It can be quite overwhelming when trying to choose which exhibit to visit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. As I was quickly scanning the brochure for temporary exhibits, I decided that I’d go see Master Painters of India collection. I knew next to nothing about Indian art so I thought it would be eye-opening. And I sure had to open my eyes wide for this exhibit. When I first entered the exhibit, I noticed an older woman holding a huge magnifying glass up to the paintings. Most of the paintings were smaller than a standard 8 x 11 piece of paper with great attention paid to excruciating detail, but I thought she was taking it over the top. I shrugged it off and continued to squint at the tiny paintings. Most of these paintings were from epics and scrolls so in order to view the paintings, I had to stand really close to the paintings to appreciate the details. After walking around for a bit, I noticed more people holding magnifying glasses. Did I miss the memo? Were we all supposed to come equipped with the proper viewing apparatus? I walked over to the gallery assistant and was about to ask about the magnifying glass when he smiled and handed me a magnifying glass that he had been holding. He’d been watching me enough to know why I was approaching him.
I enjoyed the exhibit very much and would need to return to be able to view everything. The exhibit was so vast; it showcases about 5 or 6 paintings per painter and 40 painters were included in this exhibit. That’s over 200 paintings! And each one requires a good amount of attention. I was certainly impressed with the exhibit, but left a bit dissatisfied with myself and frustrated that I didn’t have the time and admittedly, nor the patience to view all 200 or so paintings.
It’s interesting that the difference in social values among societies can be seen in artwork. In this case, I find it interesting that all of the paintings were so small and detailed– yet classified under “Master Painters,” which is a stark contrast to many American and Spanish paintings. Were the pieces in this exhibit modern or ancient paintings? Although I do not know much about Indian culture, I know enough about art to know that there must be some sort of connection between the intricacy and size of the paintings and social values. Were the painters from a specific social class?
It was paintings from the 20th century and since most of the paintings were from preserved scrolls and epics, I’m going to assume that they artists were people of the upper class. You should definitely take the time to go, but make sure you have a good chunk of time to dedicate to it!
Good post and good question! I don’t know the answer to the question, but it is interesting to see how the specifics of the art work relate to the work’s creators and the social structure from which they come. I don’t know the art work you visited, but your description reminds me of something I read a while back:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/14/world/europe/14muswell.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=painting%20chewing%20gum&st=cse
This artist actually uses the flattened remnants of sidewalk chewing gum as his canvas. To view his art you need both a magnifying glass and strong knees.