미지센터의 청소년 국제교류이야기

All that Glitters

The Harry Frank Guggenheim Hall of Gems and Minerals was the first exhibit to catch my eye, and not only because of its glittering exhibits. The museum is renowned for its rare collection of unusual minerals, ranging from dazzling gemstones to bizarre rock formations. Some of the gems, explained a guide, were so renowned throughout the world that many attempted theft to gain the gems. 

The Star of India, the largest star sapphire in the world, was a favorite among the visitors for its beauty. 12 of 20 people I have interviewed stated that the Star of India was their favorite gem. The Midnight Star Ruby, the Patricia Emerald, and the de Long Ruby were also favorites among visitors. “I love the star shape of the Star of India and the Midnight Star ruby,” said a visitor. “The smooth surface and the unusual pattern make it priceless,” said another dazzled onlooker.

The rare gemstones were not the only displays that caught the attention of onlookers. Sulfur crystals, microcline formations, a quartz-amethyst geode, and many other rock formations procured looks from onlookers. “The microcline rock formation looks more like rubber or plastic,” commented an onlooker. “I like the rock-within-rock look,” said a visitor who was observing a geode. The various mineral formations, with beautiful and bizarre looks, were well received by the visitors. 

Nothing but Bones

              When I interviewed 30 visitors on their favorite exhibitions, 20 of them stated that they have enjoyed the exhibitions that displayed skeletons and fossils the most. Exhibition halls, such as sections of the Primate Hall and all of the Fossil Halls, displayed a diverse amount of skeletons. From dinosaurs to avians, the size and age of skeletons of animals were diverse and numerous.

         I found that the larger the skeleton was, the more popular it was among visitors. Out of 10 people who visited the exhibits with the skeletons and fossils, 8 of them preferred the larger fossils, such as large mammals or dinosaurs. “I love the mammoth,” exclaimed a visitor, “because I’ve never seen such a large land animal like that in my life.” It’s awe-inspiring,” added another visitor, “because the dinosaurs’ size makes me feel insignificant in contrast.” Similarly, the other interviewees stated that the sheer size of the creatures made the fossils their favorites.

        Despite the favorability of larger animals, the skeletons of tiny animals also impressed crowds. The visitors admired the delicate yet fine bones of small animals. “It’s amazing how they got around and lived with such small bones and bodies,” commented a visitor. “I think they’re cuter than the larger skeletons,” piped a girl who was with her parents. 

Recreate Nature 

           Not only does the AMNH display real gems and fossils, but it also displays the creations of its naturalists, taxidermists, photographers, and artists. The dioramas, although not as popular as the rocks and the skeletons, drew a large crowd of awed visitors. The fact that the museum produced such fine creations within the museum itself, as with its display of master craftsmanship and the diversity of its subjects, was what drew the crowd. 

         “The ranges of the dioramas are amazing,” said a visitor. “From humans to trees, I was able to see a variety of figures I would never be able to see in real life.” “The models are really accurate and well made.” “I wonder how the museum was able to make such figures.” These were some of many comments and praises given to the models. Many of the interviewees thought that the real life scale of the blue whale was the best, followed by the gorilla in the jungle and primitive humans in Africa. 


To History
     
         The AMNH truly frames the bulk of natural history for the denizens of New York, as well as those who come from distant cities and countries. Its collections are so vast only a small fraction of it can be shown at a time, therefore enabling future visits to pertain new artifacts and fossils. It is no wonder that it was voted 7^th in the “Most visited museums in the World” by the magazine Travel + Leisure. Many will leave with natural wonders in their memories, not knowing that they have scratched only the surface of AMNH’s treasures.

(Image provided by the Metropolitan museum of Art)

                  I decided to revisit the museum on September 24^th because of the vast collection of valuable artworks. In order to cover the most popular artwork galleries, I have reported on Egyptian art, Arms and Armor, European Paintings, European Sculpture, and Medieval Art last month, and this month I will be covering Ancient Near Eastern Art, African/Oceania/American Art, Asian Art, Greek and Roman Art, and Modern Art.

From Babylon to Cyprus

                Near Eastern art, for many visitors, seemed to border Eastern and Western art. For a minority of visitors viewing Near Eastern art produced in the Late Period, they mistakenly believed that they were looking at Greek art (from which Near Eastern art was influenced). Some of the later sculptures, such as the ones depicting a sphinx and a man wearing a laurel crown (a crown that Roman emperors wore to display their power), have heavy influences from Greece and Rome. Near Eastern art produced in the early period resembled art produced in India, with many statues depicting the faces of deities in very high detail.

