When I first entered the rooftop of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, I saw that the area was quite concentrated with people. I thought that this was going to be an interactive experience where we could converse with others about what they thought about Caro’s artwork. Since I haven’t been to a museum as far as I can remember, I thought that this experience was really going to be memorable. Instead, I felt totally indifferent about the whole exhibit and encountered many pretentious upper class people. All I saw at the exhibit was just a bunch of metal “sculptures” if you may call them that that really had no place with all these upper class rich people and their condescending demeanor.
I thought that the exhibit itself was dull at best. All I really saw was just a bunch of metal pieces welded together without even a description. The only positive thing I could find about Caro’s so-called sculptures was the vivid colors but it could not match up with the unbelievable view. The rooftop scene of the beautiful Manhattan that the Met offered was inarguably more aesthetically pleasing than the other “things” that were on top of it. It seemed that nobody was really paying attention to the sculptures other than our classmates. I definitely felt like I didn’t fit in, as I didn’t have a cocktail in my hand and was sincerely trying to take notes about what I felt. The social environment definitely detracted from Caro’s sculptures. The wealthy elites of Manhattan seemed to be enjoying themselves with their drinks more than the actual exhibit. For them, the artwork acted as an obstacle that was just in the way so they used it as a place to rest their drinks. If perhaps there were less people, the question wouldn’t be “Which flavored martini should I get?” but “Which sculpture do u think is the most aesthetically stimulating?” I don’t really blame these people with their disregard to the sculptures because of the wonderful scenery but their disregard to the others around is what was upsetting. I mean, who would actually be paying attention to the bulks of metal rather than the beautiful scenery from the roof.
Although I spent quite a bit of time just scrutinizing Caro’s sculptures and just trying to see if they had any meaning to me, I just couldn’t come up with anything. I actually spent more time appreciating the scenery rather than the actual artwork from Anthony Caro with no disrespect. After I was done with my observations, I still was not satiated by my visit to the Met and didn’t feel that I would be so I quickly maneuvered through the masses of people, trying not to bump into anyone and dropping their drink (that would be the end of the world). As I rushed towards the exit, I was stopped in my steps by all these other magnificent paintings. I think took a one hour detour just looking around the museum which I thought was way more stimulating than the sculptures I had seen on the roof. The experience I had with the paintings inside was deeper than experience I had with the sculptures. This face from the Met accurately describes how I feel about the sculptures.
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