Category: BLOG POST 3 (Page 2 of 2)

There are numerous factors that can affect a viewer’s experience when in an art gallery. Lighting, spacing, and the setup of the pieces of art all play a role in this. A sleek, typical white cube draws the audience to examine the artwork in a minimally invasive setting, whereas a gallery with colored walls, or windows, may alter this focused outlook. Teresa Burga and Ishiuchi Miyako present two contrasting galleries, not only in their different forms of art but in their different presentations of it. Miyako’s photographs and Burga’s sketches and sculptures are contrasted by their differing mediums as well as these outside factors. 

Teresa Burga’s gallery, presented at Alexander Gray Associates on 510 West 26 Street, contained artwork of different natures, but related in their outcome. This gallery was set up with sketches hung around the room, leaving the only two sculptures in the middle of the floor. At first glance the pieces may seem to have no relation, but when examined more closely, the sketches dictate what the other pieces were to become. Burga’s setup of the room affects the viewer’s experience with her work, as it grabs their attention, forcing them to reexamine the artwork once this connection is made, thus intriguing the viewer to discover more similarities in the other pieces. One of the pieces in the installation, “Serie Máquinas Inutiles” depicts a pen on paper sketch of the featured sculpture, “Serie Máquinas Inutiles, Lámpara”. The intended purpose of this being a series rather than a stand alone sketch, along with the setup of the room, begs the viewer to go between the artwork on the wall and the sculptures on the floor. This affects their experience as they are now drawing comparisons between the pieces and feel a connection within the confines of the room. Additionally, the room’s use of the “white cube” setup brings the focus to only the artwork and the connections within the artwork, giving no direct correlation from the art to the room but rather connecting the art to the other works of art.

Not all galleries utilize the “white cube” aesthetic that is described by O’Doherty. Ishiuchi Miyako’s gallery, presented at Fergus McCaffrey on 514 West 26th Street, uses both her artwork and the space in which it is presented to enhance the viewer’s experience. This gallery uses painted walls to connect with the photographs. The gallery first opens with a black wall that holds black and white photographs, such as “Yokosuka”, and then transitions to grey, pink, and blue walls, along with photographs that contain a relative color scheme. Miyako’s use of the gallery space affects the viewer’s experience as it gives them a sense of separation from the different related works, as the bodies of work have similarities to the ones they are grouped together with, but contrast more with the works of art on a different colored wall. The use of colored walls also allows the viewer to see the photograph past its original boundaries. The photograph is no longer constrained to its frame, but can now bleed into the outside world. “Yokosuska” in relation to the wall is examined differently than “Innocence #77” on its grey wall, as the aesthetics of the whole room shift to adapt to the altered theme and evoke different emotions out of the viewer. 

Burga and Miyako both present artwork that is in someway connected, yet they present their galleries in much different ways. Burga’s use of the classic white cube as compared to Miyako’s use of colored walls creates a different environment for the viewer, and therefore a different experience. Burga’s artwork in relation to its setting may urge the viewer to focus on the bare aspects of her sketches whereas Miyako’s artwork leads the viewer to see it in a different setting, connecting the emotions that are evoked from the photograph to the emotions that are related to those colors.

With a destination in mind and a mission to accomplish, my group and I headed out of the Highline and towards twenty-second street. The street was hectic with the sound of jackhammers and construction. The first gallery we walked into would be the first “white cube” archetype of the many others we soon will discover. However, D.C. Moore’s gallery is one of multiple in an upstairs department of the 525 building complex. Upon exiting the industrial elevator and arriving to the third floor, we were greeted by a bright glean of white and distilled beauty, which was quite the contrast from the busy environment outside. In it, there were rectangular frames of differing sizes on the white walls that depicted “Daytime New York” by Yvonne Jacquette. The empty space around the frames created a serene effect. Due to this, viewers can take in and understand the beauty of New York in daytime. By limiting the sensation to our eyes and our brains, the artist is effectively able to separate the other factors associated with viewing these buildings regularly. The gallery space isolates the paintings from the everyday bustle inherent to New York while simultaneously displaying this very bustle. This was only one of multiple artists showcased in the gallery. The other artist’s works are devoted to particular sections within the space, branching off of the main central opening, thus permitting viewers to roam freely to their heart’s content. After experiencing only one gallery in a building filled with them, I was quite thrilled to enter the other different “art worlds” within this space. Unfortunately, the other galleries were all either closed or were to be available in the distant future.

