Intro To Art

I had the privileged to visit the Museum of Modern Art this week and was able to observe awesome paintings and other works of art. My day of the visit was on a very warm sunny day and the neighborhood was also in a fancy and luxurious location. The building itself of the museum was also very fancy. I felt I was walking along a beautiful and rich luxurious home. The Museum had all the walls white and very bright lightened rooms all around. The White paint color on the walls really helps illuminate and highlight the works in display. The panting that captured me the most and also have loved since I was young was the famous painting of Vincent Van Gogh and his Starry Night.

 As I observed my painting and took notes I decided to teach my daughter Crystal Luna age 13. She is also in love with art and she will be heading next September to Fashion Industries High School. She is a very good talented artist. I explained to her the type of painting, the style, and went over the visual elements along with the definitions so that she could understand easier my observations.

My painting is an abstract landscape painting. In the painting I found geometric and organic shapes with no negative space because the painting is filled with detailed shapes. The value of the painting is mostly dark colors uses light colors here and there but since the artist is portraying the night sky then we would expect it to be a dark painting. The color being used is also a mix of primary, secondary, and cool colors with is also associated with the sky which is what is greatly highlighted in the painting. The painting also gives off a sadness and homesick feelings. The texture of the surface seems to display movement as if we can feel and now see the wind move along the night sky. The circular motion and swirls in the painting is what brings it to life. The painting also ties to illustrate to us how the night sky moves if we were able to see it with the naked eye. We that the wind exists because we can feel it but we cannot give it a shape, color or form and that is where Van Gogh takes action. This painting has always captivated me for many years. I just love observing the painting.

As I was teaching Crystal she seemed bored because she knew what I was talking about. She felt it like a review and had no questions for me. In reality she helped me explain myself and clarified some of my own doubts in regards to my observation. It was very easy to teach her or review with her because of her knowledge and background of art that she already has. I faced no challenges in my teaching and the communication was very simple and quick.

Based on the contextual analysis from the painting I can observe that the location painted probably was a place that Van Gogh knew well and admired. A location that inspired him to illustrate and paint the way he did. His painting is very unique and very well known by many others. And as I read the label it helped me understand my observations and understand some of his motives of the way he decided to portray his painting the way he did. As I roamed the museum I saw many other marvelous paintings and some surprised me greatly. I viewed rare and common works of art and I hope to return again and explore the rest of the museum.

 Monica Luna-Serrano Essay 2