As my partner and I took refuge in the Garth Greenan Gallery from the rain, we were surrounded by white walls with paintings, sculptures, and abstract art. There were mostly paintings on the walls but there were a few sculptures that glistened in the florescent white lights. Many of the first paintings in the gallery seemed to be very intricate, with many styles of painting and colors to contrast the different pieces of artwork. As I moved through the gallery, I noticed that the pieces were in a chronological order; starting from the oldest piece in the gallery all the way to the most modern paintings and sculptures. This piece resided in a side room on the first floor of the gallery and as soon as you walk into the room, you notice that it shares the white wall with a painting much like itself, and also created by the same artist. I did not take a picture of the pair though because only the painting on the right caught my eye. This painting, created by Leonor Fini, seemed as if it was popping out of the frame to jump out of the black background and enter the world that I was in. I looked at the piece and immediately thought it was of a woman in a dress, but upon further inspection, I had a countering thought that maybe this person could be a warrior of some sort. Starting from the bottom of the painting, this person is upon a pedestal, as if to imply they are a person of great importance. Their boots are geometrically perfect in that they are the same height, width, and symmetrical in every way. Each boot has two semicircles that look like protractors that stop just halfway above the shin. The upper legs of this figure are stout and strong. There are triangles all of the piece, and the figure is holding one in their right hand, with a tape measure wrapped around their wrist. The right arm is straight and relaxed. The left arm is bent and the hand is located on their hip. On both arms, there are triangular shapes on the elbows and shoulders, as well as tape measures on their wrists, and compasses circling their upper arm. The figure’s left elbow protrudes the borders of the painting as well as the right hand holding the triangular object. The figure’s dress covers the entire torso and the upper legs. The ruffles of the dress have protractor-like images towards the end and right above them are tape measures aligned in a “V” formation around the figure’s waist. The design on the torso is completely symmetrical and curves towards the shoulders just like the collarbone would. The necklace that they are wearing is tight around their neck and has a ring attached to it. Their eyes are looking down and to their right with nostrils flared but no expression. The figure’s hair is curly and done upwards around a crown in a shape similar to the design of the dress.

This painting brought the room’s dimensions of the gallery into consideration and helped me appreciate the geometry and architecture of the building. Likewise, the white walls around the piece contrasted the colors so that it was more prominent.

My friends and I were walking home from the Macaulay Honors Building and came across this wonderful sculpture. This is a sculpture of a famous sled dog named Balto. The bronze sculpture glistened in the sunlight and reflected off of its fur. Balto is standing on a rock that is risen about 8 feet above the ground and along with that, he is placed on a pedestal. Balto is positioned so that he is sitting with his hind legs bent underneath him and his front legs straight and firm. His fur is layered and near his shoulders, there are many ruffles of fur. His mouth is open with his tongue out. His eyes are welcoming and ears are up and alert.

I used to watch the movie depicting Balto as the hero of Alaska during a disease outbreak and always dreamed of seeing the statue of him in Central Park, but never knew where to look. It was funny that I stumbled upon the statue, which was around a bend of the trail. Walking from west to east, he is closer to the east side. Balto seemed to actually be standing there on that rock like a hero and not just a frozen statue. He brought hope to the children in Alaska and his legacy lives on among the people of New York City.