“Third Times a Charm”
After visiting the MOMA on numerous ocassions, I wasn’t too thrilled to be venturing into that territory once more. As absent minded and irresponsible as it sounds, I decided to leave my visit for the last minute-Wednesday afternoon. Being that I am an Orthodox Jew, these last few days for me have been all about the food and prayer. Apple sauce, apple pudding, apple pie, apple cobbler, and who can forget the apples and honey caused a lull in my life; I knew I needed to branch out of the comfort zone I was in for the last two days and “talk a walk on the wild side” and explore other cultures and ways of life out there.
So on Wednesday afternoon after a grueling math quiz, I set out on my journey to explore the MOMA. My previos visits to this modern haven have either been with my grandparents or on a class trip as a Sophmore in High School so I knew this trip would take a turn for the better. No one telling me what to do or what to see or where to venture, I was free to explore!
At first, I decided to check out the new exhibit, “Century of the Child,” on the sixth floor. All I can say is that my decision is majorly regretted. I could not even begin to fathom what this exhibit depicted or what the artist was thinking. Gold foil with the alphabet placed on it, children’s blocks appeared to me as if they came straight out of the Toys R US Christmas catalog, and canvases filled with splatter paint in vibrant colors and shapes-I was totally confused. So I made yet another attempt to figure out this wacky institution and ventured to the fourth flour. Okay, thinks began to catch my eye and I was starting to enjoy myself.
Immediately, I felt as though I were in the Louvre in Paris. As far fetched as that sounds, I saw massive crowd hovering over a small painting that reminded me of the Mona Lisa and its surge of people surrounding it. This painting was of Marilyn Monroe by Andy Warhol. I’ve always seen replica Warhol’s, or have turned my pictures into Warhol-esque portraits at bar mitzvhas or parties, but I’ve never came up close and personal to one. The colors caught my eye instantly and I was hooked; I became obsessed with Marilyn! To follow my obsession, as I continued in the galleries, I spotted another Marilyn! Only here, she was all cut up and mismatched. James Rosenquist’s Marilyn Monroe (1962) to me, was the ultimate representation of pop art. Both Warhol and Rosenquist took an everyday object of the time, Marilyn and transformed her! The every day person was now able to relate to Marilyn-not just the Hollywood or afluent scene.
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How could I leave the Moma without seeing Jackson Pollack? Pollack has always been my favorite artist. Iv’e tried to replicate his work since age three yet never succeeded. Most people are unable to understand his viewpoint yet his beautiful yet messy, carefree yet meticulous style is what I admire most. You can call me obsessed-I even wrote my Macaulay essay about him.
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Although abstract expressionism is a bit esoteric and may fly over my head sometimes, this visit to the MOMA (although brief and cheap) really made an impression on me. I no longer briskly walked through the galleries counting the seconds on my watch to leave, and I no longer tried to see every piece of artwork in the museum, I now appreciate art for what it’s worth.
Posted: September 20th, 2012 under MoMA.