The next gallery amidst the many other “white cubes” in twenty-second street, although also a “white cube” itself, effectively made each artist showcased feel like a new “art world” through the use of narrow hallways separating each open area. This layout of the Mitch Epstein gallery at the 530 building made the viewing experience one continuous flow from artist to artist, since in order to access the artwork at the end, one must go through all the artworks from hallway to hallway. The overall aesthetic is similar to the first gallery, yet the viewing experience was different. This gallery is more streamlined and mostly has photographs while the first was open, branching, and mostly had paintings. The final wall of photographs, after going through the many passageways of traditional photo print, subverts all expectations. This final space at the very back stuck out like a sore thumb. On it lies five images by Jeffrey Gibson, which all blare with bright and intrusive colors. Such images include “IF I RULED THE WORLD” and “THE FUTURE IS PRESENT”. The sharp contrast between the bright frames and the solid white walls causes the viewers to try and discern the messages which the collage is attempting to convey. The plain white color in the background only aids at honing in the artwork’s unorthodox and “nonplain” font. While the other framed art pieces leading up to this point contained printed photographs conveying a message through an image, this one contained collages with messages printed out in a wacky font.

The first gallery my group visited was not only one of the most memorable ones, but it also had a visibly different design and play on the “white cube.” The exhibit was called ACA galleries and it was located on 529W. and 20th street. The building was very big and there were about two galleries on each floor. My group found the ACA gallery very intriguing because it did not stick to one design. One wall would just have a huge painting, while another would have multiple works of art. Another would have works all from the same artist, while there would be one which broadcasted a wide range of local artists. What amazed me the most was the color change between the walls. Although each wall used the “white cube” design as described by O’Doherty, they contrasted in the color of the artwork. As shown in the pictures, one wall just focused on artwork with reddish colors, while another focused on artwork with greenish and bluish colors.

The artwork that stood out the most to me in this gallery was a piece created by Joseph Peller. The piece, called “After Hours Club”, was stunning and I think the “white cube’ style layout added to the painting. Although the “white cube” design is supposed to create this emptiness so that people are purely focused on the artwork, it has a sort of different purpose for this artwork. I believe this particular design adds to the wide range of colors seen in the painting. I think the lack of color in the room almost makes the painting seem even more bright and flashy then what it would look like on a normal wall. The “white cube” makes the painting more visually appealing and makes it seem as though it is more colorful than what it really is. 

The next gallery I found very interesting was the Sato Sakura gallery. I also found it a bit funny because it had pretty much the same design as the “white cube”, although the its walls were colored black. The works of art are still in the middle and there was still a spotlight on each painting. The only real difference in design between the previous galleries and this particular one were the wall colors. Even though there was this slight difference in design, I believe it made a big difference when looking at the artwork. The “white cube” design made the color in the piece by Joseph Pelle stand out, while this “black cube” design not only did that but it also made the artwork almost blend in with the wall. As shown in the picture below the black design did make the white elephants stand out, but it also blended in with the edges of the artwork which are also black. It almost made it seem as though you cannot tell where the walls end and the artwork begins. 

My favorite art piece in this exhibit was called “Monet’s Pond” and it was designed by an artist called Reji Hiramatsu. Similarly to the previous art piece, the lack of color in the room made the work of art stand out even more. Furthermore, I think the gold and black frame added to the painting and added a contrast to the blue and different shade of gold in the art piece. What I thought to be the most interesting part about the gallery was that near the work of art, there was the stone used to make the art piece. Sadly the pictures do not show the glow and the brightness of the crystals, but you can still see the purplish color of the crystals which are in the work of art. I have not seen an art gallery yet that not only shows the work of art but also shows the material it is made of. 

