The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

       The Metropolitan Museum is a real huge Museum. The Museum holds many different of art work from all over the world. It has art of Egyptian, Geek, Roman, Medieval, Asian, Europe and etc. Each of art room has unique and beautiful set up, especially at Egyptian art, Geek and Roman Art, Medieval Art and Asian Art.

In the Museum, there is statue of Egyptian male at the north which catches my eyes, and also tempts me to visit the Egyptian room first. When I step into Egyptian room, I was stunning by the counterfeit tomb of Perneb which build by big and beige Stone Brick. Then I looked around the room. The light of room is dim, it make me feel I am visiting in an underground tomb of Egyptian. Although light in the room is dim, there is many spotlight shot on the exhibits and make them very obvious. In the Egyptian room, I spent most of my time at the painting on stone or fragment of wall. Although I don’t understand the hieroglyph, but paintings tell me what they were doing. In most of paintings are telling me about the ancient Egyptian, how did they grow crops, make tools, hunt and slaughter animals. Of course, the Egyptian room has other exhibits, such as ornaments, tools, jar and bowl etc. And a kind of weapon calls Disc Mace-head interest me. In the label, it states this weapon use between Naqada I and Naqada II (ca. 3900 – 3500). As its name, Disc Mace-head look like a disc made by stone, and it has a hole in the middle where Egyptians places the handle. There are two different sizes of Disc Mace-head, in the big Disc has a big hole which can through a tough rod, but what am I wondering is the small Disc, it has a small hole which can only through thin rod. At ancient time, they don’t have technology could make a thin rod become tough, so I am double that would be useful weapon during the batter in the ancient Egypt. However I did not find other information that talk about this weapon when leave the Egyptian room.

    Next room, I visit is Geek and Roman room. Compare with dim Egyptian room, Geek and Roman room is light and spacious. The pattern on the door, pillars and ceiling, and the layout of the Marble statues, make me feel I just travel from Egypt to the Geek or Roman. I did not pay much attention on this room, because I am kind of tired after visit room of Egyptian art, so I just walk around and see different of the statues which made by the Marble. Then I move to next room, the room of Medieval Art. In this room, the air fills of the religions flavor. There have light through window with colorful planting, and Christ on the wall.

Last part, I visit is room of Asia art. As a Chinese this room makes me feel surprising and warm. There are Buddhism art which not just religious of India, also popular religious in China. There are similar exhibits of Chinese, such as planting, handwriting, mascot, and household- utensils which I had been seen in China. And there also have an Astor court with ancient Chinese house, corridor, rockwork and a small pool with fish in it.

  

The Metropolitan Museum is real large. Although I had been there two and half hours, there still have a lot of rooms that I do not visit yet. I’d like to visit this Museum again and finish visit rest of rooms because this museum makes me feel I am visiting this exhibits at where these exhibits came from.

Essay #1 The Met

 

 

                                            Navigating the Metropolitan Museum of Art  

            The way one experiences artwork can be influenced by many factors, some already predetermined by the artist in the way they choose to create their piece like in the choice of colors they utilize, the specific ways they use their brush or chisel or the manner in which they chose to present the subject matter of their piece. Before my trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art last Tuesday I was convinced that the way a person views art was totally dependent on the choices made by the artist in their execution of their work. After my visit to The Met I now have developed a completely different opinion in how artwork is experienced by viewers and who exactly is responsible for that experience. I have learned that museums too heavily influence the way someone experiences artwork.

            Upon entering The Met I was first taken back by the size of the building, it was very large and a what I thought to be a bit out of place considering it was located in Central Park. I then focused on the outside steps leading up to the building entrance which were filled with people of all different ethnicities and ages participating in various types of activities like eating, utilizing electronic devices or simply just socializing. Once I finally got into the museum I was definitely overwhelmed by the amount of people gathered in the main hall, it took a second for me to figure out where I was going or where to walk. I decided on walking up the grand staircase to second floor as it seemed that’s where the natural flow of traffic was going. When I arrived at the top of the stairs I had the option of heading in three different directions, it was then that I determined I would absolutely need a map to get around the museum, after receiving a map from one of the information booths I decided I would really like to check out the exhibit on Modern and Contemporary Art. In my attempts to locate the exhibit I planned a route through the European Paintings rooms.

