Walking to the Guggenheim museum was a wonderful experience. The sun was warm and bright on my skin. The flowers I passed, like the ones below,
were in full bloom, still had the morning dew on them, with various bees buzzing around them. I felt as if mother nature herself was trying to give me a glimpse of her personal art. Walking up to the museum to find I was not the only early one, was a gift as well. When we were all together and finally got into the museum, there was no wait, and everything moved along smoothly, which is definitely unexpected considering how popular the museum apparently is. Though I appreciated the aesthetics of the spiral building, it was not what I am used to. There also was not much art, although I guess the purpose of the museum is selectivity.
The tour guide was very enthusiastic, and you can tell he felt a deep connection to the museum. Hearing about the art, from someone who clearly loves it, was a great way to really get a proper feel of the museum. I enjoyed looking at the art through his eyes, as well as the way he encouraged us to, so to speak, bring our perspectives the table. One of the last pieces we saw as a group (pictured to the left and below)
, I felt I really connected with. I shared a thought about how the subject of the picture was soulless in its expression but the picture itself was full of emotion.This was one of the few modern art pieces I really connected with. Another being the picture shown below. I loved the color of this piece and the way that everything seemed to pop out. I also enjoyed the way that, no matter how long I looked at it, there seemed to be an endless amount of things to discover in it.
Following a theme set by the first two pictures I enjoyed, most of the art in the museum that spoke to me was realistic in nature. I am not one to usually enjoy modern art, and while the visit to the Guggenheim made me appreciate it a bit more, I still enjoy historical and realistic art more. I am a painter myself( I included some of my pieces down below), using mediums of acrylic and oil paints interchangeably. I am a more realistic painter, and so I guess that it was an art form I enjoy more, as I can connect to it. I saw one piece where it was just two lines painted in an X shape across a canvas. and personally, I cannot see how that would be considered art, but it is in a famous museum so I guess enough people consider it art.
All in all, II felt the Guggenheim told a very intriguing story of artists struggling to get the world to accept their perspective of art. Which is a concept I feel will never end, as there will always be new art forms, and many people to debate what makes something “more art” than another thing. And, so, in a museum of my making, I would also, as the Guggenheim did, have a varied collection, from different collectors. It would be mostly historical art and if I did include modern art, it would be of a more realistic caliber. It would be in an easily accessible place, that would be open to everyone. I would also include a lot of teen artist because I feel there are not enough places for teenagers to display their art unless they get taken under the wing of a professional.
Tags: Accessible, Historical art, modern, realistic, teens, varied
I totally agree with you about Picasso’s painting “Woman Ironing”, I also thought it was cool how it conveyed so much emotion without being one of these paintings that pop out at you with color. Your own personal paintings are also very nice, and it sounds like you prefer a more traditional type of art. Maybe a structure like that of the MET would suit you if you were to open a museum.
I think a space for young artists to showcase their art would transform the culture surrounding visual art as we know it. You’re absolutely right in that teenagers often don’t get the recognition they deserve for their work simply due to their age. A space like this could give adolescents the confidence and power to leave their mark on the community.
Most importantly, you and your artwork are one of the reasons I was perturbed when walking through the Guggenheim. I saw many aesthetically pleasing paintings that were super relatable and emotionally moving and saw others that were very dull and meaningless paintings. You said it best. Your artwork is “”realistic” and are paintings that would make it into my museum if I ever created one. I love how you conclude with how you would display the artwork of teenagers in your museum in order to give them an opportunity to succeed. Unfortunately, I believe many artists’ masterpieces go unseen due to a lack of fame.
Great work,
Andrew Langer
I too loved how engaging the tour guide was! I loved that he encouraged us to find our own perspective on the pieces of art along with a lot of historical context and background behind the pieces. I also loved the beginning of your post and the in depth description of your surroundings. I too love to look at the sceneries around me, especially that area. I can tell nature is a major theme that speaks to you both in reality and in pieces of art.