Free Essay

Art Museum Paper

In:

Submitted By DarthXedonias
Words 1154
Pages 5
I will first start off with my trip to the museum. I decided to go to the Asian art museum in San Francisco for my project. My experience there was not as exciting as I thought it would be. I have been to this museum before and had a great time. I can only think that most likely it’s because they had a lot more sculptures and rugs out, whereas last time I went they had more paintings. I only really found three items, two paintings and 1 sculpture that interested me. Of those three I will be talking about two of them in this paper. The first painting I will be talking about is "Mount Fuji viewed from the Imai Ferry on the Tone river, Shimosa province" by Shiba Kokan. The painting has Mount Fuji in the background and the Tone River in the forefront with six boats on it. The banks of the Tone River can also be seen with lush greenery on it. I wouldn't say that this painting made me feel anything when I saw it but it more like it piqued my interest due to its vibrant colors and it looked different from the other Japanese paintings I saw.

For Example, at the museum they had another painting of Mount Fuji right next to this one but it didn't look as vibrant and it looked kind of bland in my opinion. I was to find out later, after reading the Plaque in front of the Shiba painting, the reason for the difference between the two is that Shiba Kokan was experimenting with western techniques of painting (1). Another thing mentioned on the Plague at the museum, though not mentioned on the information on the web site, is that this Shiba painting was an example of “mud painting". Mud painting was something Shiba Kokan came up with in order to replicate, as closely as possible, western oil paintings. This to me explained why I thought the Shiba painting looked much more vibrant, color wise, than the other Mt Fuji painting next to it. The reason why Shiba experimented with mud painting instead of producing western styles exactly was because he lived during the Edo period of Japan. During this period Japan was essentially isolated from everyone else except for the Dutch and the Chinese. At the same time though I was to find out that during the Edo period that Japanese art was undergoing an overhaul as Japanese artist at this time period started experimenting more (2). It was because limited contact with foreigners that Shiba Kokan was forced to experiment to find a way to replicate western styles.

I would say that there are mainly two reasons why this painting was made. The first reason would be, as plague at the museum mentioned, Shiba was interested in western science, particularly in the field of geology. Therefore, Shiba didn't just see Mt Fuji in terms of beauty but also saw it in a scientific light. The second reason, which has been touched upon, is the fact that this painting was also him experimenting and refining his ability to copy western styles of painting. As to the physical condition of the painting today, it still looked amazing considering the painting was made in 1812. As I heard from a museum employee, the museum has all paintings only on display for a few months until they are rolled up and stored, in a secured place, for ten years. After the ten years, they are allowed to be put on display again.

The next piece of art I will be talking about is a “Seated Ganesha” statue that I saw on the third floor of the museum. This statue was estimated to be made between 1200 and 1300 CE. The artist is unknown for this piece. The statue features Ganesha, an Indian god, in a seated position. Ganesha has the body of a human male and the head of an elephant. He has four hands which are holding a battle axe, lotus, bowl of favorite sweets, and a broken tusk. The statue seems to be made out of stone and seems to be colored black though it is fading in several different areas. The story behind this god is that the Goddes Parvati wanted a child so she created Ganesha. Her husband,Shiva, beheaded Ganesha by mistake and brought him back to life by giving him an elephant’s head.

My first guess, as to the purpose of this statue, would be that this statue was made for a religious purpose. There was no indication as to whether this statue was used for praying or just for aesthetics outside some temple. I do believe this statue has some symbolic meaning though. Doing further research I found out what some of the items he holds mean. “The axe represents the annihilation of desire with the axe of spirituality. The modak symbolises the happiness and joy a seeker derives from the spiritual pursuit. And the lotus stands for that Divine state of Self-Realisation that every human being aspires for, consciously or unconsciously” (3).After reading a plague on another Ganesha statue I found out that Ganesha had broken one of his tusk in a battle with a demon.My theory is that he holds the broken tusk in remembrance of that battle.