The first room I entered was filled with paintings hung on grey walls, to bring out or accentuate certain colors of the paintings. The paintings I noticed were hung off of wires that seemed to be easily movable, they were also fenced off by small barriers to protect people from getting to close to the paintings and possibly damaging them. This small detail made me feel a little bit hesitant about getting close to the paintings as I felt it was implied by the presence of the barriers that I should not. While trying to view some of the paintings I really gave a conscious effort to try and immerse myself into the artwork, unfortunately this was harder to accomplish than I thought. In the midst of viewing some of the paintings, the amount of people trying to move or take pictures around me made me feel as though I was being rushed and had to be conscious of the time I spent in front of the artwork as there were other people trying to view it as well. I believe the noise level also played a big part in distracting a person’s concentration from the artwork. In one of the rooms I traveled through there was a man who went around taking a picture of every single piece in the room with his iPhone camera, normally that wouldn’t be something that should bother anyone but he proceeded to take every picture with the shutter sound effect on, and very loud.

Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier (1743-1794)
and Wife
by Jacques-Louis David
1788 Oil on Canvas

The museums use of signs and labels was also something I thought changed the way I personally viewed some of the art pieces as well. There was one particular painting I viewed that at first stuck out to me just because the female in the painting seemed to be the focal figure even though she was depicted by someone who seemed to be her husband (as suggested by their body language). The man, who I presumed to be her husband, was sitting at a table with all these types of scientific instruments laid out across the table. In the glass of these instruments you can see the artists’ specific detail to the lighting as they have painted white marks on the glass, indicative of the light shining through the windows not visible in the painting. The artists’ use of lighting on the dress of the female in picture was something I also took note of as they did an amazing job of depicting it as natural as possible. I came to all these conclusions before reading the information provided by the museum on the piece. After reading the information on the piece I was now able to analyze the piece biographically and historically rather than just formally and stylistically. The man depicted in the painting is Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier and his wife Marie-Anne-Pierrette Paulze. Lavoisier was known for his studies of oxygen, gunpowder and the chemical composition of water. He authored a treatise on chemistry that was illustrated by his wife Marie, who was involved in his studies. Lavoisier was unfortunately involved in a political scandal that would cost him his life as he was ordered to the guillotine because of it. After learning this information, I looked at the piece of art completely different. I viewed the painting in a more romanticized way know that I knew Lavoisier, who involved his wife into his work during a period which this was not normally acceptable, was sentenced to death in a horrific way. It gave the painting a little bit more emotion and depth as the seemingly happy couple in the picture now had a very real and tragic story.

Throughout my visit at The Met I became more aware of the smaller details which played a big role in how I viewed and experienced the artwork. I believe now that I was more educated in the ways to look at art (based on the last few classes) I was more in tuned with the things that prohibited me from fully immersing into the artwork and those decisions which had been purposely made to influence the way I view the piece. I believe coming to this realization has made me more aware of the physical setting when viewing a piece of art and making a conscious effort to learn the true intended environment for the piece and more of what the artists had originally saw for the piece rather than just accepting the present setting as it’s true intended home.

The day I met The Met

     If someone were to ask me "what's bigger, Central Park or The Metropolitan Museum of Art?" I would tell them The Met of course! Before most of you or even all of you start arguing with me about my opinion, I know... Central Park is way bigger in size wise, but The Metropolitan Museum of Art collects a little from everywhere and any where in the World. The moment when you walk into the Met, you just felt like you are in different places on Earth. No, the reason isn't because all the tourists speaking different languages around you, but you will see and hear them throughout your visit to the museum. However, it is because of all the arts in this museum. They are all from different places, cultural, and time period. In addition, the arts aren't the only great thing about The Metropolitan Museum of Art. In fact, I'm sure most of you would agree with me on this, the donation as an entrance fee was the smartest idea ever! I had always believe that artists did not create arts just for the admission fees to the museum, but to showcase their creations to us and the World. Therefore, in my opinion, all museum should be admission-free. That way, it will attract more people to get into art and start to appreciate them.

     Moving on to the architecture of the museum, the exterior of the Met looked like an ancient historical building. It might looked like a boring city hall building from the exterior, but the enormous size and the mysterious design just make you want to explore it. The interior of the museum is completely different from the outside. The view from the entrance was already enough to kept my eyes busy. The large elegant stair cases down the center of the lobby makes you curious about what you could possibly discover on the top of it. To the right of the entrance, you are able to find an Egyptian statue sitting right in the middle of the lobby. Behind the statue, you are able to get a peak of the Egyptian architecture through the admission booths. However, I did not choose either directions to enter the museum. I entered through the left of the lobby. What attracted me was the great ancient Greek column that was standing right behind the admission booths. The column looked almost like it was taken out from an ancient Greek building, but it was still perfectly fine. Among the column, there were rooms full of marble sculptures. Most of these sculptures were damaged, but they still looked very amazing. Beside the column, the design of the hall was also very alike to ancient Greek buildings, but with a modern wrist. There were other smaller columns on a marble tile wall. The ceiling design was allowing natural light to cast in on the sculptures, also has openings in between the ceiling design to place artificial lights. These lights helped bring out the details in the sculptures.

