Odd and out of place. Not bad but different.
Those are the first two thoughts that come to my mind when I think of the Guggenheim.
For me, our visit to the museum was simply eye-opening.
From the moment, I laid eyes on the building I was intrigued by it. In a city full of skyscrapers and apartment buildings, the white, circular Guggenheim sticks out like a sore thumb.
A fact, I find to be apropos.
Upon entrance to the museum, one is ushered into an open space. At first, it doesn’t seem like much – a big room with a crowd of other people. But then I looked up. I looked up and saw the most beautiful skylight.
To me, that is the single most spectacular thing about the Guggenheim – all the natural light. This is going to sound strange, but it makes the museum feel alive.
Walking from ramp to ramp, looking at all the different artwork, I felt something. I felt the history of each piece. I felt the emotions of each artist.
I also noticed something. I noticed that even though people were looking at the same painting they all had different expressions on their faces. They all saw different things. In my opinion, that’s truly amazing.
What I saw and what I felt when looking at Kandinsky’s Black Lines differs from what another person could have seen and felt.
Art is individual in that sense.
For our first blog post, we were asked to define art. I wrote that art is subjective and therefore not subject to limitation. I believe that I saw this in action at the museum.
The Guggenheim, in its entirety, demands attention.
Architecturally, it is one of the most attractive buildings in New York City. Externally and internally. In regards to artwork, the beauty of the museum’s collection is its diversity. From Pollock to Picasso and Kandinsky to Monet, there are so many different styles, techniques, and disciplines showcased.
If I were to open my own museum, it would be similar to the Guggenheim, in the fact that different styles would be displayed. However, I think I would make the exhibits more interactive. Instead of canvases being hung from plain white walls, I would put the canvases on easels. I would paint the walls of the museum different colors. I would have a café inside. There would be more benches and maybe a waterfall or two. I think I would even like to have an area for people to create their own art, to leave their individual mark. My goal would be to just create a fun, open, and inclusive space for anyone to use. A space where artists could display their work as well as create it.