I would assume that the intended audience for this statue would be the Hindu community. As for the condition of this piece, as I mentioned before, it looks like it has a lot of wear. It seemed like at one point the statue was mostly colored black but now it’s mostly grey with spots of black here and there. I’m not totally sure about what drew me to this specific piece of work. It’s one of the first pieces of art you run across when you enter the East Asia part of the museum. I think the thing that caught my attention was the idea of an elephant head on a human male’s body. Also, when I read the story behind this particular god I found it entertaining.

In conclusion, even though I didn’t find that many pieces of work that I found interesting at the Asian art museum it was still worthwhile to see those few pieces I did find interesting and to actually see some Jade sculptures up close.

Works Cited

(1) Mt. Fuji Viewed from the Imai Ferry on the Tone River, 1812. Asian Art Museum. 20 April 2015. http://education.asianart.org/explore-resources/artwork/mt-fuji-viewed-from-imai-ferry-tone-river-1812

(2) Artists and Patrons of the Edo Period (1615–1868) in Japan. Asian Art Museum. 20 April 2015. http://education.asianart.org/explore-resources/background-information/artists-and-patrons-edo-period-1615-1868

(3) The Significance of Ganesha. Vedanta Vision. 20 April 2015. http://vedantavision.org/library/articles-by-guests/the-significance-of-ganesha.html

Similar Documents

Free Essay

Art 450 Museum Paper

...Museum Paper In this week’s class, we all made a visit to San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Actually, this was my first time to take a tour to a museum in U.S. Museum is a place worth visiting, and it really was a better experience for me. I saw so many artworks in this big museum. Now, I select three of these artworks to share with you. They completely shocked me and gave a deep expression at first sight. First of all, I want to show my favorite one to you. It is called “bridge”, and it was painted by Joseph Stella. He was an American but born in Italy, Stella immigrated to the United States at the age of eighteen, and his paintings always express the shock and admiration he felt as a European who came to Manhattan from an older, more traditional culture. Stella moved to Brooklyn in 1916, and crossed this bridge regularly. He did several paintings of the bridge, all from the same viewpoint. His perspective captures the impression you get when you walk over the bridge. In my opinion, Bridge combines Futurist elements with American subjects, and it was showed me strong technology and modern feeling. From the brief introduction of this artwork, I also saw Joseph Stella's own words about the bridge: "Seen for the first time, as a weird metallic Apparition under a metallic sky…supported by the massive dark towers dominating the surrounding tumult of the surging skyscrapers with their gothic majesty sealed in the purity of their arches, the cables, like divine messages from above...

Words: 601 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Art Museum Paper

...Museum Paper Art 101 Starting my visit to the Smithsonian’s Natural History Museum I was unsure of the artifact that I would choose to write this paper about. I have been to the Smithsonian museums countless times in my life strolling about taking the exhibits for granted like the many other people raised in the Washington metropolitan area having virtiously unlimited access to them. I was prepared for another mundane visit to the museums, however this visit was different I saw many exhibits that I have studied recently in this class such as the Lascaux caves and other prehistoric art. I found myself engaged as never before as I searched the old halls for what would be subject of this paper an ancient artifact of my very own choosing. I decided on the Cypruss crossroads of civilizations exhibit located on the museums second floor. I was drawn to this exhibit mainly due to the two large stone statues at opposing ends of it’s narrow entrance doors. Upon entry I was amazed at all of the ancient original pieces most of which I can recall learning about in this class. I decided that I would pick a piece and snap a quick picture of myself proudly standing next to it, get the dimensions and backround and be on my way to an A paper in no time. I pulled out my digital camera and began to power it up when I was immediately advised by the museum security guard that I was not authorized to take pictures inside the exhibit due to the delicate nature of the artifacts. I...