     Although the museum had so much to explore, but I did not gave myself enough time to see it all due to the lack of research before my visit to the museum. I did not pay attention to the closing time of the museum, so I spent more time than I expected at the entrance and the Greek and Roman Art hall and missed out on exploring other places in the museum. However, I still enjoyed my visit to the Met very much. I would definitely plan another visit to the museum, so I can be able to check out the rest of it.

Essay #1

Eight times out of ten, after entering the MET, I take a left towards the Greek statues. I’m not sure whether I do this intentionally or not, but this visit was no different. The change of logo and décor was puzzling. It was my first time visiting since the change. I don’t see myself ever getting used to it. I’m still hoping for some sort of delayed outrage that will cause the museum to revert to its previous, much more appealing logo. I found myself paying attention to the lighting and positioning of the many sculptures. I noticed the focus of light each statue received, as well as the contrast the marble had with the wall color and the floor. I wondered if the sculptures themselves would have as much impact in an environment not designed to show them off. Would this look as good in my poorly lit room? Pictured is a particular doorway that caught my attention. There’s many like it, but there was a hidden symmetry that brought my attention to this specific one. The way the sculpture shined in the background made me question if it was intentional or if I had just found a secret, flattering angle. I was going to continue to the modern art section, but I saw there was a new exhibition I had not seen. “Vigée Le Brun: Woman Artist in Revolutionary France,” I had never heard of her, but the period seemed of interest. 

I was trying to remember what exactly was in the spot before this exhibition, but I couldn’t remember. It’s almost as if the MET is capable of spontaneously producing space. The walls of this particular exhibit were light grey, almost silver. Ever since last class I’ve always been looking at the wall color before anything else. The gold borders (which were present in every painting) contrasted very nicely, surprisingly. I’m not too familiar with art periods, but Le Brun’s paintings reminded me of the all the European paintings you see if you go straight forward after entering the MET. They just looked a little more surreal than usual. Her detail with eyes was particularly striking. The gazes of the portraits brought me down to earth. Realistic, eye appealing, draining, it’s                                                                           almost as if I was right there with them.

The painting titled “Madame Grand” was the first to really capture my attention. I had seen this painting before. I even have it saved on my hard drive in my little ‘art’ folder. I hadn’t bothered to check the artist. The caption on the wall declared the painting a “modern Saint Cecilia.” The most pleasing part of this painting is the way the light hits the ribbons decorating Madame Grand’s dress. The representation of textures is accurate; you can almost touch them with your eyes. The dress itself is composed of many textiles. The shining skin pigment is enticing. It’s an angelic painting. At the same time, the stubbornness present in the eyes forms an interesting dichotomy with what the painting as a whole is attempting to represent. Here, Le Brun attempts to frame the entirety of Madame Grand. Her “musical, clever and attractive” side, but also revealing a woman capable of “extra marital affairs.”

Self-Portrait, 1790
Oil on canvas
Vigée Le Brun

The painting I chose to analyze deeply was a self-portrait of Vigée Le Brun. The border is thicker than some of the other painting borders. I was disappointed with the glass (or Plexiglas) used for this painting. The light reflected off of it awkwardly, and I’m sure the painting would be better to look at without it. Here, again, the textures are so vivid that they dominate the painting. The thin fabrics around Le Brun’s neck and wrist feel almost weightless, floating within the painting itself. The scarlet sash glows. It was interesting that she chose to paint herself painting. It definitely seemed that she was completely enveloped in her craft. She was proud of being the one who painted the queen. The lone red brush in her hand caught my attention. Does she actually use that many paint brushes? The eyes here are more sympathetic, rather than fierce. Almost like Le Brun is trying to communicate that she's aware of being really damn good at painting. 

Zoma's Metropolitan Museum Expedition

Are museums powerful instruments of our arts and history? We had the great opportunity to explore the Metropolitan Museum which we would like to qualify as a living monument of our Past. This expedition, if it was not our first visit of a museum in New York City, it was undoubtedly our first exploration as an art student trying to apprehend the site and its objects. We will discuss our experience of navigating the museum, about some points as the external and internal physical of the museum, the nature of the spaces and objects in the museum, the different aspects of interest of the elements in the museum, the artistic approach of our exploration (ways of looking) and its educational aspects.

