Campus Art Museum

The piece of art I chose is called Batman created by Lino Tagliapietra made in 1998. The median is glass. Batman is a U shaped figure with very pointy ends and 2 little spikes sticking out of the top. The right end sits up higher then the left end. The artwork is smooth with little dimples all over it. It’s red on the whole sculpture with a blue stripe horizontally through the middle.

On Saturday, January 17st, 2016, I visited the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in Los Angeles, California. In the museum, I observed many pictures, paintings and sculptures within the exhibit of the museum. What interested me was this sculpture called “Sweet William” by John Chamberlain.

The first piece of art work that I saw was the work of Frederick William MacMonnies (1863-1937) I felt it captured my attention as I first walked into the room. The unique sculpture “DIANA” really impressed me by depicting a Roman Goddess poised with her bow raised high and ready for the hunt. It was also interesting because the women of that time period were not known as hunters, they were known for being mothers and wives. The piece of art work was medium in sitting on top of a pedestal as you walked into the main exhibit room. There was lots of background information on the poster written below this artwork. It told a story of how MacMonnies and his contemporaries got their inspiration in ancient Greek and Roman culture, and it also took some of the Italian Renaissance into account when making the piece.

When I was younger, my dad and I used to go on dates to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. Although I haven’t been there for over five years now, I still remember one piece of art that took my breath away; not because of the beauty of the artwork, but because of the shiver it sent down my spine, and the uneasy feeling I had when I looked at it. The piece of art that made me so apprehensive was a wax model of a museum security guard. The intricate detail of the figure, including the pores in the skin and the hair on the knuckles, left me wondering if this man were going to suddenly leap forward and yell, “Gotcha!”

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond at a glance is a modern metropolitan building that displays a vibrant exhibition of Byzantine art found in the Medieval and Byzantine wing. They are grouped together because they share a progression of time occurring in the heart of Europe roughly from the 1300s until the fall of Constantinople in 1453. The exhibit begins with displays of medieval art of Western Europe. It further progresses to Byzantine art arranged in broad categories ranging from pre-Christian art, liturgical material, secular material and a display of coptic textiles. Although small scale, a few art pieces prominently featuring the human figure stood out in particular.

Based on what you’ve learned so far in this course, do you see a need for public artwork on the STC campuses? Explain why.

Perhaps illness so influenced the artistic style of Van Gogh, but the picture turned out completely different to all that the artist wrote so far. This is not a Van Gogh, who was known. In the canvas, there is tension, anxiety, dense colors and warm shades of olive-mustard. On the contrary, here there is some kind of lightness, airiness, and transparent weightlessness. On the manner of execution, the pattern resembles Japanese prints: iris field full of peace, a lightness, and transparency. "Irises" are simple and unique, they are striking in their serenity and the ability to remove the internal stress of everyone who saw at least reproduction. Painting simply breathes watercolor, translucency and make to look at it more than one hour.

As you arrive into the reception area of the Cleveland Museum of Art, you are greeted with silence. The clomping of shoes and whispers of fellow museum goers about what the “true meaning” behind the piece is fills the air. The first floor of the museum is dedicated to historical artifacts and artwork dating in the time period called Before Common Era (B.C.E.). Each piece is accompanied by a placard on the wall courtesy of the museum. The pieces are approximately dated, described, and an explanation of how each piece was used is given in the short paragraph.

Art gallery and art museum are two different types of structure. The major difference between them is that the purpose of the art gallery is to go to discover the artist’s work and with an interest in buying their art. So it's basically a small business to promote and sell art.

The work was brought to the United States by Okakura Kakuzō, a Japanese scholar who donated a collection of pieces to the Boston Art Museum, where it has resided since 1920. Many of the works he donated are still kept and preserved at this museum in their archives. The work is extensive measuring at seventy-six inches high by forty-six inches wide, roughly. This piece has been greatly cared for. It has been kept safe in their Asian art collection for now over ninety years, along with many other historical pieces that were donated.

Among the many artworks I have seen, I decided to discuss about the “Sarcophagus Depicting a Battle between Soldiers and Amazons (Warrior Women)” from the Roman civilization. It was built sometime in between 140 A.D. to 170 A.D and is approximately forty and a half inches in length, ninety-one and a half inches in width, and fifty and a half inches tall in height (“Roman Sarcophagus”). This masterpiece appealed to me because of the unique approach that has been designed to honor the deceased. Many people are familiar with the formatting and inscriptions of a gravestone because it is usually engraved with an individual’s full name, birth date, and death date. During the Roman Empire, a sarcophagus, which is a coffin, was widely used to show decorative themes that includes: battle scenes, hunting scenes, weddings, or other memorable episodes from the life of the deceased individual. The most luxurious ones were made from marble surrounded by symbolic sculptures, figures and inscriptions on all four sides (“Sarcophagus”). Another feature that captured my attention was the large quantity of details used to bring out a lifelike aspect of the deceased individual’s favorable moments in their life. In this artwork, this sarcophagus was dedicated to a Roman commander. The exterior of the sarcophagus has been well-decorated and carved with exquisite details depicting a battle scene

On September 4, 2016, I visited the Matisse in His Time exhibit at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. This exhibit is home to a plethora of pieces by many different European artists from the 19th and 20th centuries. While it is focused on Matisse and his extensive works, containing more than 50 of his pieces, there are many portraits and sculptures by other influential artists from that time period including Renoir, Picasso, and Georges Braque. Three of the most appealing works that I encountered in this exhibit are Maurice de Vlaminck’s Portrait of Père Bouju, Pablo Picasso’s Reclining Woman on a Blue Divan, and Henri Matisse’s sculpture series Henriette I, Henriette II, and Henriette III.

Kabuki, a type of Japanese performance, was an art form that became incredibly popular during the Edo Period. Ignoring the audiences’ profound love for Kabuki, the Japanese government installed countless regulations with the sole purpose of constraining the art. Despite the Japanese government’s clear distaste for Kabuki, Kabuki still managed to thrive and shape traditional Japanese society during the Edo Period.

As I was viewing multiple artwork at Contemporary Art Institute, this piece, Relief of a Falling Warrior stood out from the rest of the Greek sculptures due to its sense of drama the sculptor attempted to create. This depiction would have constantly reminded the Ancient Greek people of the patriotic warriors that died for their empire.

The first artwork I selected was the “Serpent Labret with Articulated Tongue”; the artist of this piece is unknown. I was looking forward to this the most because this piece was used to advertise/promote the Golden Kingdom exhibition at the Getty Museum. The picture of this piece was everywhere; it was on the wall, signs, stairs, maps, and pamphlets. Just by looking at the pictures I saw and not knowing what it was, I thought that this piece was a hair accessory, like a hairpin because of its long handle. However, I was wrong; after finding out what this really is, the Serpent Labret with Articulated Tongue is a labret or mostly known as lip plug. This piece was used by higher authorities such as politicians and soldiers as a sign of power and achievements on the battlefield; just like pins and medals given to soldiers and military veterans in today’s modern society. What I like the most about this labret is its design, the tongue sways side by side whenever its wearer moves, it can also be retracted since the serpent’s tongue is a movable piece. It’s not just a stiff, simple labret but a moving, classic piece which gives its wearer a sophisticated and elegant look. This labret is made from gold which reveals that the person who wore this was a person with authority, a ruler who people respected. The face and body of the serpent are highly detailed, the fangs and the eyes look menacing just like a real serpent. One could tell that this labret was made delicately,