Words: 830 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Art Museum Paper

...Meadows Museum – SMU Dallas From the Gene and Jerry Jones Great Hall, where a canvas oil painting of Nude Lady Removing Garter, by Jane Doe, to the permanent collection of Cubist style paintings by Pablo Ruiz Picasso and Diego Maria Rivera; The Meadows Art Museum at SMU was an eye-opening experience even for the most cynically skeptical and unrefined of visitors as myself. The building itself is unremarkable, although clean and very symmetrical with its classic box-style museum aesthetics, it is highlighted with five two-story arches covering the loggia and wide stone stairs leading to the main façade. This two-story collegiate Georgian red brick edifice gives proper backdrop as the plaza is adorned by the Wave; a perpetually moving sculpture with a reflecting pool designed by internationally renowned Spanish architect, engineer, and sculptor Santiago Calatrava. The “Wave” design has a large pool with long bronze bars running its length. The bars are linked mechanically and move in sequence, creating a four-cycle wave motion above the pool of water. Although I was unable to visit the museum at night, I did see a photograph of the sculpture during the evening hours as the pool and lighting provided illumination from beneath the structure. They had my attention. As I walked into the foyer, the main lobby had a grand staircase leading to the second floor where the Meadows collection is on display. Before going upstairs, I was able to enjoy the artwork on the first floor...

Words: 821 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Art Museum Paper 1

...Sendy Valles Art 150 Dr. James Daichendt Museum Paper # 1 Robert Duncan: Wallpaper Design 1952-1954 Art is the expression of creative skill and imagination. As I am preparing to finish this course I walk away with a greater appreciation for the art world. Art is all around, and we can all create majestic pieces we just need to express our inner most creative skill. As I visited the Art museums this semester my favorite of the two was the Pasadena Museum of California Art. The parking structure for the museum really sets up the individual for a treat! When I parked my car I spent about a half hour walking through the structure admiring all of the murals on the wall. My roommate actually accompanied me and we took a lot of pictures. It was really neat! What I love about this art museum is that you can really see the culture, of the art. The inside is an elegant white and the pieces featured are amazing. One piece in particular really stuck out to me. Robert Duncan made the piece, Wallpaper Design, in 1952-1954. While I was in the museum I read a little about Robert Duncan’s background, Interestingly enough, Robert Duncan was an American Poet, who traveled nation wide, before settling in San Francisco where he wrote his best book, “The opening of the field.” During his college years at Berkeley, Duncan was captivated by surreal art. Painter friends inspired him, to continue to make artwork using pencil, pen, and crayon. He also frequently illustrated his own books....

Words: 838 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Database Paper

...Database Environment Paper This database environment paper contains info about a database environment for an art museum. The art museum will track artwork, artists and locations of where specific art pieces are held in the museum. An analysis of the environment will be covered, along with a description of the problems and constraints. A description of the objectives of the database environment along with the scope and boundaries are included as well. Lastly, a small list of data specifications is included. The arrangement of a collection of data is not a simple procedure. Normally, the intricacies of the data wants and the number of data methods make it difficult.  As a result, arranging a collection of data is best suited to practice the traditional plan of action of separate and overcome. As a result, it should break down the arrangement method in many levels, with every transitional development is acquired that works as a beginning mark for the following phase and the final phase produces the wanted effect. In doing so, this removes the want to answer every question at one time ("Stages of Database Design", n.d.). In the case of the Denver Art Museum, a database must be created that allows users to track all the artworks, the artists who created them, and places within the museum where these works of art displayed. With an assortment of more than seventy thousand pieces of art distributed among 9 long-lasting assortments that includes western American art, African, Spanish...

