Transforming Revelations through Museum Experiences - Essay Example

Transforming Revelations through Museum Experiences Introduction Art has a way of becoming a part of one’s soul, creating ways in which to see the world that as it is defined by light, shadow, contour, and form. In seeing through they eyes of an artist, the world becomes something more, a point of view that embraces the concepts of alternate universes and the editorial commentary. In seeing artwork in person, the way in which light and shadow are formed can be appreciated on a superior plane of thought. A piece of artwork can never fully be translated when photographed, nor can a piece of good photography be seen by looking at its reproduction in a magazine. To truly see art, one must be transformed in its presence. Even a photograph, when seen as a reproduction that has been created through high end finishing, can be more fully appreciated. In my experience, I have had the privilege of attending art museums in Paris, London, and Valencia, Spain. I have also seen art museums in the United States, and each visit creates a transformation in the way in which I view art. My first experience in an art museum was as a child, an undefined memory that left an indelible mark upon my point of view. My experiences upon seeing the works of the masters has left me in awe of the technical aspects of painting. As I have taken those experiences and translated them into an appreciation for photography, I have been able to see the form and space within a composition and be moved by the emotional context in which it has been created. First Experiences It is a very different thing to stand in front of a piece of art than it is to look at in in the form of a picture, whether it be on the internet or in a book. The first time I entered a major art museum, I was taken by surprise by the incident. The building was old, impressive and filled with a sense of history in its architecture. Walking up to the building required climbing a great number of steps and I was excited when I got to the top. I was not very old at the time, but I can still remember the click of my shoes on the floor and the unique smell that filled my nose as I walked through the expansive lobby towards my first true visual experience with real art. I cannot say that I remember a specific piece of art from that trip. Nor am I sure which museum in which it took place as I have seen so many since that time. What I do remember is the awe that it brought to me, as much from the impressive feeling of the architecture of the building as the silent calm that existed in each room as we moved from space to space, the movement within the paintings in contrast to the quiet and stillness with which they were observed. I can also remember a sense of fear as my mother’s fingers had lightly reached out to touch a statue, her eyes a little glazed with that look of awe that I saw many times on her face. She was transfixed by its beauty, a small smile on her lips, calm and with great respect. Still, her fingers reached for the toes of the statue only inches from her and almost touched it until the security guards voice boomed within the silence, startling her and startling me. “Please don’t touch the artwork”. Suddenly I was acutely aware of the rarity and the sense of the forbidden that was attached to the artwork that was hanging all around me. Seeing Art As stated, to see a piece of art is not the same as to look at its picture. When I visited the National Gallery in London, I was struck first by the enormity of fine works that were on permanent display, historically important pieces that I could stand in front of and connect to their history by virtue of being in their presence. Venus and Mars by Botticelli (Fig 1) and Samson and Delilah by Rubens (Fig 2) were hanging on the wall, not far from where I stood, their beautiful sweeping folds of fabric full of motion and life. To look at the Botticelli was to look at a sublime vision that was sweet and serene, its activity without the chaotic movement of other pieces, but feel the softness and serenity of the moment. The word tranquility hung around the painting, a word that defined the emotions that clung to the way in which Venus reclines and Mars laid collapsed back, presumably satiated from the moments previous to the moment caught on the canvas. In contrast, Samson and Delilah by Rubens (Fig 2) is full of tension and chaos, visible without an understanding of the context of the moment within the story. The upward lights beneath the faces both at the door and from the figures behind the pair gives an eerie sense of foreboding. While the look of both Samson and Delilah carries that same sense of satiation, the anticipation of the evil that will befall Samson is infused into every corner of the painting. Looking at the work, I was impressed with the realism with which the fabric draped in heavy folds around the heavily muscled bodies, rippling with life. The roundness of Delilah was in contrast to what is seen more often in magazines in fashion photography. Her body was thick and powerful, even in her femininity, a more familiar shape than those thin and diaphanous bodies one sees wearing the work of Valentino, Chanel, or Dior. My experiences at the Louvre in Paris were even more profound, the sense of history that clung to the works tangible and thick. To stand in front of the Madonna of the Rocks by Leonardo da Vinci was like taking a breath with a deity, the imagery so powerful and yet delicate that it captures the viewer within the air around it. Walking