The Most Beautiful Object in the Museum - Essay Example

Title of Work: Inverted Theme USA (A House of a Song Bird)
Artist: Simon Starling
Artist’s Country: England
Year of Work: (2002)
Material used: Tree trunks, iron, wood, birds
Size/Dimensions: 133 x 122 x140 inches
Place: Perez Art Museum Miami
Thoughts and questions
It looked mysterious, like a puzzle that needs to be figured out.
List of the questions
What this work represents?
Why choose the materials of iron and wood?
What is the historical significance of the artwork?
What is the history of Simon Starling (the artist)?
What are other significant works by Simon Starling?
Part B. The Most Interesting Non-European/Non-North American Work of Art

Crucifixion
Title of Work: Crucificcion (Crois fixation)
Artist: Roberto Matta Echaurren
Artist’s Country: Chile
Year of Work: 1938
Material used: Oil on canvas
Place: Perez Art Museum Miami

Thoughts and Feelings
My first thought about this artwork was figuring out its complexity. There is a huge question mark asking the viewer what is the meaning of this picture. Without looking at the description of the painting or the artist's name, it is hard to figure out what it means and represents. After reading the name of Roberto Matta, it dawned on me that this might be surrealism.
A few questions crossed my mind while looking at this artwork. I know that Matta was fascinated by Christ’s crucifixion and he loved painting that tragic event in different styles and forms. Immediately, I started looking for the cross and soldiers in this picture. Certain questions that boggled me were;
Where is the cross?
Where are the soldiers?
This is not just a representation of Christian crucifixion, what else could this mean?
An overhanded use of dark colors such as black and smoky purple is used here, could this be a representative of political turmoil in Matta’s own time?

Part C. The Work of Art that You Disliked

Le Meridien

Title of Work: Le Meridien
Artist: Sarah Morris
Artist’s Country: British-American
Year of Work: 2012
Material used: Oil on canvas
Place: Perez Art Museum Miami
Thoughts and Feelings
I am a fan of motion and fluidity. Rigidness and mechanical expressions of art always disinterest me. Le Meridien by Sarah Morris is one such piece. Despite the brilliant color play the rigid rectangles and strict computer-like boundaries make it seem automaton. Maybe this style is an expression of mechanical elements but it does not make me want to spend time looking at Morris’s work.
Upon reading the description of her work, it was revealed that it represents Rio de Janeiro’s architecture. The elongated rectangular mosaic-like formation of vibrant colors represents the old building in Rio. I was questioning myself about this painting;

How much does this artwork represent Rio’s architecture?
Which era in Rio's history used this design pattern in buildings?

Part D. A Special Exhibition

The exhibition called In the Sculpture Garden: Jedd Novatt displays artworks depicting minimalism. The purpose is to depict the presence of minimalistic sculpture style making its way into the American public landscape. Its prominent features include the interplay between rigid, lifeless elements such as steel and aluminum and giving them theatrical animation turning them into eye-catching sculptures. They also display the most efficient use of space and the optimal ratio of mass, volume, and weight.

Chaos SAS
Title: Chaos SAS
Artist: Jedd Novatt
Country of Origin: USA
Year of work: 2013
Description: randomly stacked (seemingly unstable) stainless steel rectangles depicting minimalism. The artwork displayed at PAMM’s new sculpture garden seems to be in motion.

Part E. What Would You Take Home
I would take Jedd Novatt’s artwork home with me. I would take all the sculptures by Novatt. I do not like the mechanical lifestyle and strict standards. Similarly, I do not like artwork that expresses mechanical themes. Seemingly this contradicts my choice of artwork; however, the beauty in Novatt’s work is its rebellion against the norms. The minimalistic formation of steel shows molding rigid materials like steel and aluminum into movements of sculptures. The artworks displayed in the sculpture garden do not look static. This is precisely what I want in real life. It represents resistance against monotonous, mechanical, and unnecessary conformities in life.