Modern and Contemporary Art - Essay Example

First Last Number 24 February Museum Visit Paper INTRODUCTION Nowadays, visual art museums have become a commontourist attraction around the globe. Visual art galleries provide a platform for the budding talents to display their valuable talent in front of the world. Similarly, these art museums provide a pleasurable experience to those people who are fond of artistic impressions. One such art museum famous for providing a platform for both the art lovers as well as artists is the ‘Boca Raton Museum of Art’, located in Florida, U.S. The museum is famous for its collection and display of plethora of arts by some of the world’s leading artists. People from all over the world, with varied ages, attend the gallery and gain varied experiences (2Boca Raton Museum of Art, “Modern and Contemporary Art”). Hence, the essay intends to provide an overview of the experience gained and the reactions encountered after paying the visit to the art gallery. VISUAL DESCRIPTION Modern and Contemporary Art. A visit was first made to the modern art section, wherein, the most attractive art was ‘Mantegnas Edge’ of 1983 (Fig.1), a contemporary art made by American artist, Al Held. The art was beautiful and one of the best among the showcased modern paintings (2Boca Raton Museum of Art, “Modern and Contemporary Art”). Fig.1 Source: (2Boca Raton Museum of Art, “Modern and Contemporary Art”) West African Tribal Art. In the second slot, the West African tribal art department was visited, wherein, the best art sculpture was the ‘Female Mask’ (Fig.2), an ancient art gifted by Arthur Steinman and his wife. The art displayed high quality and professional use of bronze and other metals, specially imbibed to enhance the arts’ worth (3Boca Raton Museum of Art, “West African Tribal Art and Oceanic Art”). Fig.2 Source: (3Boca Raton Museum of Art, “West African Tribal Art and Oceanic Art”) Pre-Columbian Art. The next section, which attracted the attention, was the display of pre-Colombian art, showcasing some of the oldest arts with contributions made by Jean and David Colker. The best art amongst all was the Zacatecas style art (Fig.3), exhibiting two people sitting together (4Boca Raton Museum of Art, “Pre-Columbian Art”). Fig.3 Source: (4Boca Raton Museum of Art, “Pre-Columbian Art”) Asian Art. Asian art was another attractive segment in the Boca Raton Museum of Art. The museum is famous for collection of Asian artistic sculptures, with most of the arts made through marble and mud. Most of the Asian arts portrayed in this museum belonged to the medieval period. One such art was the colossal head of Jain Tirthankara (Fig.4), which gifted by Marilyn Rosov (5Boca Raton Museum of Art., “Asian Art”). Fig.4 Source: (5Boca Raton Museum of Art., “Asian Art”) American Art. American art was one of the most attractive forms of art displayed in Boca Raton Museum. Situated in America, American art is considered as one of the most dominant art forms displayed in the museum premises. One of the arts attracting attention was the ‘Poles in Landscape’ (Fig.5), created by Richard Florsheim. The painting exhibited serenity and peacefulness with beach in the background (1Boca Raton Museum of Art, “American Art”). Fig.5 Source: (1Boca Raton Museum of Art, “American Art”) PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN & THE ELEMENTS OF ART USED Modern and Contemporary Art. The art Mantegnas Edge, painted by Al Held, was based on the principle of ‘patterns’, ‘variety’, ‘harmony’ and ‘balance’. The picture made use of visual art elements such as ‘shape’, ‘value’ and ‘color. West African Tribal Art. The Female Mask, a western and tribal art, exhibited the principles of ‘harmony’, ‘emphasis’, ‘balance’ and ‘proportion’. The mask was made up of a combination of various elements of art such as ‘value’, ‘shape’ and ‘space.’ Pre-Colombian Art. The Zacatecas style art, one of the best arts belonging to the pre-Colombian era, demonstrated the use of elements that entail ‘shape’, ‘space’ and ‘value.’ Furthermore, the art engraved the principle of ‘harmony’, ‘unity’ and ‘proportion.’ Asian Art. The Asian art, particularly the Jain Tirthankara’ gigantic head was based on the principles of ‘pattern’, ‘balance’ and ‘proportion.’ Additionally, the art displayed the use of visual art elements such as ‘texture’, ‘shape’ and ‘value.’ American Art. The American art of Poles in Landscape was the best portraying the principles of ‘unity’, ‘rhythm’, ‘pattern’, ‘harmony’ and ‘movement.’ The art has used the elements of ‘color’ and ‘texture’ (South Newton School Corporation, “The Basic Elements and Principles of the Visual Language Focusing on 3 Dimensional art”). ARTISTIC VIEWPOINT Modern and Contemporary Art. In the painting Mantegnas Edge, the artist sought to exhibit a modern-day environment, focusing upon the development made in a society and amongst the people. The art has made use of several colors, which the painter used to demonstrate the patterns inhibited within the modern day culture and the lines represented the balance between the diagrams. West African Tribal Art. The female mask, an antique piece of work, belonging to Ivory Coast, represented the artist’s viewpoint about the old age civilization residing within the African continent thousands years back. Through the sculpture, the artist wanted to demonstrate that at that time, women held a strong position in the society, wherein, they used to use utensils made of bronze for several household chores. Pre-Colombian Art. The use of earthenware to create the art of joint pair of two figures, displayed the artist’s view that earthenware was a common tool used in the pre-Colombian times. The artist may intend to convey the fact that the people belonging to that age were brought up with unity and there was the existence of strong relationships amid them. The artist further emphasized the importance of a sustainable livelihood and balance in the society with the help of creation. Asian Art. The art of Jain Tirthankara, demonstrating the colossal head, displayed the artistic vision of the use of mud, sandstone and marble in place of color in the medieval era. The artist may further attempt to provide a brief idea about the beauty and aesthetic power, holding a predominant position in that era. American Art. The art ‘Poles in Landscape’ describes Florsheim’s view of peacefulness, unity and rhythm in the beach, its environment and texture in the cloud. Furthermore, the art illustrates the rising concern of deforestation in the modern-day scenario. REACTIONS Modern and Contemporary Art. The art ‘Mantegnas Edge’ was a fine art, with perfect combination of the elements and principles of visual art. The art was good; however, it cannot be perfect as it exceed the color range. The artist has made use of all color and the art lacked space among the figures. West African Tribal Art. The ‘women face’ representing the African culture was able to attract the attention, as the artist has come up with the idea of women empowerment and their position in earlier days. The art was further striking, as the artist made use of bronze, keeping in mind the longevity of the product. However, the art lacked color and texture. Pre-Colombian Art. The art of two men sitting in line with each other was an eye-catching one, as it demonstrated the perfect display of unity and harmony amid the people. One disadvantage of the art was that it lacked the principle of movement and variety along with the absence of using any color. Asian Art. The Asian art showcasing Jain Tirthankara was a good one, as it was able to represent the factors concerning diversity and complexity. The art displayed the importance of God among the people and the aesthetic power that they possess. The art was however unable to make proper use of the exact materials, as the condition of art deteriorated with time. American Art. ‘Poles in Landscape’ was an exceptional art in the museum. The painted really attracted the attention, as it was based in the changes occurring in the environment, unlike the other arts. The artist was able to diagrammatize views about the rising concerns that the world is facing in modern day context. DIFFERENCES All the arts were different from each other to the extent what they represent. The American art was based on the environment concern, whereas, the Asian Art displayed the importance of Gods. The modern art represented the situation and societal culture in the present situation. In contrast, the African art focused upon depicting the importance of women in the society and the pre-Colombian art, on the other hand, displayed the values of integrity people possessed in the medieval period. CONCLUSION All the forms of art displayed in the museum were exceptional and demonstrated the prevalence of distinct cultures in different times. Furthermore, the distinct art forms were based upon diverse concepts, with each art influencing the use of several elements and principles in modern art. Works Cited 1Boca Raton Museum of Art. American Art. Web. 05 March 2015. 2Boca Raton Museum of Art. Modern and Contemporary Art. Web. 05 March 2015. 3Boca Raton Museum of Art. West African Tribal Art and Oceanic Art. Web. 05 March 2015. 4Boca Raton Museum of Art. Pre-Columbian Art. Web. 05 March 2015. 5Boca Raton Museum of Art. Asian Art. Web. 05 March 2015. South Newton School Corporation. The Basic Elements and Principles of the Visual Language Focusing on 3 Dimensional art . 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