Art
Critique
1. Which museum did you visit?
I visited the University of Utah of Fine
Arts Museum.
2. Describe at least one of the broad
collections on a theme, period, geographic region, or topic within the museum.
At the museum, I
visited the Prints from the Great
Depression. They were more modern looking, and they were mostly black and
white. Each picture represented a main theme of what went on during the
Depression. There were many pieces that I enjoyed. The first one that I
particularly liked was called Cradling
Wheat by Thomas Hart Benton. Why it stood out to me was because people were
standing in the fields gathering wheat and the background was all rolling hills.
The landscape seemed to be limitless with puffy white clouds in the sky. Even
though this picture was a black and white print, it still was easy to imagine
the rich colors of the afternoon in the wheat fields. Another one that was
intriguing was Thanksgiving Dinner by
Doris Lee. This picture wasn’t particularly sad like many of the pictures were,
but this picture seemed to be happy. Why I thought this was because the
Depression was extremely hard and gloomy, hence the name of the era. Many
families stood in line at the soup kitchen, and there were still families that
were starving and evicted from their homes. However, this print gave me the
idea that even though people didn’t have nearly enough to eat, they somehow
made it work. Somehow they were able to have a thanksgiving, and I think we
take that for granted since many of us have the luxury of pantries and fridges
filled to the brim. Most American families even have two freezers—one for the
house, one for outside.
3. Give a one paragraph description of a
special exhibit.
I enjoyed the
exhibit that was the European 17th
and 18th Centuries. They had many portraits of pretty girls, and
it was interesting to see their take on beauty. Everyone had their finest
dresses on, and they all were wearing cheerful colors. They all had their hair
either in an up-do, or they had pretty golden ringlets that were accessorized
with pearls or flowers. When I first looked at the paintings, I wondered why
people back then looked so different from the way people look in modern times.
Then, I realized that they had a lot of interbreeding and first cousins
marrying first cousins, and that’s the result of why they look so different
from us. Another reason why I think this exhibit is interesting is because I’ve
always loved the old paintings that capture a person. They always have that
angelic serene look about them. I also like that they adorn themselves in
nature some of the time. For example, many portraits of girls wear flower
crowns and string them through their hair. I also think that the portraits
capture women’s beauty or men’s handsomeness and what they feel like in that
moment.
4. What kind of information is provided about
the works? Identify three places you might see for more detailed information
that doesn’t include the web.
Well, the curator
wasn’t very helpful. They don’t really like to be asked questions, so I brainstormed
a bit of where I could find more information on the works. You could go to the
library and look up books about that specific painter, you could ask the
curator more information (that is if they don’t mind), and there are background
information on the painting’s plaque itself.
5. Choose several works that particularly
appealed to you. Explain why you were drawn to these works.
The first picture
that I liked was Princess Eudocia
Ivanovna Galitzine as Flora by Marie-Louise-Elisabeth Vigee Ie Brun. This
portrait was found in the European 18th and 19th
Centuries exhibit. I think that this picture is very pretty. She has a
beautiful blue dress on with delicate sheer sleeves with a gold cuff on her
forearm. Her orange sash seems to bring a warm and happy tone to her picture,
and I love that she also included nature in the portrait. The basket of pink
peonies and roses in a basket adds femininity with her dark and rich curly
locks. I also think that she looks happy and peaceful in the picture which makes
it even more enjoyable to look at.
The second picture
is called Portrait of Mrs. Casberd
painted by Sir Thomas Gainsborough. This woman doesn’t look happy. She seems to
communicate through her picture that she is a stern woman who won’t put up with
any funny business. However, she seems to look like a well-respected woman with
great wisdom. I don’t know how I got that message out of this portrait, but she
just seems like she’s a dignified woman, even though she looks strict and
doesn’t have a fancy or important title to her name. However her blue dress
softens her look—especially with the delicate laces and trimmings that lies on
her shoulders. Her ornate jewelry of rubies and gold also adds femininity and
it also adds a regal look to her portrait. Also, her hair makes her look more
elegant because of the way it is swept up into a bun or other form of an up-do.
The
third picture I thought was interesting was Madame
de Noalilles by Hyacinthe Rigaud. I also think that she is very pretty
because of her fair skin; her silky, curly, high volume blonde hair (which I
would kill for). She also is in one of her best dresses in the portrait. Her
golden curls are strung with pearls, and I think that she also looks very happy
and that she also feels beautiful in her portrait. Her dress has all sorts of
rich color on it like gold, wine red, and deep blues, and cream tones. The lace
on her dress also adds a pretty touch to it also. Why I like this portrait is
because I like the fact that people would dress their finest dresses and do
their hair so nicely all the time. I wonder what it would be like if society
were to dress like that now. I would love to wear exquisite dresses every day,
but I’m one of those girls who would wear a princess dress for any occasion.
Another
picture I enjoyed was Mademoiselle
Marie-Madeleine Guimard (Woman Looking in a Mirror) by Jena-Honore
Fragonard. This picture is one of my favorites because as a whole, it’s
absolutely angelic, in my opinion. The young girl is wearing all white, and in
the back of her, it looks like she has angel wings. She also is wearing a grown
of pink flowers, and it’s beautiful the way they cascade around her body. She
is also holding a mirror, looking into it and smiling at herself. Why I think
this is significant in the picture is because thinking about modern times, many
girls don’t see themselves as beautiful when they see themselves because of what the media tells them how they’re
supposed to look. I think that this portrait shows that this young woman has a
high self esteem for herself, but she’s not vain about it. That’s why I think
that this painting is my favorite.
6. How did the artworks relate to the material
discussed in class?
I remember that on
the first or second day of class we saw a list of questions at the beginning of
the textbook, and we wrote down questions that seemed thought provoking to us.
One of them on my list was about how the world perceives beauty, and what we
think what beauty is. To answer this question, the world believes that we
should be a certain dress and bra size (for men, the world says that they
should be more manly and muscular), buy buckets makeup to cover up every flaw
that you can possibly find, and wear clothes that are “hip” at the moment. I
think that it’s okay to wear makeup and not want to wear outlandish clothes and
to want to try and look your best because we should. I think it’s a problem
once people become so vain and overly concerned about what the world thinks
about them, when in reality people don’t really care. They don’t care if you
buy designer clothing or have the best makeup money can buy you. Not many
people care if you’re a size 2 or 28. In fact, I think when people are caught
up in the world, they lose themselves in a sea of people that are in the same
position as them, and they’re not allowing themselves to be who they are.
They’re letting society mold them into what they want people to be. I think
it’s much better to live in the world
rather than of the world. I don’t
believe that you can pinpoint what beauty really is. Everyone is different, so
how can anyone really define what true beauty is. A slogan that I remembered
ties in with what beauty really is the Bare Escentuals makeup line had an ad on
TV that says, “Pretty is what you are, beauty is what you do with it”. I think
that slogan is profound because it’s true. The positive things that you do make
you special, unique, and what you love make you beautiful.
7. What was my personal reaction to this
experience? Would this be an enjoyable activity to attend again?
I really liked
this experience. I love going to museums of all different kinds because I’ve
always found it so fascinating to learn more than what the classroom at school
has to offer. I would definitely go back to attend the museum. I enjoyed being
by myself in a quiet place where I can think on my own and analyze pictures and
form my own opinions about them. I’ve always liked events like this because
even though I am a social butterfly and I love being with my friends and
family, I also like having some alone time because life can get overwhelming.
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