into the Gallerie d’Apollon is an overwhelming experience that assaults the senses from every direction, pressing down and in on the viewer with the heavy. In this historic museum, I found masters such as Goya, Delacroix, and Regnault, their work filled with a heaviness that felt like reality, a sense of chiaroscuro that defined the movement in a way that left me standing moment after moment with my jaw slack and my eyes lifted in awe. Transformation of Interest I was first fascinated by the aspects of realism that could be found within the work of the Renaissance. Exposure to such beautiful and intense works overshadowed some of the contemporary pieces as my palate, still undeveloped and without a working knowledge of the meaning behind much of the 20th century work, was naturally satisfied by these pieces in which a sense of realism was captured. I was entranced by this sense of rolling movement, somehow interpreted by the same feeling that I got if I rolled my hands towards each other, a folding of flesh and space in which life was created. It seemed a type of magic. As my experience with art developed, however, I found a natural fascination shift towards photography. The first time I really looked at a photograph, rather than merely letting its content flow past me, I noticed the play of light and shadow. Light and shadow was something that had fascinated me in the works of the old masters, the sense of tranquility or chaos interpreted by the intensity or lack of intensity that could be viewed within the works. My first interest in photography grew from looking at the photo of Yoko Ono and John Lennon that was done by Annie Liebovitx (Fig 5). I had a sudden realization that the ways in which the bodies were positioned, the light that was used to create the highlights within the flesh, were very similar to the ways in which the painters used light. While the medium was different, the same feeling could be created with a technically created piece of photography. Looking at her work with Lance Armstrong (Fig 6) reveals more of the same sense of heavy fleshly creation that was evident in the work of Rubens and Botticelli. From that point of reference, I began to see a truth behind figural work in photography. Using Leibovitz again to provide an example of the transition, Fig 7 shows a stripped down raw photograph of a woman who is not glossy and muscled, but aged. With this, an understanding of artistic truth was realized. Richard Avedon at the Museum Of Fine Arts Boston (MFA) According to Bolton, Richard Avedon created within his fashion photography a signal that the end had come to the time of labor. He created visual images that pointed to the deindustrialization of the economy in which the office was the playground of the worker, where sweat was no longer a part of the discourse about work (p. 261). To see his work is to see a sense of whimsy and elegance, the light, ethereal play of femininity and joy that creates an editorial through a conversation about the sensuality of skin and fabric (Fig 8). His use of the body was defined by the accentuation of the curve, again the female form exaulted for being slightly above the average. This world was not a world of exertion or bodily function, but of bodily form as elevated through glamour and elegance. In seeing the exhibition at the MFA, I was transformed by the nuance of light and shadow that was used to form the images. In seeing the high quality renderings of the photographs, rather than the often grainy and inferior reproductions of pictures in magazines or on the internet, I was drawn into this world. The flow of the way in which it was displayed, the movement between one photo and the next, allowed for the visitor to the museum to gain a sense of the commentary that Avedon intended, along with the form and space within each composition that reached for the newness of the postindustrial age, striving to reinvent the human condition. The way in which the lighting within the exhibit enhanced the work was subtle, yet vibrant allowing for the soft changes, the tight contrasts, and the impact of the imagery to burst out of the work. My point of view on fashion photography was transformed. Conclusion My experiences in art museums have all been life changing, each visit allowing me to find something new and see in unique and interesting ways. In each visit I am able to understand something new about the creative mind, to see from the point of view of the artists what they were rendering on their chosen medium. Whether on a canvas or on photographic paper, I have found new connections between composition and intent as I have found ways to see the work as it was meant to be seen, through eyes that I have been training to see something more than just a pretty picture. I now look for the play of light and how it creates mood and defines the contour. I am mesmerized by the way in which a statement can be made by an angle or the movement of a form. The privilege that I have had to see all of these fine works has enriched my life to an almost indescribable level. The exhibit at the MVA in Boston of Richard Avedon’s work has added to that overall experience of viewing art. I have become transformed by seeing the female form in the way in which he has created it. The editorial commentary that is found within his work is indicative of the changes in the world, suggesting that luxury and glamour are accessible. The wit and whimsy in which the action of the work is defined also suggests that he doesn’t take that sense of elevated social class too seriously, that