A Visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art - Essay Example

A Visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art The Mission Look online at the museum’s website and locate the mission of the museum. What is the d mission of the museum? Keep this in mind throughout your visit. When the Metropolitan Museum of Art was founded on April 13, 1870, the following mission statement defined its purpose: “to be located in the City of New York, for the purpose of establishing and maintaining in said city a Museum and library of art, of encouraging and developing the study of the fine arts, and the application of arts to manufacture and practical life, of advancing the general knowledge of kindred subjects, and, to that end, of furnishing popular instruction” (Metropolitan Museum of Art). On September 12, 2000, the mission statement was revised to state that: “The mission of The Metropolitan Museum of Art is to collect, preserve, study, exhibit, and stimulate appreciation for and advance knowledge of works of art that collectively represent the broadest spectrum of human achievement at the highest level of quality, all in the service of the public and in accordance with the highest professional standards” (Metropolitan Museum of Art). Where is the mission found within the museum? Is it written for all to see or is it in a piece of literature available at the entrance? The mission statement can be found in a stairwell near the 81st street entrance. Is it written clearly or do you think it’s too obscure, or too general? What makes it so? The mission statement is clearly written. The original statement, however, connects the art within the museum to the American culture, the spirit of the idea of creating a collection more defined by the culture for which the collection was created. The newer statement separates the art from the public, re-enforcing the idea that art is elitist and through this idea, creates an alienation of the average viewer from the works. The first statement was inclusive, while the second creates exclusivity. The Entrance Try to enter the museum through its front entrance. Analyze how this space works. What do you think this approach tells you about the museum and what will be found inside?  Upon entering the museum, the massive size and detail of the architecture leaves one breathless in its impressive impact. The architecture of the front entrance is organized symmetrically, giving a sense of balance and stability. The architecture is serious, intended to denote the importance of the building and impacting with a solemnity that quiets the soul upon entering. Even with the colorful banners on the outside of the entrance, the attendee is intimidated by its impressive stature. Is it an inviting entrance? Do you feel it’s intimidating? How does it produce these reactions? Be as specific as possible in your description. Despite its serious nature, the entrance to the museum invites the attendee to enter, to want the experience that waits within its walls. Despite its large and impressive stature, it is not intimidating, but evokes a sense of excitement in the attendee because of what is known to be inside. In climbing the stairs at the front entrance, the effort that it takes to get to the building provides a moment to reflect on the three sets of two massive columns in the front. Inside How is the museum laid out? Use your map to try to figure out the logic? The first floor is organized with sponsored collections and by time period. The Lila Ascheson Wallace Wing and the American Wing both have two floors. The second floor is organized by region, primarily European and Eastern works of art, each hall organized by thematic collections. Is it chronologically organized, are there major themes that are developed, or is there some other organizing schema? The organization of the artworks is through thematic representation of each of the primary themes of the individual collections The Works of Art What exhibition did you find most appealing? Why? Describe it as clearly as possible. I was very attracted to the Oceanic Art Gallery, which diverted my attention immediately upon looking into the exhibit. The glassed in enclosure with the streams of light coming in from the buttressed windows creates an impressive modern contrast to the primitive works within the space. With an economy of style, the placement of the pieces allows for a simplified view of each piece, highlighted by the space between the works. Fully identify (name of artist, title, date, and medium) the one work of art that you feel is the central piece of each of the four galleriesyou will visit. This means that you will describe four works altogether. This will be a very subjective choice but you should be able to defend your choice. Why do you feel this is, or should be, the featured work of art? 1) Greek and Roman Art; unknown artist, Amathus Sarcophagus, 5th century BCE, limestone carving The Sarcophagus is unique and represents an unusual find for the time period in which it was created. 2) Art of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas; Jiem (Asmat people), Bis Pole, 1960, wood, paint, fiber The piece expresses the aesthetics of the culture. 3) Modern Art (including the rooftop garden);  Jackson Pollack, Autumn Rhythm, 1950, Enamel on Canvas Polack represents the beginning of a shift in global art centers towards New York, and the power of this work helps to understand this shift. 4) European Paintings. Johanes Vermeer, Allegory of the Catholic Faith, 1679-72, Oil on Canvas This choice is more unusual, but in an atmosphere that seemed to give equal attention to all of the impressive pieces, the nature of the perspective of Vermeer drew my eye to this piece. In the area that it was presented, its visual represented dominated the space. Compare two of the fours works you chose above. What do the two works have in common? How do they speak to each other across time and space. It’s difficult to compare two very different pieces of art, but the Sarcophagus and the Bis Pole provided an ‘otherness’ which was transforming. In looking at art that was outside of the usual types of pieces observed, these two pieces created a sense of culture rather than of a communication centered on the meaning within the piece, such as on would focus on within a painting. Both pieces express artistic vision, but also express a purposeful meaning in regard to the culture from which they came. Which gallery was the least appealing? Why? How did it fail?  The European Paintings, while impressive and daunting in the history that they represented, created a more chaotic feeling in the way in which they were presented. Too much to look at without true focus made me feel slightly uncomfortable and overwhelmed. How would you improve this particular exhibition? In rearranging the pieces in the European Paintings, the difficulty of presenting the collection is that there is a lot of movement in each piece, thus creating the chaos of the gallery from within the works rather than from the exhibit. Space might be more individualized for the gallery, creating a visual separateness that minimizes the chaos. Afterimage After visiting the museum, how would you summarize your experience to a friend? If you think you will return to the museum, what section do you think you’ll want to visit and why?  The experience of going to the museum was transformative as the sheer number of pieces both overwhelmed and impacted me. In seeing the many works of art in their true form, rather than through pictures in a book or on the internet, created a sense of history. While the paintings are my favorite forms of art, I was surprised at how the cultures of the sculptural and architectural pieces affected me. Rather than defining meanings through analysis of the intentions of a single artist, the pieces of antiquity that expressed something of the way in which cultures lived created an unexpected impact on my experience at the museum. Read More