Walking to the Guggenheim, to be brutally honest, I wasn’t expecting much. I’ve never been much of an art person, or a museum person for that matter, and so I didn’t have the highest expectations. I was heading up 5th Avenue wondering if I would know which building it was when I saw it, and then this huge, white bee hive like structure appears, with my classmates waiting out front; that answered that. As we were waiting outside, I wasn’t paying much attention to the building, but kind of just spacing out and waiting for the signal to go inside. Upon entering the museum, I wasn’t yet struck with the magnificence of the structure; sure, the lobby seemed clean and spacious, but I still didn’t pay too much attention to the layout of all the exhibits.
After meeting our tour guide, Phillip, and seeing his exuberance and passion for the Guggenheim, I became more excited to see what the museum had in store. We started with Kandinsky, who was a creator of quintessential modern art, and the painting we started with is exactly what one might think of when hearing the phrase “modern art”. Our tour guide mentioned that many people dismiss Kandinsky and his art saying that it takes no skill to make, and even non-artists are capable of creating it. Admittedly, I’ve thought that kind of sentiment myself. But Phillip had a perspective that I haven’t heard before; he said that it may be true that the average person would have the skill to make that, the difference is that they don’t.
After talking by that first piece of art for a while, we start making our way up, stopping by some other paintings on the way. At this point I finally see exactly how the museum is laid out-it’s just one big unwound slinky of continuous art, all the way up to the top. Not shockingly, this is a not a layout I’ve ever seen before, whether in a museum or otherwise. I thought it was so cool that someone could walk the entire length of the museum and see all the exhibits without ever stopping, turning, or even moving through different rooms.
The work of art that had the most effect on me was “Woman Ironing” by Pablo Picasso. I just felt like it conveyed so much emotion, even though it is basically all grey. The woman’s posture, her facial expression, and how her eyes were shaded over all told me details of this woman’s life, and made it feel as though she were a real, dynamic person.
After the tour ended, I continued to walk around the museum myself, to see the rest of the art. But again, the architecture of the building that housed the art seemed to strike me more than the art itself (the art was cool too though). I think overall, visiting the Guggenheim was a great experience; individually I found meaning in the architecture, and with the help of our tour guide Phillip, I found meaning in the art too.
Tags: Fresh, Ingenious, Innovative, inspiring, Mind-blowing, Visionary
The fact that you’ve never been “an art person” or “a museum person” is awesome and I say that because the fact that you were able to actually enjoy the artwork and have the artwork resonate with you is amazing. I think that just shows the power of art and the way it can affect you and move you, even if it’s just in the smallest way. I also thought the tour guide was awesome and although I’m a huge fan of art, I think he definitely taught all of us a new way of looking at art and creations. What I found awesome was the fact that you took the time to walk around on your own afterwards instead of immediately leaving the museum. If you took the time to look around with absolutely no obligation, I think that’s all an artist can ask for from each of their viewers and it makes me happy to know that art can create movements of all proportions. 🙂
I’m happy to hear that you enjoyed the trip to the Guggenheim, even if you aren’t the biggest fan of abstract art. I, too, did not appreciate Kandinsky’s work until my tour guide gave me the background and meaning of the work behind it. The architecture of the building was a work of art itself, and I loved that the architect played a huge roll in the revolution of abstract and surreal art as well. Thank you!
I also really appreciated Phillip’s tour! He was so smart and gave me a ton of things to think about. At first I thought he was a bit full of himself and was using a lot of flowery language, but I actually really liked what he had to say. I’m glad you had a good time at the museum! 🙂
I definitely relate to not being totally taken in by the building on first sight, and then growing to appreciate it. When he said the part about how maybe everyone could do this, but the difference is they don’t, I was mildly intrigued. It makes sense in a weird, modern art type way. I love your blog, it is very relatable and you kept it real to how you actually felt.
I really loved the picture of the boy sketching; it added a really personal touch to your post. I thought it was very interesting that you pointed out that many of the artists interpreted life in NYC differently than you (and many others do)- we tend to perceive it as constant rush of cars, pedestrians, classes, jobs, flashing streetlights, and endless responsibilities. However, with all of this comes the vibrancy of our diverse culture and sometimes it takes an artist to remind us to look at our wonderful city through this lens. Loved your post!
-Veronica
The painting by Picasso was definitely a masterpiece due to its simplicity yet intricate detail. It showed culture and that what the Guggenheim is all about. The scene conveyed the powerful emotion of a hard day of work and it also taught a lesson of how powerful art could be. You said you didn’t expect much but I’m sure you were up for a surprise and your open-mindedness helped you translate this “bleak” day into something you won’t forget. You did a smart thing by utilizing these knowledgeable tour guides to their potential. Awesome job!!!!
Alon Bezalel
I love how honest you were in your blog on not being fond of this museum at first, and your opinion changing when you actually visited. The structure of the Guggenheim Museum was not a conventional one, and it personally grabbed my attention. We had the same tour guide, so I agree his passion for the art definitely made the tour more interesting. When you stated,”… Phillip had a perspective that I haven’t heard before; he said that it may be true that the average person would have the skill to make that, the difference is that they don’t.” He did put thoughts that most people were thinking into perspective, and that’s an element I thought was enjoyable about our tour-guide. Overall, great job on your blog it was one of favorites!
I love how honest and open-minded you were throughout your day at the Guggenheim. In the beginning, you didn’t expect much going into the museum and in the end you found meaning in your experience at the Guggenheim and an appreciation for your tour guide. Art can have that impact on you and my advice to you going forward is continue to be open-minded and look for the aspects in art that are relatable to you.
Great work,
Andrew Langer
I was quite interested in seeing how your tour went as compared to my tour. It’s great to hear that your tour guide was full of passion and true excitement to make you feel even more positive about the journey that was yet to come. Personally, my tour guide was more mellow, laid back, informative and interactive with us. Although, he didn’t make us feel ecstatic like yours, he had a huge impact on the trip and I’m a strong believer in that, the tour guides made the trip what it was. Exciting, adventurous, informative and overall a great time. Nice to see that you had enough time to check out the rest of the museum but it was even more interesting to see you were more focused on the landscape that surrounded the art than the actual art. It can be argued what the actual art was.
I was also nervous about the problem of not being an art person and going to the Guggenheim, so I totally relate to your feelings before you entered the museum. What Phillip said about the average person having the skill to make Kandinsky’s art, but no one else doing it really made me think. You don’t need to do something extreme to make a difference, you just need to take that step that no one else is willing to take. I like that idea a lot and I think it’s an important lesson to be learned. You’re lucky that you had time to walk around the museum by yourself afterwards and didn’t have to run to class. Great blog post!