A story is the difference between an artwork and a splattered tarp. If hung on a canvas and set in a gallery, a Jackson Pollak painting can sell for millions. However, if left in the back of a moving truck, the average person wouldn’t pay over a few dollars for it. The proper aesthetics in a space can tell the story to sell anything from art to coffee. When someone buys artwork to hang in their living room, they want to be able to share its story with their dinner guests. Similarly, the aesthetics in a coffee shop are designed to induce a certain feeling or share a mission statement to differentiate itself from its competition. Many galleries in the Chelsea area are carefully designed to share part of the artist’s intentions or methods behind their artwork. This attention to small details often bolsters the story behind the art that helps it sell without a salesman.

In the Alexander Gray gallery on West 26^th Street, the white cube-like gallery is not the only geometric shape on display. In the center of the first floor stands two eight-foot transparent sketch-like sculptures by Teresa Burga. The two vase sculptures are the exact three-dimensional copies of two sketches that hang on the wall. The room’s white background creates the illusion that the vase is not an empty three-dimensional sculpture, but rather just an enlarged sketch that is still hanging. Additionally, the art on the other side of the gallery parallel’s a similar theme of scale and dimension.  An intricate geometric checkered board gives the illusion that it is leaping off the wall beside its small two-dimensional sketched sibling hanging on an adjacent wall.

Teresa Burga Vase Sculpture

These examples of sketches hanging beside the finished work as intended by the artist help illustrate the story without a title or a salesman. On the two vase sketches, the proportions are carefully written beside the sketch. With these proportions, the sketches retell the process behind the sculptures’ creation. However, the decision to hang up the sketch may not have been up to the artist. Most probably, the art gallery made a conscious decision to add this extra flavor, or story line, to the art when staging the gallery to help the artwork sell.

Vase sketch with dimensions

For the second art gallery, the setting was a bit more unique. The photographs on display are visible from the entrance, but only once your eyes glaze across the rest of the warmly decorated space. In the center of the gallery visitors can sit on a brown leather couch with a Parisian carpet underneath it. The exposed vents and stone ceiling reflect the industrial Chelsea atmosphere. Instead of the white cubed walls, the color is a warm living room beige that is closely tied to the pictures and the galleries’ purpose.

Similar to the geometric shapes depicted in Teresa Burga’s sketches, Ashok Sinha’s aerial photographs show the geometric landscapes of Nevada, Minnesota, Utah and California. Each of the four pictures is in a different hue and represent a different season. The shots were taken from an airplane while flying from New York to Los Angeles in the winter time. The colorful display of the four seasons through aerial photography is perfectly in tune with the warm living room aesthetic of the gallery. Furthermore, the gallery is not just reflective of the aesthetic of these colorful photographs. Better yet, the pictures and the furniture in the gallery are aligned with the purpose of the space: to sell the seasonal hot cup of Pumpkin Spice Latte, a Starbucks beverage.

Ashok Sinha’s Aerial Photographs: California and Minnesota

Starbucks at 525 W 26th Street

Nevada desert and Utah winter landscapes

In both galleries the space is a strong component of the viewers experience. In the Alexander Gray gallery, the white walls acted as the backdrop to the black transparent sculpture – ultimately creating the two-dimensional illusion for the audience. Additionally, the layout of the small sketches immediately next to the full-size focal pieces help demystify the illusionary art and ultimately sell it to its audience. Similarly, in the Starbucks at 525 West 26^th Street, the aesthetic choice to depict seasonal photographs promote the marketing campaign for the store’s flagship drink, the Pumpkin Spice Latte. With Ashok Sinha’s aerial depictions of the four seasons, this space creates an experience for the viewer that helps the customer enjoy their seasonal hot drink on the cushioned leather couch.

