A World of Interpetation

When I first heard about the Night at the Museum event, I was actually very excited because I have experience in examining and analyzing art from their elements, such as line, color, shape, to their overall composition. I thought it was really special as well that Macaulay and the Brooklyn Museum had reserved the night to solely dedicate it to us. However, when I got to the museum, all of that knowledge ran away and I was awestruck by several of the artworks that stood by me. Most of all, I was fascinated by hearing everyone’s interpretation on a work of art and realizing how different, yet meaningful it was.

 

For example, when looking at A Storm in the Rocky Mountains, Mt. Rosalie by Albert Bierstadt (above), I was immediately drawn to the lighting of the painting and how it hit the mountain peaks , as well as the size which made me feel completely immersed into the scene as if I was viewing it in reality. However, when passing down the audio recorder, I became more drawn to how different the other members of my group viewed the painting. I remember one member drawing a connection from the year the painting was created to history and how it symbolized the beauty of America and Native Americans. Another member, pointed out an eagle and said that it symbolized America. At first, I just thought the eagle added to the enhancement of capturing America’s beauty, but hearing someone else’s interpretation made me feel as though the artist actually had a purpose in painting an eagle.