NYC Event #3: The Frick Collection

One of the other museums that I visited was the Frick Collection. This was a very nice museum, with the more traditionally set up galleries. I think that, however, after the lessons taught at the International Center of Photography, and the night at the museum trip, I learned how to appreciate art a lot more. It’s become less of a skimming experience, and more of a stop and stare kind of experience. I’m able to just look single pieces and analyze the expertise and talent that is expressed. A fun thing that I tend to do while letting my imagination run wild, is to try to envision what it must have been like to create the piece of art. I try to think of how the artist may have been standing, what he or she may have been thinking about, or even what they ate that morning or evening. I try to recall my own memories with art, and remember the smell of the paint that may have taken the room captive, or the promise of new clay that has yet to be molded as it rolls around in your hands. Sometimes I even look at the piece of art and think of the name that I would give it.

This was a somewhat bittersweet experience overall. It was bitter because I realized that I will never be talented enough to create these astounding works. Nothing that I do will ever even come close to the beauty that is crafted in the perfect shadings of a flawless painting, or the ingenious creases of a sculpted forehead. I was never much of an artist, but looking at everything was kind of a hammering confirmation of the fact. However, it was unbearably sweet because I realized that there are people in this world that can, in fact, create art that is this wondrous. There are people that can take their talent and bestow its products upon us ravenous devotees of art. Senselessly enough, it makes me so unbelievably happy that these pieces exist and that I can see them any time I want to. Because art doesn’t solely belong to the creator, but also to the beholder. I’m glad I can love it as much as the next person, and figuratively call it my own.