When I thought about the job of a curator, I always thought that it is a fun and creative job. Yet, after visiting all these galleries and after all those readings I came to the realization that it is a difficult position that requires a lot of thought and planning. When a gallery is being prepared for an exhibition so many things have to be taken into account: the colors of the paintings, the message the artist wants to get across, the limited amount of space, and list just continues. Many of the galleries we visited were in the white cube style, yet the arrangement of each art piece created different impressions.

Yvonne Jacquette, DC Moore Gallery

The first gallery we visited was the D.C Moore gallery on 535 W 22nd St. Upon entering I realized just how accurate Brian Dogherty was in his description of a white cube gallery. Every wall was painted in white with the only differences in them being the paintings exhibited. The flooring was wooden and each step made was heard in the entire gallery. The only lighting source was indeed the ceiling. This gallery portrayed the work of many artists and there was no common theme between them. Yet, the gallery was arranged in a way where each artist received a designated room or section of a wall. Some of the artists in this exhibition were Yvonne Jacquette, George Tooker, and Ben Shahn. The first artist that caught my attention was Yvonne Jacquette, as her work was exhibited in the main area. Her oil on linen paintings were spread out on the walls so that each gets around five feet in circumference. This allowed me to focus on one painting at a time. Her work depicts various aerial views of NYC in the daytime. From skyscrapers, to construction sites, to roofs of smaller buildings Jacquette trys to convey the changing architecture of the city. The white cube style gallery allows people to fully immerge into the painting and actually feel that they are looking at NYC from above. I loved her style of painting and the precise detailing that she had especially in her painting Three Ages of Construction II. However, to me the white cube also took something away from her paintings. All of her paintings were done in pastel shades, which is realistic as in NYC you would rarely see any buildings in vibrant bold colors. Yet, it turned out that the white wall was bolder than the paintings. In some moments this caused my attention to shift from the painting onto the wall, which I believe should not have happened.

Three Ages of Construction II by Yvonne Jacquette

In the case with the works of Ben Shahn the opposite happened. His work was fitted into a small room with each piece of artwork being about one foot from each other.  His work was done in bold red, yellow, and white colors. For example, in his offset lithography artwork Inflation Means Depression a contrast was created with the white wall. This allowed me to fully focus on his art. It brought me back into my U.S history classes where we would always analyze posters and propaganda created in times of war. The association I had with his work made it memorable and remembering even after visiting all the other galleries.

Inflation means Depression by Ben Shahn

The gallery that we visited right after DC Moore was the Sikkema Jenkins & Co gallery on 530 W 22nd St. While it was also a white cube gallery, the experience was very different. Their main exhibition was the work of Mitch Epstein, his photographs on property rights. Each photograph received one wall to itself. The photographs were huge, therefore they usually took up a good third of the wall. This technique allowed me to look over every little detail in the picture. The photographs mesmerized me and made me think about all of the ecological and social problems there are in this world. His photograph of the boy hugging the tree conveyed the current problems we are having with deforestation. Each photograph depicts something new and different compared to the previous one. Moreover, and probably most important to me was that in this gallery I did not even focus on the white walls. To me they were not even there as the photographs took up the entire space in my view. I believe that this gallery was very successful in presenting Epstein’s work and ideas.

Epstein’s Property Rights Photograph

Our group visited almost every gallery on 22^nd street and almost all of them were in the white cube style. While each gallery created a different impression on us through their arrangement of work and style, we wanted to see something totally different, something we did not experience before. When returning back to the high line we accidently saw the Jim Kempner Fine Art Gallery on 501 W 23^rdSt. This gallery was something fresh and engaging as it finally reared away from the white cube style. The flooring was no longer wooden, but it was a carpet that made you feel like home. The lighting was not only the ceiling, but some work had lamps while other work was light itself. When walking around you did not feel like you are in an intimidating gallery, but rather you were on a tour around a world of art. Paintings, sculptures, wood carvings were all together. It might seem as they were all chaotically placed, yet in actuality the placing of the art was art itself. In this gallery I was never focused on one piece of art, I kept on wanting to move on and see more. I believe the purpose was not to analyze this art but rather just enjoy its beauty and uniqueness. For instance, I first noticed the Mount Rushmore book sculpture by Long-Bin Chen. It was something I never saw before; it was done with precision and detail. However, right next to it was Jeff Chyatte’s Symbiosis metal sculpture. It was placed right in front of the floor to ceiling window making it seem as it could also be placed outside. The sculpture conveyed strength and risk, and when rotated could open up something new. This gallery was definitely my favorite as it was not overwhelmingly white as the others. I would definitely want to visit this gallery again to see its new exhibitions.

