The MET - My Visit

              Once I made it in the museum, I was determined to see as much of it as I could. I’m well aware of how big it is—and my mom and sister have been working there since I was an infant, so I’ve visited many times—but nonetheless, the museum’s sheer size and endless art never ceases to amaze me. It was also REALLY crowded. I decided to not use any directional signs or maps and just use my intuition to find my way around and wander, which is what I typically do.

              I did my very best to really stop and focus on all the art pieces before me, which I had honestly never done in my museum visits before. I’d say that during the majority of my time in the museum, I mainly utilized formal and stylistic analysis. The only exception would probably be the piece examined at the end of my visit, in which I also used biographical analysis.

              My first stop was the Egyptian Wing, which was great, because Egypt’s history and culture is utterly fascinating to me. Upon entering, I noticed the rooms grew slightly dim; the walls were also very neutral, pale colors. Perhaps this was done so as to not drive attention away from the artwork on the walls.

     

         There were many wonderful things to see here, such as tombs, temples, and even mummies; however, I couldn’t help but flock to the jewelry and miniatures. My mother has made jewelry as a hobby since before I was born, and she’s taught me things about jewelry design since I was quite young, so it’s something I’m quite fond of. It probably also helped that most of the stands containing the jewelry were a really bright red, which is a color that we are naturally attracted to.

         I was definitely able to appreciate the craftsmanship that went into making these pieces. Egyptian jewelry is something I really love, because I’m a big fan of the colors used (gold, cerulean, orange-red) as well as the imagery, such as the snakes used in their rings, bracelets, or anklets. I also love amulets and the big, dramatic collar necklaces, both of which were very popular in Egyptian culture.

              As for the miniatures, such as the dice and little pottery and statues, they immediately caught my attention as well, merely because I have a love for little things!

              I actually learned two new things by reading the labels beside the art. The first thing I learned was that marine shells were used in the making of some Egyptian jewelry, which I wasn’t aware of. Another was that many of the plaques depicting stories or gods, such as the one below, were called “stelas,” which was a word I had never heard before. They often served as gravestones for the dead.

              Next up was the Medieval Art. The walls were a pale, neutral color once again with the lights slightly dimmed; however, I noticed that the flooring changed, as it was now a black and white floor with hints of red. My guess was that maybe the museum wanted to imitate the look of a Cathedral’s flooring. I say this because much of the flooring inside old Cathedrals have many geometric shapes in their designs, particularly angular ones like in the floor you can see here.

              Something that caught my attention were these pretty little boxes below, decorated with many small shapes. The label claimed that the boxes were used to contain holy oils to be used in religious practices, and that only a few of these medieval containers used for such purposes have survived. Sure enough, I examined the boxes closer after reading the label, and realized that they had depictions of angels and saints, with one box containing Jesus on the cross. I found it interesting that I didn’t notice them until after reading the info.

              Afterwards, I walked into the exhibit about the Italian Renaissance. The first thing I noticed was the drastic change in the wall color; instead of sticking to neutrals, the walls here were instead a really bold royal blue. I think this ties into the fact that during this period, artists had a preference for very bright, bold pigments; at least that’s what I noticed when comparing the art to other exhibits I saw that day. You can really see the intensity of the colors on the dishes.

              The dishes really called out to me because, as I said, I really love little things, but also because I feel like these smaller paintings take so much skill to produce. You have to be extremely intricate and delicate to be able to paint such tiny images on such a small canvas; it just sort of blew my mind. The bright colors were also very pleasant to look at.

              I also went to the American Wing. It was really cool because they had an actual home that I could walk into and explore, so as to see the way people lived in that time period. They even had lamp posts outside, and there’s a huge amount of light coming in from the ceiling and the walls, so it actually felt like I was there on a street.

              My second to last stop was Asian Art. I thought the pottery was incredibly beautiful and enjoyed looking at it a lot. I noticed that many of the pieces had depictions of either flowers or dragons (I happen to really love Chinese dragons), and I liked that. I know that dragons are really significant in Chinese culture, as they are symbols of peace and good luck.

