The Arts in NYC Fall 2012

For the past two years, I have grown to be a fan of Moma; partly because I was thinking of majoring in art of metal designing back in high school for a short time. But, I was never enthusiastic or brave enough to visit there all alone. This Saturday was my first time visiting Museum of Modern Art by myself.

I was able to sense the artsy environment as soon as I got off at 53rd Street from the train. Even the advertisements on the walls were arranged in somewhat artistic formation along the escalator. As I got up the escalator and out of the train station, I immediately spotted Moma building, which stands in the midst of building jungles. Then, I thought that maybe today I should try to appreciate the artistic values of the surrounding rather than the work of art itself: such as the architectural designs and environment of the museum.

Moma, exteriorly and interiorly, used the color combination of white and black. Their flooring was mostly done by natural wooden tiles. The interior of the museum seemed to have no other purpose than emphasizing the arts– paintings, sculptors, and other models. It’s coloring was really simple. However, as I moved up to higher level I was able to see different things. In one spot, I was able to observe down the lounge areas of second and third floor. The art pieces felt different from this angle as I was able to observe the entire room as one picture rather than looking at each art pieces. Also I felt like the surrounding skyscrapers made Moma more unique and modern compared to other museums. On the Ground Floor Moma has a park-like place where we can sit around. The view of the City from the Moma is quite exquisite. I certainly feels different from the City when I commute to school.

I also looked into few pieces of arts. Because I had more knowledge about abstract expressionism, I was attracted to look more closely into works of Rothko and Jackson. During my last visit of Moma, my friend and I were completely lost and disconnected with the works of abstract expressionists. But this Saturday, I kind of had a clue by looking at the coloring, textures, and general aura of the paintings. Then, I came across this painting “The Voice,” by abstract expressionist named Barnett Newman. His style certainly differed from that of Rothko’s or Jackson’s. His art piece was done on an enormous canvas, just like many other abstract expressionists. His painting contained neither squares like Rothko’s nor the dripped paints like Jackson’s. Instead, it contained simple textures from the weave of the canvas. I stood in front of the painting for awhile to figure out what the artist was even intending to say in this piece. But couldn’t really think of anything. After reading the description, I was able to get a sense of Newman’s intention.

Visiting Moma after learning about some of artists’ lives and styles changed my perspective in art entirely. I did not feel like a complete foreigner anymore. I didn’t go “what the hack?” pointing at abstract expressions pieces. This Saturday was a good day for me to have a hiatus from routinely life and enjoy the view of the City, simple and exquisite architectural designs of Moma, and abstract art pieces.

-Sihun