“If I was a Babylonian or a Persian, I would have been awed by the sheer size of some of these sculptures,” said a visitor, “just like a human being is awed by seeing a supernatural being.” Another visitor seemed to find similarities between Middle Eastern and Egyptian art. “Stone sculptures, murals that depict different creatures, and the enormous statues...looks like Egpyt influenced Middle Eastern art, or maybe it’s the other way around!”

From the Far East

                For many tourists that seek diversity from Western art, Asian art is a must-visit. From massive sculptures of inland China to the porcelain pottery of Korea, there are many different types of artworks. The majority of China’s sculptures and murals depict Buddhist deities, Taoists, or monstrous demons in Chinese lore. Chinese artworks dominated the Asian gallery, where over 3 gallery spaces (along with a giant hall) are dedicated to them. One of the interviewees joked, “The number of Chinese art is as massive as the number of Chinese tourists!” There were also a large number of Japanese artworks, where most of the artworks consisted of embroidery and clothing rather than statues and metal ornaments. However, there was seldom number of visitors in the Japanese wing, unlike those housing Chinese artworks. “I think I am seeing the same number of designs over and over again,” remarked one visitor exiting the Japanese wing. “A homogenous mishmash of this and that,” said another.

                One disappointing aspect for the Asian wing was the lack of artworks from Korea. Although the collection wasn’t small, there weren’t a significant number of them. “I think I would be more interested if there were more works present,” remarked 2 visitors. According to 20 people who visited the Korean section of Asian art, 15 of them said that the wing could use more Korean artworks. “Korea is rising,” remarked Ann Cheng (a tourist who agreed to share her identity), “and to spread its cultural knowledge, people should know more about its culture.”

AAA: American, African, Aboriginal

                Perhaps one of the most unique of the exhibitions, in terms of how these cultures express their artistic side, is the art gallery of African, American, and Oceanic art by Aboriginals. Many of these cultures have displayed their artistic talents with totems, ships, clothing, and personal items over paintings and sculpture. None of the works used metal, and very few used material other than wood or other biological materials. For this reason, this particular gallery seemed to display the distant tribal past of human civilization. The different geographical regions also seemed to play a role in the themes of the artworks created. From the tapestries of the Peruvian Andes to the patterns carved by the Maori, all of the artworks seemed to be different and unique from each other.

                When I interviewed 30 tourists who visited all the galleries, I asked them to choose their favorite galleries. When I asked the 4 people, who have chosen the AAA galleries as their favorites, why they chose the galleries, the 4 people replied that the galleries have shown the most unique way of displaying their artistic sense. For one visitor, it was “their method of displaying art seems more spiritual than that of other cultures, and I was impressed by that.”
 

Olympic Art

                Greek and Roman culture, the foundations of European civilization, created unforgettable artworks. Although Greek and Roman art seemed to concentrate on sculpture like the Egyptian and Middle Eastern art, the proportions and details of the face and body are incredible, even more so than Egyptian or Middle Eastern art. The artworks from the Renaissance period, shown in the previous article, resemble and emulate some of the techniques and subjects from the art of the Classical period. The main materials used seemed to be metal and marble, but the Romans also utilized paint, glass, and other diverse materials.

                “Marble and metal is the main attraction of Greek and Roman art, and I like it,” quipped a tourist. “European culture has never been able to measure up to the success of Greek and Roman culture,” remarked an elder visitor. 16 out of 20 people said that they liked Greek and Roman art, but 15 out of the 16 people said that Greek and Roman art did not have much variety in terms of subject matter. “Roman and Greek art was cool and everything, but it’s like having 200 different alterations of Mona Lisa,” said the same tourist who remarked about the marble and metal used in Greek and Roman art.

MoMA?

                When I visited the modern art section of the Met, I at first thought that the Met collection wouldn’t be as impressive as its other collections. The main reason for formulating this unproven hypothesis, shared by other tourists that have visited MoMA (Museum of Modern Art), is that New York already has an excellent museum dedicated to modern art. According to a survey of 25 people who have visited MoMA before visiting the Met’s modern art section, 15 of the 25 people told me that they didn’t expect to see a good collection. “New York already has a museum dedicated to modern art,” said one of the interviewees. “Why have this gallery at all?”