Mount Rushmore by Long-Bin Chen

Jeff Chyatte’s Symbiosis

Overall, this was an exciting experience that showed how the gallery space affects your interpretation and experience of artwork. Even galleries that are white cubes create different impressions because of varying arrangement, style, and color of artwork.

Gallery space is a really interesting aspect of a gallery where it can change the environment of a piece of art and how the viewer processes the art. During our gallery walk, my group visited numerous galleries including the Kim Foster Gallery, the ACA Galleries, the Skoto Gallery, the Deborah Zlotsky now and later, and the Sato Sakura Gallery. The two pieces of art I have chosen to examine are from the Kim Foster Gallery and the Sato Sakura Gallery. 529 W 20^thSt was where the Kim Foster Gallery was located and 501 W 20^thSt was where the Sato Sakura Gallery was located.

The Kim Foster Gallery was a “White Cube.” There were no windows, the walls were painted white, and the only thing that looked different from the rest was the brown desk in the corner. The paintings were scattered around the room and the room seemed almost empty. It can be seen in the pictures above that there were no more than one or two paintings per wall. The background of the paintings is white, almost as if they’re trying to blend in with their white surroundings, but their random strokes of color is not allowing them to. This is almost supposed to symbolize the spectator. The spectator in this case is an intrusion to this “white cube” disturbing the natural occurrence of its surroundings. The gallery is naturally empty, but your space occupying body is disturbing this emptiness. The paintings and gallery space are almost trying to show the spectator what role they play in this specific environment.

The artist of these paintings is Kim Foster, but the names of the paintings were not mentioned. I also think that the random strokes of color, letters, and hues on these paintings really stand out to the spectator in a white environment. When I walked in, I felt out of place and lost. However, the letters and clouds of color on these works of art almost lure you in and make you stand there continuously reminding you of the fact that you’re disturbing the natural environment even though you cannot help it.

The Sato Sakura Gallery was the complete opposite of the Kim Foster Gallery. This gallery was very colorful and as soon as you enter, crystals greet you, like the one I have attached above. The walls were painted in dark and light colors, where the different hues were very intriguing to see as you walked around. Paintings hung from the ceiling, there were chairs and tables for you to sit down, and the colors of these paintings were very aesthetically pleasing. The painting I have chosen is by Yoichi Nishino and depicts an elephant family in the forest. The wall behind this painting was black or a very dark color, and the bottom of this painting perfectly blends in with the wall. This is again supposed to symbolize the role of the spectator, and in this case, the spectator is welcomed, blends in with the surroundings, and does not feel like a space occupying body because the gallery is already very occupied.

Overall, gallery space can affect the viewer’s experience in many ways. In the first gallery, the empty, white surroundings, made the spectator almost feel unwelcome where the only thing luring you in was the randomness of the artwork. In the second gallery, the viewer felt greeted and welcomed where the colors, crystals, and chairs captivated your attention.

Located on 25th Street, there were three galleries in particular that caught my attention with their distinct uses of gallery space: Gallery Henoch, the Amsterdam Whitney Gallery, and the Marlborough Gallery. All of these were traditional white cube gallery spaces, but the differences in lighting, organization of the artwork, and the unique floors and ceilings all fabricated a unique, independent experience of the pieces displayed.

