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Blog #2 — 10 Comments
10
Sep 17

Museum Story-Guggenheim

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.

Blog #2 — 2 Comments
10
Sep 17

My Guggenheim Experience

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.

Blog #2 — 4 Comments
09
Sep 17

Visit to The Guggenheim

The thought of visiting a Museum is daunting. Concerns of personal creativity and proper perspective begin to play in one’s mind. However, once stepping into the lobby of the Guggenheim Museum, all those concerns were subsided for views of awe and wonder. Thoughts of confusion began to turn to thoughts of how important art is to shape the time period of an entire generation.

Upon arrival to the steps of the Guggenheim, the architecture of the Museum immediately blew me away. Located on 5th Avenue, rows of similar high rises began to become stale and repetitive. Then I saw the Guggenheim. I had seen pictures on Google Maps to familiarize myself for the walk from the 6 train to the Museum, but nothing really compared to the actual structure. In a place where repetition and commonality was a default, the Guggenheim was able to set itself apart from all its surroundings.

The warm reception from the Museum staff immediately put any thoughts of confusion to rest. With the guided tours, we were able to receive vital information and background stories that gave the art work life and meaning. Throughout the visit, the Museum staff was able to dictate which art pieces we would see, how long we would spend at each piece, and most importantly give us their certain perspective on how the art should be viewed. This was not only an example of how the tour guide directed us, but it was rather an extension of the vision of the Guggenheim Museum through their employees.

The unique architecture of the building was art in and of itself. The circular scheme and ramp completely dictates the flow of visitors. The ability to use geometric shapes in the art they collected as well as the building which they saw come to life speaks to the mindsets of Solomon R. Guggenheim and Hillel Rebay themselves. Mindsets of innovation, experimental, and creative expressions of art work that would challenge the art world and its norms. The tile throughout the floor was composed of a circular pattern, which carried on through its ramps and all the way to the sunlight roof. Literally, from top to bottom, the Guggenheim was able to continue the circular theme all while challenging the confines of the art world through its simple, yet abstract artwork of non-objective, cubism, and impressionist paintings.

Through the works collected by Kandinsky, Picasso, Mondrian, and many other famous artists of their time, Guggenheim was able to complete his masterful artwork of a building, with physical showcases of art for the visitors to see. This combination of art really gave visitors an overall enriching experience. My personal over-complicated views of art were challenged by the simplicity of this Museum and made me realize that though artwork may be subjective, architects work on their craft just like an artist would.

Abishek (AJ) Johnson