Words: 965 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Research Study to Apply Information Technology to Sri Lankan Museum System

...Rational A museum is an institution that cares for (conserves) a collection of artefacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historicalimportance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary.Most large museums are located in major cities throughout the world and more local ones exist in smaller cities, towns and even the countryside. Museums have varying aims, ranging from serving researchers and specialists to serving the general public. Early museums began as the private collections of wealthy individuals, families or institutions of art and rare or curious natural objects and artefacts. The oldest public museums in the world opened in Rome during the Renaissance. However, many significant museums in the world were not founded until the 18th century and the Age of Enlightenment The Colombo Museum was established on January 1, 1877. The founder is Mr. William Henry Gregory, who was the British Governor of Sri Lanka at the time. JG Smither was the architect of the Public Works Department and was able to prepare the plans for the new structure based on Italianate architecture(Colombo National Museum). In 1876 Kandy Museum was established by Sri WicramaRajasinha and it was called “PalleVahala”.This is used as a place somewhere in the queen of king lived. Was used to deposit the types of historical value made by the art association established in 1832.this Kandy museum has more than 5,000 goals that represents...

Words: 3756 - Pages: 16

Free Essay

Art Museum

...Linnette Gomez Professor Lisa Rockford 16 November 2011 Boca Art Museum An artist’s perspective gives a curious audience a world of creativity displaying emotion, talent, and intelligence. The Boca Art Museum contains extraordinary galleries with many interesting pieces of art that come together to create an entire work of art in unity, and different portraits and framework with a variety of mediums. Viewers can see abstract sculptors placed in the outside garden giving the audience self-thought of understanding strange pieces that could mean anything; the meaning is individualized. The first gallery in the museum exhibits many different portraits of people, made up of different mediums such as pen and ink on paper, graphite on paper, and acrylic on canvas. A portrait created by the artist, “Pavel Tchelitchew,” named Mere Parizot a portrait of his mother, made it out of pen and ink on paper. The paper looks dyed or if it was once white or if it just colored through age. The detail of the portrait looks complicated with many lines to emphasize the features of the profile; the shading seems to be used by bleeding ink through the quill. Lighter areas have less bleeding. Another portrait created by the artist Jeri Metz, made a portrait of a woman named Selma out of graphite on paper. There is not any explanation of relation to this woman but the detail looks well shaded. Darker areas are smeared closely to create the darker areas when lighter areas the graphite is smeared farther...

Words: 1396 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

Ed Pien

...Detail of "The Night Gathering" by Ed Pien Ed Pien has a permanent scar on the tip of his index finger. After discovering the traditional Chinese way of cutting paper several years go, he creates grand 3D realms and environments with an X-Acto knife. Welcome to Haven of Delight, Pien’s hauntingly beautiful exhibit on display at The Rooms Provincial Gallery. “I cut vertically,” says Pien. “Even though I have an image to work with while cutting, I am still doing a lot of improvisation in order to feel that there is a continued sense of exploration and negotiation with making the paper-cut.” Haven of Delight exhibit features an out of this world installation; it’s an all encompassing paper maze of celestial celebration. Haven of Delight is a universe in itself. Viewers are welcomed into the tranquility of the grand-scale sanctuary where imagination, myth and spirits come to life. Pien’s ethereal paper cut-outs begin as a photograph, images of trees and human figures. He combines the two digital photographs and manipulates it until the visual aligns with his mind’s eye. “I am interested in exploring realms where language is inadequate to explain away mysteries and wonders,” he says. On the night of Haven of Delight‘s opening Pien wandered around with a small keychain flashlight, asking patrons to hold it up at eyelevel. The small light showcased an entirely different interpretation, Haven of Delight became lucid, a dream within a dream. Pien is fascinated with the unconscious...