To begin, the paintings in Gallery Henoch were displayed on conventional white walls, but the ceiling of the gallery was open, featuring the brick layout that the building was made of. Lining the high brick ceiling were silver beams connecting individual light bulbs that shone a spotlight on each separate painting. The contrast of the white walls and the deep brick made the space feel bigger and cozier, complementing the warm theme in all the pieces. The floor was a cream color, softer compared to the sharp white of the walls, and it had a glossy finish that, due to the spotlight, reflected the paintings hanging on the walls. Interestingly enough, many of the paintings depicted either bright lights, shining reflections, or even had a similar glossy coat over the canvases. In particular, Sunghee Jang’s Floor displayed a close-up of a waxed wooden floor with the light reflecting off of it. This painting, reflected on the gallery’s own glossy floor, added to the interaction of the piece because the viewer can view Floor from the canvas itself and the floor’s reflection, adding a new dimension to this gallery experience.

The glossy floor of Gallery Henoch creates new art through the reflections of the paintings.

“Floor” by Sunghee Jang

Amsterdam Gallery exhibited colorful, vibrant paintings on the backdrop of a standard white cube gallery space. There were secluded sections of the gallery dedicated to paintings of similar themes, some of which were different perspectives of the Eiffel Tower, portraits of famous celebrities made of music scores, and abstract thread paintings. The benefit of harboring corresponding works in an enclosed sector of the gallery in this way is the fixated attention and intimacy that it provides the viewer. The viewer can analyze and compare works of the same medium and theme without their attention being redirected by other pieces. For instance, the paintings of the Eiffel Tower by JS Renand were grouped together hanging on one wall. All of these rendered different viewpoints of the Eiffel Tower at different times of day. The viewer can experience the many atmospheres the Eiffel Tower creates before moving on to the next set of paintings. It is a strategy that immerses the viewer and makes them feel as if they are seeing the structure in person. Thus, the seclusion of similar paintings, as well as the plainness of the rest of the gallery, hones in the viewer’s focus to maximize their interaction with each set of pieces.

JS Renand’s Eiffel Tower exhibit

“Sparkling Eiffel Tower” by JS Renand

Lastly, Marlborough Gallery was able to transform the viewer’s experience with a particular piece of art through its position and physical display at the gallery. There were two main exhibits in the Marlborough Gallery: 100-Foot-Long Piece by Joe Zucker and A Requiem for Paul Lynde by Jim Krewson. The use of space of A Requiem for Paul Lynde was exceptionally interesting because the exhibit was hung from the ceiling by a string. The project was a wedding gown that had been painted with various neon watercolors layered with photos of people from mass media sources, perhaps questioning this new era of publicity. However, the gown itself was only part of the display; a light shone from the corner, casting a shadow of the slowly rotating dress on the opposite corner. The entire exhibit was tucked away in a small room at the end of the gallery, startling unsuspecting viewers that turn the corner to be confronted by such a dramatic piece. The eerie display of the hanging gown along with its slow spinning shadow creates a bold, almost frightening experience to viewers compared to if the gown was merely pinned to a white wall.

“A Requiem for Paul Lynde” by Jim Krewson

A light cast an eerie shadow of the dress onto the corner of the exhibit room.

On the whole, I had a different experience with all three galleries that I visited. Henoch Gallery was able to complement the reflective, illuminating paintings by using the glossy floor as another canvas to view the artworks from. The Amsterdam Whitney Gallery isolated pieces of the same theme, allowing the viewer to fully absorb the meaning behind each group of artworks. I enjoyed A Requiem for Paul Lynde in the Marlborough Gallery the most because of the ghostly, mysterious tone it emits throughout the entire space. The space of each gallery prompted a different reaction to the artwork it presented, keeping me on my toes and anticipating the next surprise.

Gallery space is perhaps the most essential element of how works of art are presented in an art exhibition. There are many choices an art gallerist has to make about how an artwork will be displayed and what  background it will have. One famous gallery space style is a white cube, which is characterized by a background with white walls and light generally coming from the ceiling. Interestingly, two galleries that my group and I visited are both examples of white cube spaces, but are also different in various ways. 