                Fortunately, this idea was proven a misconception. The Met does have an excellent collection, including Van Gogh’s, Picasso’s, and Pollock’s works, albeit smaller than that of MoMA. Some works, although contemporary, have been transferred to European or American paintings. For some of the tourists, this was to some degree frustrating. “I want to look at modern art in the modern section, not the Europe section where older paintings dominate the walls,” remarked a tourist. However, many of them found the gallery to be rewarding. “I was able to see many unique and flashy works,” said a visitor who was with his family, “and I think that having the same thing over and over again is boring. I like the pizzazz, the bang-bang, and the wow factor.”

Comedi-art

                      Because the exhibition is fairly recent, many tourist groups or visitors do not have much foreknowledge of the artworks, if they had any previous information about it at all. However, it doesn't mean that they don't have opinions about this peculiar gallery. "I found this to be the only gallery with laughs," said a tourist from a school trip. Many of the comments referred to the strange, if not ridiculous, appearance of the artworks. "Laughs throughout the ages," remarked the same tourist.

Checkout

                Mere words cannot cover all the wonders of human creativity found in the Met, and neither can my 2 articles. Many of the ancient treasures predate the museum that houses them, and even predate the city that houses the Met. The deep and rich history, as well as the creative strokes and genius that went into the works of art, will surely impress those who decide to visit the museum that lies on 5^th Avenue. As the human mind creates even more masterpieces, the collection of the Met will ever become fuller.

Entry

I initially decided to visit the museum on September 12^th because of its vast collection of valuable artworks. For a museum that boasts one of the largest collections of art in the world, the cost of admission is modest. Although the recommended fee is USD 25, it is up to the visitor to pay, or ‘donate’, whatever amount he or she wishes. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, or simply ‘the Met’, has over a million permanent artworks which are diverse in both time and culture. From the popular Arms and Armor collection to the American Painting and Sculpture, it is usually impossible for visitors to visit all of the galleries in one day without skimming over the artworks. I will be covering Egyptian art, Arms and Armor, European Paintings, European Sculpture, and Medieval Art in this article. 

What the Pharos Made

"Masonry and Size"

For many of the visitors of the Met, the first exhibition they enter is the Egyptian Art Gallery. The Egyptian gallery, containing half of the museum’s artworks, is by far the largest of all the galleries. When I asked 20 visitors of all ages what struck them most from visiting the Egyptian Art Gallery, many of them replied “masonry and size.” Most of the Egyptian Art collection, apart from several textile works, is mainly composed of pottery, stone tools, and stone structures.

The same 20 visitors, when asked what part of the art gallery they would recommend to their friends and relatives, told me that the stone sculptures and tools were the most spectacular. “For me, it was amazing that such fine details in sculpture could be created in a time that lacked the fine tools we have today,” explained one of the 20 visitors. “It’s the sheer bulk and size of the statues that got me,” explained another visitor. Painted art by Egyptians is no less impressive; for one visitor, he “was able to get a lucid picture of ordinary Egyptian life.

Medieval Makes

Like Egyptian artworks, the medieval sculptures display excellent craftsmanship without modern tools or technology. However, unlike Egyptian works that use bulk to awe onlookers, medieval artworks impress audiences with small details present in medieval paintings and crafts.  “After the fall of the Roman Empire, it is impressive to see that barbarism didn’t destroy art completely,” said a college student from Columbia. “It also shows how developed the human spirit is, despite daily hardships.”

Many galleries display religious artifacts, but almost none of the galleries feature as many religious themes and icons as the Medieval Gallery. The sheer amount of Christian themes in medieval artworks display the enormous significance and importance Christianity had for people living during the Middle Ages. This was why some visitors felt as if they were entering a monetary or a religious institution. “It’s Jesus and God everywhere,” exclaimed a tourist visiting from the Netherlands. An elderly visitor noted the amount of care that went into these artworks despite the lack of tools. “They must have put their souls into these works: it does represent their self towards God, after all.”


Guns & Roses

Despite the name of the gallery, many of the weapons were for ceremonial purposes and rarely have seen the battlefield. The ones that have seen battles are arms and armor from nations other than Europe or North America. “I like the diversity of this collection,” said a tourist, “because unlike the other galleries, this gallery allows me to see different cultures at the same time and compare them.”


