something I would consider a work of art at all at first. It was a bag of cat litter,casually positioned along the wall. I didn’t even know how to begin to interpret this. Being a Macaulay student, I was stumped by the message that the artist was trying to send by putting an ordinary item and calling itart. It is these types of art forms that confuse me and make me eager to learn more about the different styles of art and what each of them could mean. 

Another painting that interested me was also not a painting, but an innovative combination of many televisions that portray an artist’s life. These televisions depicted everyday events that the artist does while he’s doing them, going in chronological order from left to right and top to botom. I thought that this was a very unique way of the artist getting his message and emotions across, as he didn’t actually use any oils or paints, but rather used the modern technology to show us his life. To me, the artist seemed lonely as in most of the videos he was alone and seemed unhappy. Seeing the things this artist does everyday on television made me feel like I was observing his life and making my own conclusions based on what I thought his emotions were in the videos. I found this form of art to be very unique and captivating.

And the last two paintings that stood out to me were provocative, as they challenged authority and society as a whole. The first picture shows a person pointing a middle finger to what seems to be a government building, which made me believe that the person was not going to follow the rules and laws of the authority and will stand up and “fight the power”. The second painting shows the same person pointing a middle finger to a whole town, therefore challenging society as a whole. To me, that meant that this person did not want to follow the norm of humanity and abide by their customs and rules. The person wanted to be unique and make his/her own place in society. These two paintings send a really strong message to me, as a viewer, of the artist’s opinion of authority and peer pressure and following the norm.

Overall, I enjoyed my visit to the museum as I got to look at many different styles of art and cultures that are expressed in the art pieces. The museum offered a window into a different world or a strong political, social, or cultural message in every painting. When people come to MoMA, they can appreciate the diversity of the art works and find something that suits everybody. I will definitely visit MoMA again once I have a better grasp on art.