Words: 1968 - Pages: 8

Free Essay

Bodhisattva

...Annotated Bibliography for Term Paper #2 Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Asia Society. Electronic. http://sites.asiasociety.org/gandhara/exhibit-sections/buddhas-and-bodhisattvas/ I chose this website because not only does it talk about the Head of Bodhissatva from the Gandhara period, but also goes through the history of Buddha. The website is also reputable because it is a museum located in New York, Houston and Hong Kong. Behrendt, Kurt. Gandhara. Met Museum. Electronic. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/gand/hd_gand.htm. I chose this as a source because it is from a very credible museum, the Metropolitan Museum. It is even a resource used in class. It goes over Gandhara as well as including helpful images. Another head of a Bodhisattva is included on the webpage. I also like how an author is listed at the bottom, that way I can email or contact him for any clarifications. Archaeological Museum Artifacts. Istanbul Archaeological Museum. Electronic. http://www.istanbularkeoloji.gov.tr/web/27-103-1-1/muze_-_en/collections/archaeological_museum_artifacts/head_of_alexander_the_great This is a great source because this museum has the actual piece of art. The website includes some history about the piece as well as Alexander himself. Also, the last paragraph includes a breakdown of facial and hair features on the piece. Van den Heuvel, Niki. "Gandharan Region: Head Of A Bodhisattva." Artonview 50 (2007): 43. OmniFile Full Text Mega (H.W. Wilson). Article. 20 Nov. 2013. ...

Words: 444 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Portland Art Museum Analysis

...The Portland Art Museum in Oregon is a spacious place that desires for thirsty questions from the endless walkers that shrouds across the echoing halls. It’s also probably the first real museum that I’ve ever been to in my life. The building is tall as a Greek God that extends to the sky with a mighty aura that surrounds it that seeks for green paper. From the inside however, a largely wide area that behemoths with deep empathy that screams out “Look at me!” in every direction. Many things went through my mind as I explored the straight forwardness of a place. The first question that strike through me were the extinction of water fountains. With liquid container not being allowed during the exploration, what’s the need of killing off something that keeps us motivated to move through the flat surface of hollowness? That’s one thing that irked my nerves through my search of an Emmet Gowin show. Another thing was the lack of security and employees who help answer questions. The environment felt very empty and quiet. That could’ve been their purpose to create a mood where it makes the viewer think and create questions. If that...

Words: 583 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Metropolitan Museum Of Art Analysis

...Metropolitan Museum of Art which is a piece of art itself which contains art from all around the globe. This is a place where the diversity is truly accomplished. When people all around the world come visit the museum they’re stunned to learn about all the different art that’s collected and presented in this museum. One of these great collections are the Indian Art galleries which are full of art that are infused which skills, traditions, and beliefs. That art really teaches people about the ancient era, how people at that time thought also gives us ideas about the skills they acquired. Often when we think about the ancient time we went to be ignorant about the capacity of those times but those arts displayed at Metropolitan museum of art gives us a sense of understanding of the past. Those art are also very meaningful. Art is more than just pleasant for people's eyes it’s about history; it’s about us and where we came from and how we are where we are in the present. In This paper will be describing and evaluate the Indian Art Galleries in the Metropolitan Museum of Art....

Words: 650 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Arh 4470 Syllabus

...Syllabus ARH 4470/5482 Contemporary Art Spring 2013 Tuesday and Thursday 2:00-3:15pm Chemistry and Physics, Room 197 Instructor: Dr. Alpesh Kantilal Patel Assistant Professor, Department of Art + Art History Director, Master of Fine Arts Program in Visual Arts Contact information for instructor: Department of Art + Art History MM Campus, VH 235 Preferred mode of contact: alpesh.patel@fiu.edu Office hours: By appointment on Tuesdays and Thursdays (preferably after class). Course description: This course examines major artists, artworks, and movements after World War II; as well as broader visual culture—everything from music videos and print advertisements to propaganda and photojournalism—especially as the difference between ‘art’ and non-art increasingly becomes blurred and the objectivity of aesthetics is called into question. Movements studied include Abstract Expressionism, Pop, and Minimalism in the 1950s and 1960s; Post-Minimalism/Process Art, and Land art in the late 1960s and 1970s; Pastiche/Appropriation and rise of interest in “identity” in the 1980s; and the emergence of Post-Identity, Relational Art and Internet/New Media art in the 1990s/post-2000 period. We will focus primarily on artistic production in the US, but we will also be looking at art from Europe, South and East Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Emphasis will be placed on examining artworks and broader visual culture through the lens of a variety of different contextual frameworks:...

