Cooper-Hewitt

Cooper-Hewitt houses an amazing collection of finely-detailed watercolor paintings. Its Thaw Collection displays paintings from popular Nineteenth Century locations, mostly different rooms of palaces. The artists’ effort is expressed through the realistic lightings and the great detail of every part of the room. Each painting draws me in; I can almost feel the cushion of the chair and the cracks on the table. The overall picture expresses simplicity and serenity; nothing dramatic is occurring. Yet, when the massive amount of details surface, all the paintings are actually complex. Therefore, ambiguous feelings of the artists’ intentions develop. It makes me wonder whether the details intend to make the viewer focus or feel tranquility while imagining himself in the setting. Each small stroke of the brush plays an important part in the painting. Not only do the details contribute to the masterpiece as a whole, they contribute to the observer’s feelings while he studies it.