At the Amsterdam Whitney International Fine Art Gallery on 25th street between 10th and 11th Avenue, the white cube style is evident all throughout. One artist whose work stood out to me is JS Renand, a French painter with a collection of cityscape oil paintings. The first painting, titled “Sparking Eiffel Tower”, depicts the Eiffel tower illuminated in a bright, golden-yellow color on a dark blue night background. The base of the tower is situated around green trees next to a waterfront with a partial reflection of the tower on the water. Renand’s portrayal of the Eiffel Tower at night is beautiful, because of the distinction in color between the dark night and the bright tower which stands in the center of the painting and takes up most of the painting’s space. My eyes immediately glanced at this painting when I came into the room and more specifically I noticed the Eiffel Tower right away. It was only when I observed the painting in more detail that I noticed the details in the background. It is very interesting that this painting is in a white cube setting and is thus on a white wall with multiple other paintings. Despite Renand’s painting taking up only a small portion of the wall, both horizontally and vertically, and leaving ample space on top and on the bottom, it draws the visitor in with its magical and extraordinary mystique. In fact, it is such a contrast to the wall that it blends in perfectly once you take a long look at it, even better than many other lighter-colored paintings on white walls. Looking at this painting was so captivating that I felt like I was in Paris looking up at the Eiffel Tower at night rather than in a brightly-illuminated room of an art gallery in New York City. Another painting in this gallery I found fascinating is “Freddie Mercury” by Hayato Takano, a Los Angeles based artist who uses torn sheet music as a medium for his art. This work of art flows very well with the white wall it is on. Because the art is only greyish-black and white, the two colors stand out against each other. Furthermore, because the corners are dark, they fit well on the white wall, just as the Renand painting does. Takano made an interesting choice by making different parts of Freddie Mercury’s body in different shades, but they are very realistic to the shadows and outlines of a person’s face and hands in real life. It almost feels as if Mercury is looking down at us and we are revering him. Moreover, this is seen in the white outline around Mercury’s body on the work of art, putting emphasis on him in the center. Both Renand’s and Takano’s works that I am writing about are next to several other of the respective artists’ works of art. Thus, the theme of each artist’s different works of art is similar and the style is consistent. Thus, the fact that there isn’t just one work of art on the white wall makes the gallery feel complete and not so empty, but we are still able to focus on each work of art individually when we come closer and analyze it. Yet, they all flow into each other naturally, such as how Takano’s “Freddie Mercury” flows into his other works of art, such as the one of Elvis Presley two to the right. I particularly enjoyed this gallery’s summer-like vibe because of the white walls and a light tone to the paintings. 

On the same block as the Amsterdam Whitney is the Marlborough gallery, which has much larger, almost square-like, highly lifelike oil paintings, much more realistic than those at the Amsterdam Whitney. One noteworthy work of art is Alexandra Pacula’s “Fluttering Lumens,” which looks like a blurryish photograph of New York City at night from a rooftop. The sky is dark with a skyscraper on the left. There is a bridge in the distance and close to us are residential streets and buildings, which we can see the top of. There is a wide array of colors, including white, yellow, brown, gray, red, blue, and black, but they all fit well in the vibe of the painting and reflect the city’s atmosphere at night accurately. This painting takes up about two-thirds of the vertical distance of the wall, leaving several inches on the bottom and on the top. Moreover, compared to the previous gallery, there is more of a space between paintings. The white walls and light lighting create a feeling of serenity when looking at “Fluttering Lumens,” which made me feel as if I was on the roof looking down on the city in action at night, with a light breeze blowing and the sounds of passing cars and sirens far in the background. Because the colors of the painting contrast with the purely white walls and the paintings aren’t very close to each other, the painting stands out a lot and is easy to get attached to. Finally, a second painting I liked is Sunghee Jang’s “Floor,” which is made of oil on linen. It is fascinating how Jang filled most of the painting with either light or dark colors and had only a small part of the floor have red, yellow, and green colored reflections. This painting has a very realistic glossy wooden brown floor look, which stands out on the white wall. There are three vertical white stripes flowing onto the center of the painting from the top, blending naturally with the white wall from which they originate. There is such an interesting combination of darkness and light, which makes the dark parts of the painting seem less depressing and more appealing. If I were to speculate, I think that this painting may be looking forward into an art gallery from an elevation of approximately a foot off the floor, which is funny considering we are in an art gallery. Overall, as a person with minimal art experience or expertise, I can confidently say that I found that the white cube gallery spaces add an interesting perspective to the works of art in these galleries. Furthermore, I am interested in visiting more art galleries in Chelsea and all around the city.