The Metropolitan Museum or Met is a giant site. It seems to us that one can spend half a day or even a whole day, exploring the museum. We went there with a certain amount of time in mind to spend. But we largely overpassed that time. It was also exhausting but very exciting, so that only when we were exiting the museum, we could feel the pain in our whole body. 

    The visitor is first captured by its majestic entrance dominated by the Greco-Roman architecture predicting to the visitor that he is engaging a long journey in the Past. The museum interior is composed of many types of spaces according to a historical and artistic classification. We could find galleries about numerous civilizations in the past like the European Sculpture and Decorative Arts gallery, the Arms and Armor, the American Art, the Modern and Contemporary Art, the Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas, the Greek and Roman Art, the Egyptian Art, the Art of the Arab Land, the Asian Art Gallery , etc. Our visit was guided by the use of a map we were given at the entrance. The map was very useful, the signs  also in the museum were clear and could be read from a space to another. Beside the signs, other distinctive aspects of the different galleries were helping notifying limits between those spaces. The lighting sometimes artificial, sometimes natural and even the intensity of the lights alert the visitor that the transition from a darker space to a brighter space means a move from a specific gallery to another.

    The styles of the arts were also totally sometimes different so that the Explorer could perceive instantaneously the change of space. For example, our passage was clear from the Medieval, European and Decorative Arts with their omnipresence of religious themes, to the Arms and Armor Gallery that looks like a battle field.

The organization of the spaces was globally orthogonal and regular.  The objects were lined up along the walls, and were disposed based on their similarity and theme. People generally expect from art sites or products to be irregular, unexpected, interrupted... However we think that this choice in the organization is to ease the visitors' circulations in the museums, and also for safety reasons, given the fact that  the

museum receives many people every day. We may also notice that the disposition of the artworks are sometimes unexpected like the magnificent big antique table in the middle of the hallway in the European Sculpture and Decorative Arts gallery or the large suspended decorations in the Arts of Africa, Oceania,  and the Americas gallery.  In the museum, many objects were protected in glass showcases, with a yellow light from the top and a beige background. Some objects were put in contrast with their own shade produced by the light , emphasizing them more. In certain objects, the front glass reflects the light, conflicting with the viewer's observation. Natural light was also present in many areas reviving artworks and also the observer's momentum.

The styles and the themes of the works were various, and educative on history. The Medieval Art gallery was dominated by a Judeo-Christian collection describing scenes of crucifixion of Jesus Christ, congregation of angels, interaction with holy persons, etc. We were fascinated by the Arms and Armor gallery. It is a witness of how human beings had always invested in war instruments and weapons. For having seen armors of 65 pounds, we could imagine that being a soldier at that time required outstanding fitnesses. The American Art gallery was remarkable, through the free forms expressed in the Art, the sculpture of various graceful women, witnessing the desire of freedom of this free World. In the Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas gallery, the observer could feel the presence of the sacred, the divine, and the commemoration of a world where people were in constant connection with their Gods and where Art was their privileged language. We could see mask, totems, amulets, etc. In the Egyptian Art, we read through this funeral artistic expression, the connection between life and death in this civilization.

During our expedition in the museums, we were trying to have a look at all the works, but obviously we were drawn much more towards some objects than others. Some works were attractive, because they were very strange. We can cite the example of the statue of this man holding in his head in his own hands. This man is said in the label to be a decapitated saint. Some works were drawing the viewer's attention because they were scary. The Arts of Africa, Oceania,  and the Americas Gallery hosts most of those kinds of works (masks, totems, etc.). I was also attracted by some objects because they were very impressive. That was for example the case of the Field Armor of King Henry VIII of England. This Armor wad very big and impressive so that we thought that his owner may have really terrified his enemies. Before, we read the label, we could imagine that it might have belonged to a very important historic figure. Some works were attractive due to their beauty. In the European Sculpture and Decorative Arts, we were also impressed by the talented decorations on porcelains. Other  objects were attractive because of their originality or even their huge dimensions.

We used many kinds of lookings during our journey in the museum: historical, stylistic, formal and biographical. Some works were very rich in details, some very beautifully, others very original in creating a almost living work. We could cite the example of the garden landscape and fountain of Louis C. Tiffany in the American Gallery. The Labels in the museum were very helpful, facilitating an historical looking and also biographical of the works. Before reading the labels, it was much easier for us to gather wright information about the form and the style of the work rather than the biography and the history. Our look also of the objects in different angles, close or distanced, gave us nuanced information. This is the example of the painting of the Bridge over a Pond of Water Lilies  by the French Claude Monet. The close look was meaningless showing paint stains, whereas a distanced view allows a reconstruction of the scene. 

