Daily Archives: October 14, 2013

On the prowl for memories, museumgoers resort to snapshots

In this article in the Washington Post, Anne Midgette writes about the current state of museumgoers and it’s certainly worth reading. We can all relate and easily fall into her observations. She notes that museumgoers do not do much except go to the museum and take photos of the artwork. Few stop to analyze the works of art. They basically just replicate it on their phones and cameras. This really had me thinking. This is my habit. I just take photos of photos and pictures. (Of course, that is becoming less true of taking this class.) If we think about this ac, it’s very useless because all of these photos are on the internet. A simple Google search can bring you to the paintings of Monet. These are likely better than any photo you would have taken anyways. If you want a replicated image, you have the internet. If you go to the museum, go and enjoy the fact the real one is right there, right in front of you.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/museums/on-the-prowl-for-memories-museumgoers-resort-to-snapshots/2013/10/03/051d5924-2790-11e3-b3e9-d97fb087acd6_story.html

Janet K. Ruttenberg NYT Article

When we went to galleries and collections, we were looking at pieces of art that are displayed and meant to be sold or is meant to benefit the owner financially. As surprising as it may seem, there are artists who make art because they want to and do not sell even when the art is highly regarded.

Janet K. Ruttenberg is one of these artists. In the article below, Lisa W. Foderaro writes about this amazing painter. Ruttenberg has painted beautiful pictures of Central Park, in Central Park, but has never sold a single one of those paintings. Now, at the age of 82, she is allowing her 17 paintings to be displayed in a show called “Picturing Central Park,” at the Museum of the City of New York City.

I find it amazing that Ruttenberg has the patience to create this large paintings and to not have a large show for them until now. She painted for the sake of painting and it certainly worth seeing. I wonder how the paintings were kept in such good condition since she painted them on grass and stepped on it.

It’s an interesting read:

Art in Times Square

We have all seen the performances in subways stations. Whether or not we want to, we just can’t help but at least glance at the performers or pay attention to the performance for a minute. Sometimes you will find it to be a nuisance, but other times, you will be fascinated.

A few weeks ago, I witnessed a performer in the Times Square train station. I honestly do not know what type of music or instruments he was playing, but it was captivating. It is a unique sound you don’t hear anywhere else. It’s somewhat energetic and sure to keep you awake. It sounds like a foreign dance song or a song at a festival. One thing I noticed was that almost everyone who walked by stopped for a few seconds just to stare. IT seemed to brighten up some of the people’s days. This music is certainly something worth listening to and trying to figure out its origins. However, it wasn’t only the music that caught my attention though.

His choice of location was almost perfect. He was surrounded by several works of art. One work behind him seemed to show normal New Yorkers walking by. Many seem slightly rushed. Some of the people in the artwork look as if they were also watching him perform. The picture on the wall seemed to mimic the people in real life, rushing to go somewhere but still sopping to stare at the man and his performance. In the wall across from him, there is a work depicting the recording of some sort of show. They are entering the subway station in this picture. One idea we can gather from this image is that there are shows worth seeing and recording in the subway stations, such as this. It might have been the music or it could have been the pictures, but these two combined certainly caught my eye. I wonder if the man thought about his location in terms of his surroundings before setting his act up.

It’s interesting to me that we can see art in New York City in real life, while also standing in front of something depicting the arts in New York City.

What do you think about subway performances, or this performance and his location? Do you think it was on purpose?

Times Square Performance
Art work in Times Square

Art work in Times Square

It’s Cool on the Internet, but Amazing in Person

We all see cool things people have done, on the internet. We never can be sure who did it, if it is credible, where to find it, or if it is even possible. In particular, I am talking about works of art made out of post-its. I did believe it was possible, but I never saw it in person. Whenever I see a photo of one, I wish I could actually see it in person because it just seems so awesome. My wish came true this past weekend. Near Brooklyn Bridge Park, I saw an image of Pac-Man made out of post-its.

It's Pac-Man!

It’s Pac-Man!

The fact that it is looks exactly the same as something you would find on the internet just makes the act of seeing it much better. Seeing something like this on the internet will not be enough anymore now that I know I saw something like this in person.

Is there a meaning behind this masterpiece? Likely not, but we can probably assume that someone in this office is a Pac-Man fan!

Do you ever see things on the internet you just want to see in real life?

Even the Smallest Works of Art can have a Purpose

While walking around in Downtown Brooklyn, I came across this interesting work wrapped around a tree. At first, I thought it was just something made out of legos, but it was so interesting that I gave it a closer inspection. After a couple of minutes, I realized it is more than just something built out of legos and wrapped around a tree! Do you see it? There’s a message. It takes a while to decode.

Can you decode the message?

Can you decode the message?

Perhaps it was built as just a joke, but maybe it wasn’t. Regardless, the message is pretty funny and it is something everyone should consider. “PEE N DIE,” is what the artist wants to tell you. Pee on the tree and you will die. What can we gather from this? People and animals should consider the well being of trees. Try and not harm them with acidic fluids. Passing art like this is easy to ignore. It is always an accomplishment when you actually stop and notice something like this. If you ever see something that seems out of place, take a minute and decode it! Any piece of art can having meaning such as this one.