Elegance from Europe

Europe, after the Dark and Middle Ages, truly blossomed in art and sculpture. By the time of the Renaissance and the Enlightenment, Europe has produced thousands of renowned works by renowned artists. Out of 20 people I’ve interviewed, 15 of them stated that the European art/sculpture section was in their top 3 galleries of the Met, and 5 of the visitors stated it was their favorite section. One visitor described the section as “Europe at is best.”

After visiting the Middle Ages section, many visitors are impressed by the leap forward in techniques found in the European galleries. The subjects have also changed. The Dutch visitor, who I was able to meet inside this gallery, told me that “in this gallery, I see that Europe has abandoned its static theme of blind faith and have started to see other themes artists could spend their time on.” “I am greatly impressed by this level of work,” said another visitor, “and I hope this leap happens again in my lifetime.

Next Visit

From the popular Arms and Armor collection to the American Painting and Sculpture, it is usually impossible for visitors to visit all of the galleries in one day without skimming over the artworks. For this reason, I will feature Ancient Near Eastern Art, African/Oceania/American Art, Asian Art, Greek and Roman Art, Modern Art, and Caricatures (a new exhibition) next month. The Met features many treasures, and I wish the reader to fully appreciate them by going into each gallery in detail.

Finding MoMA

The MoMA Building, fromthe opposite end of the MoMA building

In New York City, and especially in Manhattan, there are many art museums that contain a treasure trove of artistic masterpieces. Researching about many renowned museums, I have recently heard of a museum in Manhattan named the Museum of Modern Art, or MoMA. The museum was established in 1929, a time when modern art began taking root in the artistic world. I found that the museum offered free admission to visitors every Friday, and also containing many works of many renowned artists (such as Picasso and Lichtenstein). I decided to travel to Manhattan to see how impressive this museum was to sport such an incredible amount of works from famous artists. Although there were innumerable amounts of excellent works, I decided first to take a survey among the museum visitors, then showed works that left the highest impression on the viewers.

Dabbing in Paint & Politics

Left to Right: Black and Blue (Vuyile C. Voyiya of South Africa), Case History (Boris Mikhailov from Ukraine), and 1919 Majus 1 (Mihaly Biro from Hungary)

 

L to R: Vilag Proletarjai Egyesuljert! (Bertaian Por, Hungary) and Casspirs Full of Love (William Kentridge, South Africa)

 

According to a survey of 100 visitors across the building, I found that many of the visitors (73 out of 100 people) viewed works in MoMA intimately related to political ideas (as modern art rebelled against established political thought and propaganda). They especially thought that political views were more rampant in more recent artworks. In the South African gallery, there were many works that seemed to reflect the political scars left by apartheid and government oppression. In the photography section, Mikhailov’s photographs displayed the failed policies of glasnost & perestroika during Soviet ruleand their consequences on Ukrainians.  There were also some works that were more dated, such as Biro’s 1919 Majus 1.

                When I asked the visitors to spot one common aspect of these political drawings, 43 of 50 people I asked noticed was that many of the political drawings were nude, in both photographs and drawings. “When I was in the South African wing, there were a lot of nude or sexual content in the drawings”, said Jack Houston (visitor). Another visitor,Vanessa Hodsten, said that “the nudity really gives a raw feeling to the emotion of these artists as well as their uncensored ideas.” However, the visitors were dismissive about concerns of nudity in the artworks, even parents who had young children with them. “I think nudity in art is common,” said a mother of 3 young children (she declined to be named), “and I also think that the nudity here is actually for a purpose, not like those in music videos in American pop.” Many people also told me that not much color (other than photos) was used in the paintings, as well as having numerous amounts of red and black in the drawings. “Probably represents the passion of the artist,” said avisitor. “ I think since Fascism and Communism used those colors a lot for propaganda, maybe the artists wanted to have that effect too,” said another visitor.