We had the opportunity to capture a live artistic drawing by a man picturing a sculpture in the Museum.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

It’s an understatement to say that the Metropolitan Museum of Art, commonly known at The MET, is big. Suffice it to say, The MET is colossal.  The MET is currently a ¼ mile long and holds upward to 2,000,000 square feet.  Upon seeing The MET for the first time as a child, I remember being just awestruck at it’s sheer size and anxious to explore the wonders within.  When I recently revisited The MET, those feelings of captivation and fascination still lingered within me.  As I made my way to the top of those great steps, that childish enchantment reached critical mass.  I took one deep breath and entered into The MET.

            The very first thing I noticed inside The MET was the intense capacity of people within.  Not only the amount of people within but people from all walks of life.  People of different races, ethnicities and religions were about to embark on a journey through The MET.  Granted many of the individuals within seemingly looked like tourists; armed with DSLR cameras, various maps of New York City and billowing backpacks.  However, within the lobby of The MET, we all shared a common expression of beguilement at the interior of The MET.  Enormous sprawling arches loomed around the interior, filled with rich sunlight that was provided through wide windows.  The ambience displayed through the interior architecture really sets the stage for the museum and its patrons.  The environment within the lobby of The MET conjures up feelings of an ethereal experience that is yet to commence but has already begun planting its seeds.  My expedition into The Met was just getting started.

            More importantly however, are the vast collections of artwork that is displayed within The MET.  Subsequently, as I peered wide-eyed into the map of The MET, I was taken aback by the amount of wings and venues present.  Many of which I had not visited in my previous trips to The Met.  This fueled my eagerness to explore the new areas even more so. I did however, contemplate signing up for a structured tour through The MET but I thought against it simply because I wished to let my legs and mind wander unhindered.  Armed with only a map, I began my trip through The MET.

            As I weaved my way through the various wings of The MET, I found myself spending the majority of my time between the collections of European Paintings and the courtyard that held Greek and Roman Art.  As a huge admirer of Greek and Roman mythology, the statues and sculptures within the courtyard appealed to me the utmost.  As I entered into the courtyard-like setting, it felt as though I had in fact travelled back in time to an actual courtyard during the era in which these sculptures were forged.  The physical space I entered really captured the spirit of Greek and Roman art.  The piece that I began my close analysis of is the marble statue of Bearded Hercules.  When I first walked into the courtyard and set my eyes upon this marvelous statue, I knew just by looking at the structure that this is a depiction of Heracles.  The way this statue exemplifies masculinity with the defined body structure and height, really demonstrates the overall mythology behind Heracles.  Upon closer examination, more details begin to unfold.  The headdress that is depicted on this sculpture is no doubt an allusion to Heracles’s first labor, the slaying of the Nemean Lion.  As I gazed deeper into the statue, I began to appreciate the labor of the artist.  It sometimes gets overlooked that the greatness of marble statues and sculptures arise from the painstaking task of creating something so magnificent from a sheer block of marble.  The details present within the statue of Bearded Heracles shows how delicate of a task it is to forge such shape and detail.  The details such as the beard, which contain many curls and locks, demonstrate the mastery and control of the artist.  Perhaps an even greater detail is the headdress itself, which contains the carcass of a lion.  The way the artist meticulously chiseled in the headdress tying itself around Heracles portrays not only a sense of manliness for the object but also the high-level of craftsmanship of the artist himself. 

            By the same token, the marble statue of a Youthful Heracles demonstrates the bravado of Heracles and the expertise of the artist.  This marble statue is my absolute favorite.  Upon first glimpse, the towering physique of Heracles is overwhelming.  This seems to portray a “larger than life” characteristic that is a common theme within the mythology of Heracles.  The immense weight that this sculpture evokes is seemingly highlighted with the magnificence of the headdress that is seen again with this sculpture.  This time however, it is displayed not upon the head of Heracles but it is laid out over his arm.  The way the headdress is spewing from his arm and hanging freely by his side really illustrates the effect of gravity.  It is also significant to note that Heracles is leaning upon the base of a tree.  The artist does not overlook even the smallest of details, such as the way his hips are placed and resting upon that tree. Both sculptures are said to have been constructed and placed on display near a public bath during 62 A.D.

            Ultimately, a trip to The MET never disappoints.  Even upon the second or third rip to The MET, certain details and highlights bring about a deeper understand and appreciation for all aspects of art.  Upon my trek through The Met, my eye has come across new galleries that are currently being renovated and longstanding galleries expanded upon.  Perhaps a revisit to The Metropolitan Museum of Art is in order.