The Arts in New York City

would it be alright to write about a concert for the second review?

When thinking of Egypt, thoughts of Mummies, Pyramids and Pharaohs quickly come to mind. It seems as if all of us in the modern world marvel at the ingenuity of this civilization that dates back thousands of years. But what we, as a modern culture, tend to overlook is the artistic nature of the Egyptian people. Now, for all of us that are looking for our fill of Egyptian art, culture and history, we have to look no further than the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Ancient Egyptian Art exhibit. The exhibit displays the various forms of art created during the different ages of the Ancient Egyptians’ dominance, including: various and beautifully crafted hieroglyphics that adorned the temples of the past kings of Egypt as well as true to life sculptures that paid homage to deities and great Pharaohs. The exhibit displays various forms of household art displayed on various jewelry, funerary objects, and household implements that gave an insight into Egyptian daily life. Also on display, for those who have a passion for mummies, are a wide range of sarcophagi that are emblazoned with some of the best and most illustrative Ancient Egyptian art. One cool part about this exhibit is as soon as you enter, there is a reconstruction of the Tomb of Perneb, a palace administrator late in Dynasty 5, which you can walk into and see the paintings that line the walls and in the meantime, get an idea of the inside structure of the tomb. This was a very interesting exhibit because the exhibit distances itself from the stereotypical ideas of Egypt (mummies, pharaohs, and gods) and focuses more on their artistic achievements, which gives another perception and insight of their culture.

Repicturing the Past/Picturing the Present at MoMA NYC
(Running from June 13–November 5, 2007)

Just by walking up the first flight of stairs in the recently built and state-of-the-art Museum of Modern Art you get the idea that you’re in for a special treat (may I add that it is an even better treat for CUNY students who get in free). Now, once you reach the first floor you might be quickly attracted by the Richard Serra sculpture exhibit, but on the opposite side of the floor, in what is almost a little niche there is the Repicturing the Past/Picturing the Present exhibit. This exhibit examines how artists from the late 1800’s to today have explored contemporary concerns by challenging, redeeming, or personalizing historical subjects. Many of the works take a narrative approach, referring to events in history, ancient mythology, the Bible, or centuries-old fables. Now this was something that seemed like it could be interesting; art with a meaning behind it everyone can understand, instead of some rusty circular sculptures or blank canvases. This exhibit has the capability to entertain the everyday art admirer as well as the professional art critics with pieces that relate to historical events. (more…)

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