The Cultural Revolution, in Art

L to R: Drowning Girl (Roy Lichtenstein, USA), Hope (Gustav Klimt, Austria), Golden Marilyn Monroe (Andy Warhol, USA), Secession XIV, Beethoven (Alfred Roller, Austria)

L to R: Les Demoiselles d’Avignon (Pablo Picasso, Spain), The Starry Night (Vincent Van Gogh, Netherland), The Persistence of Memory (Salvador Dali, Spain)

           Although politics play an important in modern art, modern art has played an important part in changing the perception of art and culture in the world, as well as starting artistic movements across the world. Out of 100 visitors, 92 of the visitors, both tourists and citizens of NYC, had come to MoMA to view works mainly by Picasso, Warhol, and Lichtenstein. Picasso’s works were most sought by the following 92 people (43), followed by Andy Warhol (32) and Vincent Van Gogh (18). When I went to the museum, Picasso’s works were always surrounded by people with cameras. However, when I asked them to tell me what the Les Demoiselles d’Avignon was about and some insight about the artwork, many people were unable to give me insight and what they thought of the artwork. Most of the responses from my questions included “I just think it’s looks interesting”, “Picasso liked to draw weird doodles”, and “I just wanted to take my picture taken”, or avoided the question with a smile or a shrug.

               I then asked a student named Miranda, who attends the Tisch School of Arts in NYU, to tell me what she thought of the artworks. “Many of these artists have done very significant things to the human perception as well as the art circles.” She then pointed to the Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, and said “Picasso’s works were famous for Cubism, right? Well, Cubism inspired many artists to analyze and reassemble what they see into an abstract form after breaking the image into parts.  This inspired many people in society to look at ideas and objects dynamically, instead of just looking at it in only one particular view.” “In fact”, she continued, “this work is supposedly the first Cubist artwork. You can say that Picasso started this entire movement where people started to see things differently.”

          She then took me to the gallery where The Starry Night by Van Gogh was hung. “This artwork, too, shows different perspectives of color. Also, the artwork doesn't look like stars twinkling, but they look like they’re swirling along with the night sky. Van Gogh shows that to him a starry night could look like a swirl of stars, rather than the common perception of a stationary sky.” “For Dali, he took the surreal to display how time and memory relate to each other”, said Miranda while walking to the wall where The Persistence of Memory was hung. “Clocks don’t melt”, joked Miranda, “but for Dali the melting clocks show that time is invasive in our memory that symbolizes how we forget things that occurred a long time ago.”

              Miranda also explained that culture and morality today was heavily influenced by modern art. “Warhol and Lichtenstein were artists who began to draw upon American Pop culture, as well as showing Americans how mass-produced this culture is. If you look both at their works, you won’t think that they are hard to dray, and they aren't. However, themes and not skills are the essence of any artwork.” She then proceeded to the German impressionists and Austrian Secessionist galleries. “Austrian Secessionists like Klimt and Roller changed much of people’s impression of morality. You see many sexual themes in Secessionist art, and that’s because Secessionists wanted to challenge morality dominated by the Christian faith and show that people no longer had to think that Christianity was the only moral path for an individual.”

 

Art?

L to R: Trafalgar Square & The Voice (Barnett Newman, USA), Split Flap Board Flight Information Display System (Solari di Udine, Italy)

               There were many works where people lauded as masterpieces, but some of the artworks hung were questioned by many people as an actual piece of art. Many of these questioned artworks included almost blank canvases, compilation of various refuse, and normal objects. For many people, if the ‘artworks’ were not displayed as artwork, then they would have considered it junk or a failed experiment or a mistake of an artist while painting.

When I interviewed visitors whether anything artists try to create can be considered art, 134 people out of the questioned 200 said no. “It's insulting to see someone get fame because they did something ‘original’, while putting in no effort”, said one visitor. “I could sell a blank canvas saying it represents something deep”, joked another. When I asked the visitors who did not consider some artwork ‘art’ what their definitions of art were, many replied that art was something drawn, sculpted, crafted, or painted with an effort to express oneself.

However, some visitors appreciated the unusualness of the artworks. One visitor, named Sam, said that anything could be art. “ Art represent what the artist is thinking, so saying something can’t be art just because it looks simple is insulting to the artist.” Another visitor also added to Sam’s point, saying “yesterday smartphones would have been dismissed by science fiction, but now it’s daily life; I think people need to change their preconceptions about art and what is the norm.”
 

Reflections

MoMA, for many, is more than an art museum where art students hang out and tourists take pictures. MoMA contains the one of the most recent collection of art in the US, maybe even the world. Many of the artists, and the artworks themselves, have propelled culture and thought to the present. Many more artists try to propel them to new levels. For many visitors, MoMA is a place where one can reflect on both the present and the future and where one can find something more than artwork. Whether one likes art or not, it is certainly a place where one’s perceptions of modern life will change.