Planning the layout of an art gallery is an extremely complex job. The planner must take into account a variety of factors: the spacing between each artwork, the color of the walls and its effect on each painting, the number of artists that will be on display at the location, and much more. This creates an immense amount of diversity within the structure of art galleries—as can be seen by the following two galleries I visited in Chelsea.

This is Metro Pictures Gallery, with Judith Hopf’s “Alifi” on display. Hopf makes use of the viewer’s perspective very wisely—one can look at the arrangement of brick structures through the circular wall cut-out or from the opposite end of the room and feel like they’ve witnessed two separate works of art. The sketch-like paintings on the wall initially seem like simple drawings, but, after taking a step back and looking at the room in its entirety, it is clear that the drawings enhance the view of the brick structures. The room that houses this artwork is extremely large and contains only this one artwork—with that comes the benefit of being able to space out each aspect of the entire artwork with rather wide spacing. The walls are completely white so that the viewer focuses only on the artwork at hand and nothing else. The white walls and canvas frames do have a strange effect on the paintings, however, where it makes them seem like they are drawn on an extension of the wall rather than on a canvas that is separate from the wall.

The pictures above were from the same “Alifi” exhibit; however, this art piece is located in a different room. Although this room is smaller than the last, there seems to be a lot more open space. The walls are still white and the artwork itself is a combination of various different art pieces that include sculptures and paintings interacting with each other. By using large rooms with completely white walls, the gallery is able to really emphasize the artist’s two separate sets of artwork and keep the attention entirely on the art while allowing viewers to see completely different pictures from various angles.

These images are from Mike Dargas’s “Reflection of Dreams” exhibit at the upper level of the C24 Gallery. At first glance, these artworks can be mistaken for photographs; however, I was notified by an employee at the gallery that these artworks are, in fact, hyperrealistic paintings. The way the upper floor of this gallery is utilized is very similar to Metro Pictures Gallery where white walls draw attention to the paintings and there is sizeable spacing between each drawing. The main difference is that this exhibit only houses paintings that are similar in style but don’t really interact with each other, meanwhile, the exhibit at Metro Pictures Gallery was a combination of various pictures and sculptures that come together to form one large artwork.

This exhibit is on the lower level of the C24 gallery; however, it looks like an entirely different gallery. All of the artworks on display are from different artists, yet the artists’/artworks’ names are not explicitly displayed anywhere. Also, these artworks are extremely packed together—very little spacing exists between each artwork. This makes it very difficult to focus on one specific art piece: while looking at an individual painting, your eyes naturally wander towards nearby artworks. There is a mixture of drawings, physical sculptures, and videos to examine and it seems like no actual theme exists between each artwork. There is evidently a very stark contrast between not only this exhibit and the exhibits in Metro Pictures Gallery but also between this exhibit and the one situated upstairs. The lack of a central theme and ample spacing guides the viewer’s perspective away from individual smaller artworks and towards the larger/more bizarre pieces. This exhibit juxtaposes Metro Pictures Gallery where the viewer’s perspective is more so fixated on how each art piece interacts with one another to form a larger picture because this exhibit guides the viewer’s perspective solely towards individual pieces. These two examples clearly portray the effect that a gallery planner has on the viewers of a gallery: they shape the viewer’s perspective by indirectly leading them towards what they should be looking at and how they should be examining it.