Night at the Museum–My Thoughts and Experience

Having been to the Brooklyn Museum many times, I knew what to expect from this trip. I’ve gone to the museum many times with my parents and have also been several times with friends of mine. Every time I visit the museum, I find something new and I am always captivated by the wide variety of art that is on display. However, like most people who visit museums, sometimes I would find myself spending only a few minutes in a room, just walking past each painting without giving it much thought beyond “I like this” or “I don’t like this.” I wouldn’t stop and really look at a piece of art and think about the details or what it might mean in the context of history.

I really enjoyed the night at the museum and I felt like it actually got me to think a lot more about the art that I see around me. Even though I have loved and looked at art all of my life, I found that pushing myself to really think about the piece as more than just a pretty image has changed my entire mindset while looking at art.

I also really enjoyed the fact that we were having real, thoughtful conversations about the art. This was especially helpful for me because when I discuss ideas with other people, I am inspired by what they have to say. They may have noticed something on the piece that I didn’t notice, thus furthering my understanding of the piece.

One painting that I was particularly excited about was called “End of the Working Day” by Jules Breton. I had seen this painting before at the museum and instantly fell in love with it. I remember the first time I saw it. I was with a good friend of mine, and we stood there staring at the painting silently for about five full minutes. You can spot it from across the room–there is a setting sun slightly off-center that reflects a beautiful, warm light onto the faces of three women who have just finished their day of working in the fields. Not only are the colors in this painting phenomenal and vibrant, but there is so much subtle emotion shown in the body language and face of each woman depicted in the painting. My other group members also found the painting to be really beautiful and subtle, and I had a lot of fun discussing it and even gained some new perspective on the painting, from thinking differently about certain details that my group members pointed out.

Overall, I really enjoyed the night at the museum and found it to be an enriching experience. I’m now pretty excited for all of the other art events we’ll be attending; I think this seminar will expose me to a lot of culture that I would not have had access to before.