             I also really enjoyed the more modern pieces, such as the ones below. I found them so colorful and the shapes were really mesmerizing to look at. What really threw me aback though was the label for the light blue spiral ceramic pieces; part of it read: “the spaces between and the interaction among them are as important as the vessels themselves.” That really struck me and I never even considered the empty space as being a part of the art itself, but it made a lot of sense. That can certainly add to the pieces’ harmonious quality. I thought that was really amazing, the idea of being able to utilize what is essentially nothingness and turn that into a major component of an artwork.

              And lastly was European Paintings, which I really enjoyed simply because I felt like this was the place least explored by me up until the day of this visit. I really took my time in this exhibit to look up close as well as far away and made sure to give the paintings at least a few minutes of attention. Granted, I made an effort to do that the entire trip, but I feel like with European Paintings in particular, I felt the most involved and concentrated for some reason.

              I noticed the frames in this exhibit were very large, gold or bronze decorative frames. Very ornate. It was also much brighter than some of the other exhibits, and the walls were a tasteful wine red. The paintings included all kinds of portraits and landscapes. The ones below were two of my favorites; I think it’s because they both invoke a sense of adventure in me when I look at them. I’m someone who really loves adventuring in nature, and I feel like these two paintings capture that feeling really well. Admiring the moon atop a mountain in the brush, and exploring a hidden tome in the midst of a magical, natural place; I like to imagine the man in the tomb is writing in some kind of journal, recording all kinds of exciting things he’s seen. That isn’t actually the case at all, it’s actually a poet reading his verses aloud; but it’s still neat to think about!

              It was in this exhibit, however, in which I found a work of art that I knew I had to spend a lot of time on. The painting is named “Soap Bubbles”, and it was made by Thomas Couture in 1859.

              Upon first glance, I could see a young boy slouching over in what appears to be a velvet seat, fixated on two small soap bubbles. There is a stack of books and what appears to be a drink of sorts on the table behind him. The boy seems tired, almost bored, but at the same time curious enough to pay mind to the bubbles.

I immediately felt a connection to this painting because I can see myself in the exact position of the little boy—actually, I WAS in his exact position. Prior to coming to college, I was actually a really poor student who did terribly in almost all of my subjects (except art, funnily enough). I went to the same school from grades 4-12. This might sound quite silly, but it’s an incredible coincidence: I used to skip class with a friend of mine to go blow bubbles together in the bathroom. We would lather our hands in the sink with soap and water, make an “o” shape with our thumb and index finger, and blow through the "o" to produce bubbles. That was how badly I didn’t want to go to class. So it’s very amusing to see the child in this painting being distracted from his studies by soap bubbles, because that was me when I was a child too.

              I always had issues with public school education; I was (and still am) someone who was very much against things like standardized testing, or lack of recess during the school day. I felt exhausted sitting in a desk for over eight hours in a day, regurgitating facts just to forget them by the time school rolled around next year. However, I absolutely loved learning, and was always extremely curious and fascinated with the world around me.

              Something tells me the boy in the painting feels the same way.

              After reading the label, I was pleased to know that Thomas Couture had very similar views in regards to children’s education. “Couture was an influential teacher known for his opposition to strict academic instruction.” I could definitely see the artist’s intentions clearly after reading that. Additionally, I didn’t realize this until reading the information, but the soap bubbles are a symbol of the “transience of life,” meaning they symbolize the idea of life being short-lived. There is also a paper inserted into the mirror on the desk with the word “immortalité” inscribed, which is French for immortal, or eternal life.

              This newfound information about the piece just made Couture’s painting even more powerful for me. I think it holds a very strong message; the message that our lives, particularly our childhoods, are so incredibly short and should not be wasted, especially when it comes to limiting our children’s abilities through faulty education. And I think this powerful message is shown even in just the child’s face, and his posture as well. He seems so tired, so dull, almost as if he can’t bear to continue studying; and yet, his curiosity is spiked by a pair of simple, innocent little bubbles floating by. And so free, too. It’s almost as if the bubbles are mocking him.

              All in all, this museum visit was very much appreciated and I’m so happy and grateful that I had the chance to go. I really took my time examining the art like never before, and it really does make a huge difference in what I took in. I would definitely encourage more people to just stop once in a while and really absorb the art they happen to see; because there is seriously a lot worth looking at.