it represents both the elite and the nature of the every day world as it has developed from the industrial age. In seeing his work the way it should be seen, with fine resolution and as an exhibit in a museum, I have been able to better understand the point of view from which his work was created. Illustrations Fig. 1 Sandro Botticelli, Venus and Mars, 1483. Fig 2. Pieter Pawel Rubins, Samson and Delilah, 1609-1610. Fig 3. Madonna of the Rocks, Leonardo da Vinci, 1483-1486 Fig 4, Galerie d’Apollon Fig 5 Annie Liebovitz, Yoko Ono and John Lennon. Fig 6 Annie Liebovitz. Lance Armstrong Fig 7 Annie Liebovitz. Fig 7 Richard Avedon Fig 9. Richard Avedon. Illustrations Fig. 1 Sandro Botticelli, Venus and Mars, 1483. Found at http://en.wikipedia.org/w iki/File:Venus_and_Mars.jpg Fig 2. Pieter Pawel Rubins, Samson and Delilah, 1609-1610. Found at http://en.wikipedia. org/wiki/File:Samson_and_Delilah_by_Rubens.jpg Fig 3. Madonna of the Rocks, Leonardo da Vinci, 1483-1486 Found at http://en.wikipe dia.org/wiki/File:Vierge.jpg Fig 4, Galerie d’Apollon. Found at http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http:/ /www.digitalbreizh.net/images/20080118232600_000135.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.dig italbreizh.net/index.php%3Fshowimage%3D147&usg=__z0SYBXYvlkOjILiX2OsiipZG mzg=&h=600&w=900&sz=335&hl=en&start=34&zoom=1&tbnid=w7Va15b7XMdSX M:&tbnh=135&tbnw=208&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dpictures%2Bfrom%2Bthe%2Blouvr e%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26biw%3D1256%26bih%3D602%26tbs%3 Disch:10%2C1254&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=536&vpy=141&dur=6993&hovh=183 &hovw=275&tx=180&ty=129&ei=zNL0TPCqE8P88AaCx4n7Bg&oei=s9L0TPa7K4H6 8Aa74vnCBw&esq=3&page=3&ndsp=16&ved=1t:429,r:13,s:34&biw=1256&bih=602 Fig 5 Annie Liebovitz, Yoko Ono and John Lennon. Found at http://www.google .com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.studiolighting.net/wp-content/images/leibo vitz2.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.studiolighting.net/annie-leibovitz-life-through-a-lens- on-pbs-jan-3/&usg=__mzLVNCEqbu9dF27LOD1TIWRqouE=&h=373&w=300&sz =29&hl=en&start=16&zoom=1&tbnid=VKUhbJQez- AvNM:&tbnh=175&tbnw=139&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dannie%2Bleibovitz%2Bphotos %26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1256%26bih%3D602%26tbs%3Disch:10%2C4 62&um=1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=564&ei=x9n0TPnMJsO88gbDgrXeBg&oei=adj0TLrUJ 4T48AbP8ejBBw&esq=5&page=2&ndsp=17&ved=1t:429,r:7,s:16&tx=86&ty=63&biw= 1256&bih=602 Fig 6 Annie Liebovitz. Lance Armstrong. Found at http://www.google.com/imgres?img url=http://www.photoarts.com/bamart/JIM/LARGE/leibovitz.jpeg&imgrefurl=http://ww w.photoarts.com/bamart/html/leibovitz.html&usg=__LwHKVPFijAFW- aaiQjOjh6VHGiY=&h=400&w=606&sz=24&hl=en&start=48&zoom=1&tbnid=1ETZx UTC8BO4UM:&tbnh=128&tbnw=199&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dannie%2Bleibovitz%2B photos%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1256%26bih%3D602%26tbs%3Disch:10 %2C1539&um=1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=385&ei=09z0TKuzA4L68AaXm4XQBQ&oei= adj0TLrUJ4T48AbP8ejBBw&esq=21&page=4&ndsp=16&ved=1t:429,r:7,s:48&tx=83&t y=58&biw=1256&bih=602 Fig 5 Annie Liebovitz. Found at http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.gende rstudies.nl/erosandpathos/images/bourgeois.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.genderstudies.nl/ erosandpathos/index.php%3Fpageid%3D83&usg=__4T9u7QEQpCAOn09QdrDPztNRk1 0=&h=352&w=490&sz=35&hl=en&start=48&zoom=1&tbnid=J7b_jH2IRIvgOM:&tbnh =127&tbnw=199&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dannie%2Bleibovitz%2Bphotos%26um%3D1 %26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1256%26bih%3D602%26tbs%3Disch:10%2C1539&um=1&I tbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=772&vpy=305&dur=182&hovh=190&hovw=265&tx=180&ty=121 &ei=09z0TKuzA4L68AaXm4XQBQ&oei=adj0TLrUJ4T48AbP8ejBBw&esq=21&page= 4&ndsp=16&ved=1t:429,r:14,s:48&biw=1256&bih=602 Fig 7 Richard Avedon Found at http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://theruffian.fi les.wordpress.com/2009/01/richardavedon3.jpg&imgrefurl=http://theruffian.wordpress.co m/2009/01/20/richard- avedon/richardavedon3/&usg=__uhw_y9E0MCt2ddEiGOhXVSDRh4M=&h=438&w=3 75&sz=106&hl=en&start=22&zoom=1&tbnid=aHGNJuO8- t39NM:&tbnh=145&tbnw=122&prev=/images%3Fq%3Drichard%2BAvedon%26hl%3D en%26biw%3D1256%26bih%3D602%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:10%2C399&itbs=1 &iact=rc&dur=368&ei=9uX0TIfgIoO88gann_XeBQ&oei=MeX0TMmZPMP48AbOk7S 1Bw&esq=2&page=2&ndsp=22&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:22&tx=55&ty=53&biw=1256&bih=6 02 Fig 8. Richard Avedon. Found athttp://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl =http:/ /davidreport.com/blog/wp- content/uploads/2007/08/richard_avedon.jpg&imgrefurl=http://davidreport.com/blog/200 708/richard-avedonretrospective/&usg=__TKcyGUPjUQAeGKsy00hMOQGIO 5I=&h=292&w=450&sz=21&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=JR9sXykitxLWcM:&tbnh =129&tbnw=199&prev=/images%3Fq%3Drichard%2BAvedon%26hl%3Den%26biw%3 D1256%26bih%3D602%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=600&vp y=273&dur=412&hovh=129&hovw=199&tx=90&ty=90&ei=MeX0TMmZPMP48AbOk 7S1Bw&oei=MeX0TMmZPMP48AbOk7S1Bw&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=22&ved=1t:429, r:10,s:0 Works Cited Bolton, Richard. The Contest of Meaning: Critical Histories of Photography. Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press, 1989. Print. Read More