Words: 4237 - Pages: 17

Premium Essay

Art101Rodriguez Assignment6.2

...Running Head: Historical Context of Images for your Virtual Art Gallery Tour Historical Context of Images for your Virtual Art Gallery Tour Louis Rodriguez Jones International University Historical Context of Images for your Virtual Art Gallery Tour [pic] Broken Glass By: Victor F. Gonzalez Dated: 7/27/2012 Artist Victor F. Gonzalez and I quote “Forget for a moment what country your from, what race, what color, and what religion, we are all reaching out, life, and love. The moments that we live! Mr. Gonzalez is an ex-brother in law from East Broadway, New York. From my knowledge he was raised most of his life in the projects of the lower Eastside, my reminder of that area is the Brooklyn Bridge that obviously crosses from lower Manhattan to Brooklyn. To this day I’ve had nothing but great admiration for his artistic paintings and point of view. I find Joey’s painting (It’s the name I always knew him by or called him, since he was a little child) somewhat Neo- Expressionist. Neo-Expressionism as we all know was practiced during the 1920s. According to Artstory.com a Mr. George Baselitz led a revival which dominated German Art in the 1970s. In Germany the return of expressionist art was part of a more general shift in society towards addressing the country’s modern history. Led by Mr. Baselitz revival in the 1980s this resurgence had become part of the...

Words: 1894 - Pages: 8

Free Essay

Journal of Popular Film and Television 30.1 (Spring 2002) 63-68

...American art museums faced another of their cyclical crises of relevance, causing them to reevaluate their role in American society. The dominant paradigm in most traditional art museums was the display of Great Works, aesthetic objects existing outside of time and space for the museumgoer's pure contemplation. Since such works were universal in their artistic appeal, they were expected to reach across barriers of time and space to speak to the patron's sensibilities. The insights of great individual artists enriched the consciousnesses of museumgoers who briefly shed their individual subjectivities to encounter the eternal verities of Beauty and Truth. Outside the walls of the art museum, these eternal verities were in much disarray. The feminist and civil rights movements began publicly questioning whose idea of beauty and whose concept of truth was being articulated. The relevance of historical tableaux and delicate still lifes created for wealthy patrons came into question in an era increasingly aware of social inequities and gender and racial politics. How could the museum maintain its position as the repository of classical Beauty while attracting a population which pondered if black were beautiful or if nudes were sexist? Some museums attracted audiences with the promise of the new. Museums such as the Museum of Modern Art offered new movements of new artists, marketing to a hip audience with a modern pop sensibility. Some began to question the nature of the museum itself...

Words: 4840 - Pages: 20

Premium Essay

Yeahet

...to, you will listen better. Task 1 Complete the table below using no more than 2 words or a number. Proposal | Main Body | Reference Section | An introduction with a 1. _____ statement, an outline of 3 paragraphs, and a justification | 3. _____ or four main sections advised. Headings are 4. _____. Pictures, charts and 5. _____ if necessary. | At least 7. _____ references. Sources must be in 8. _____. Use 9. _____ order Harvard referencing system | around 2. ______ | around 1200 words | separate 10. _____ | to take two weeks | to take 6. _____ | | Task 2 Questions 11 – 16 Complete the notes below. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer. THE NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE | Well known for | 11. _________ | Complex consists of | concert rooms theatres cinemas art galleries public library restaurants12. _________ | Historical background | 1940 – area destroyed by bombs 1960s – Centre was 13. _________In 14. _________ – opened to public | Managed by | 15. _________ | Open | 16. _________ days per year | Questions 17 – 20 Complete the table below. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer. Day | Time | Event | Venue | Ticket price | Monday and Tuesday | 7.30 p.m. | ‘The Magic Flute’ (opera by Mozart) |...

Words: 352 - Pages: 2