As a New Yorker, you hear places such as the ‘infamous’ Central Park, Broadway, Times Square, the MET, and of course the Guggenheim. I’ve never visited the Guggenheim museum before, but only saw it in movies and pictures. I was always mesmerized by the structure of the museum, it was art itself. So having this museum as one of our first field trips was truly exciting.
Before arriving to the museum, I strolled pass Central Park and tourists being captivated by the city that I call home. The Guggenheim, located right by the park, is the ideal spot for tourists or even locals to appreciate the art that was created by renowned artists such as Henri Rousseau and Pablo Picasso. When I arrived at 5th Avenue, I was taken away by the building itself. I was having my college class at a place where people come around the world to visit. The intricate architecture of the dome-shaped museum was outstanding in person. The moment we entered, I looked up at the amount of floors this place consisted of. Each floor, carrying art that tells the story and history of society. People walking the ramp up to the sunlight roof brought fluidity to the museum as the visitors were piling in. The roof brought sunlight throughout the entire museum. Our tour guide was extremely informative, which helped bring the art to life and give it meaning. His passion led our group to be engaged with the pieces of art. He answered all our questions with such detail, it was almost as if he was alive during that time period.
I had two pieces of art that stood out to me during my visit. The first one was by the renowned artist, Pablo Picasso. I was in awe on the fact that I was standing in front of a painting that I learned about throughout my entire time in school. The detail that Picasso put on the piece with the color he uses and the way the waves were moving exhibited his feelings he was going through. Another piece that caught my eye was of a woman ironing. It revealed about the struggles and the work-life in America, an everyday chore was a way of making a living. The way the woman’s posture is stiff, her empty facial expression, and her shoulders arched in a tense position depicts the endeavors Americans went through. Art is able to tell a story about the past as well as the future of society, and how far a generation has grown.
If I were to create my own museum, I would like it to have a simplistic scheme like this museum conveyed with the white walls. The architecture of the museum plays a huge role on how you want your visitors to flow through the artwork. I learned how the museum itself can be art as well. I personally would want my museum to be in a maze-structure, so visitors can actually get lost in art. I would also like it to be informative, so they can get meaning out of the work they’re looking at. In that case, I would include descriptions by the pieces and have tour-guides that are well-educated on the art as well. This experience was different than any other museums or exhibits that I visited in the past, and it opened my eyes to art in New York.
