ART 110 – Art Appreciation
North Carolina Museum of Art Assignment
Contemporary Art Section 1. Find these three images. Which one do you like best and why? a. Pablo Picasso, Seated Woman, Red and Yellow Background b. Karel Schmidt-Rottluff, Portrait of Emy c. Michael Richards, Tar Baby vs St Sebastian
My favorite of the three specified images in the Contemporary Art section of the North Carolina Museum of Art is hard to choose. I liked all three pieces for different reasons. I have always loved Pablo Picasso’s work and have one hanging in my home. I can appreciate the Seated Woman, Red and Yellow Background, but it not in my favorites of Picasso’s work. When I first saw Portrait of Emy, by Karel Schmidt-Rottluff, my instincts were that he must have studied under Picasso. Portrait of Emy jumps out at you with the bold orange oil color. The blue eyes grab and hold your attention in an odd way, and I haven’t quite figured out the hair style his wife, Emy, had when she sat for this. And then when I looked at Michael Richards’ Tar Baby vs. St. Sebastion, I had a much different feeling. I was overwhelmed with wondering why he would give this sculpture a name like this. A man cast in gold, a pilot, covered with small airplanes…. It is intriguing. My first thought was that it must represent one of the world wars though it was made in 1999. Could it be paying tribute to a veteran family member? Without researching the artist or the piece itself, I would choose this as my favorite because it makes me want to understand more about the artist. If I was at a gallery viewing this statue I would likely stand around and discuss it with a friend. However, I wouldn’t want any of the three pieces in my home. I think any of these three could eventually give me the creeps.

African Art Section 2. Find the two pieces you like best and write about why you like these two works.
When I walked through the African Art section at the North Carolina Museum of Art, the first piece that caught and held my attention was Lamidi Fakeye’s three Veranda Post statues carved out of Iroko wood. I stopped to admire the detail and the smoothed edges of the carvings. Once I got past the fact that they were carved out of wood I became engrossed in admiring the costumes the characters were wearing. There were many different kinds of costumes and tribal wear in the African Art section. As I walked around I kept being drawn to the back wall, where an assortment of heads seems to be coming out at you. Ledelle Moe’s Congregation lures you in. It’s haunting and calming all at the same time. I started to wonder how they would move this piece from one museum to the next as it is mounted on the wall….. maybe there’s a map that says, “hang head C here.” Or maybe the wall itself is actually part of the sculpture. The shadows cast on the wall by the many little heads gave it an eerie feeling that I can only assume was intended by Moe.

Classical Sculpture Section 3. On the back wall of this section you will find a funerary monument. What three letters are repeated on the images a number of times?
The Funerary Monument, by an unknown artist, hangs at the back wall of the Classical Sculpture section. The letters SEX are repeated. When I looked into the meaning of this work, I found that it is likely depicting a husband and wife, and possibly their son, as freed slaves.

American Art Section 4. Find the image by George Inness entitled Under the Greenwood. What is the boy holding?
In Under the Greenwood, by George Inness, the boy is holding a piece of wood and carving himself a flute.

5. Find the image by Thomas Hart Benton. What is the title of the work? What is it painted on?
Spring on the Missouri, a work by Thomas Hart Benton, was painted with oil and tempera on a masonite panel.

6. Find the image by Jacob Lawrence. What is the title of the work? Who is the main character?
Jacob Lawrence’s Forward features Harriet Tubman, leading slaves to freedom, with a gun in her hand.

7. Find the Georgia O’Keeffe image. Remember her? What is the title of the work? What question is noted in the description of the work on the wall by the painting?
The Georgia O’Keeffe image, Cebolla Church, hangs in the museum with a name plate beside it on the wall, which asks, “What is that thing in the window?” This is a question that I cannot answer, but it does makes the piece more intriguing to me. What did O’Keeffe intend it to be?

Rodin Section 8. There are two sculptures by Rodin wherein the figure is holding a foot. Name these two works.
There are two sculptures by Auguste Rodin in the North Carolina Museum of Art, where the person is holding a foot. These are The Crouching Woman, and Iris, Messenger of the Gods.

9. Now walk outside to the Rodin Garden. Find The Three Shades. Walk around this large sculpture. What do you think of this work? What is growing in the garden?
When I first viewed The Three Shades in the Rodin Garden, my first reaction was that this made me think of the three wise men standing over baby Jesus. The sculpture seems at peace there, surrounded by all the bamboo growing, and the lily pads in the pond. After reading more about it, I now see that this is the same figure, same pose, just lined up at different angles, possibly symbolizing a phrase from Dante’s Inferno, "Abandon every hope, ye who enters here.” Which I feel is a vast contradiction to the way the sculpture is presented alongside the bamboo at the North Carolina Museum of Art.

European – 17th and 18th Century Art Section 10. Find the pastel drawing by Edward Degas. What is this drawn on?
Le Repos, a drawing by Edward Degas, was drawn in 1893, pastel on board. 11. Find the three Monet images. Which of these do you like best and why?
The three Moet images found in the European section are The Seine at Giverny, Waves at the Manneporte, and The Cliff, Étretat, Sunset. My favorite of these three is actually a tie. The Seine at Giverny, Morning Mists reminds me of a scene at Airlie Gardens, here in Wilmington, NC. I was walking the grounds one morning and I feel as if I saw this exact view. I find it comforting. The tie for my favorite is held by The Cliff, Étretat, Sunset. I like The Cliff because it looks like a place that could only exist in paradise, a place I can hope truly exists, and I hope to visit someday. The Seine almost feels cold, you can feel the dampness in the air, while The Cliff feels warm, like a sunset somewhere on some amazing island.

Dutch 17th Century Art 12. Find the glass case with the copper etching plates. Find the plate of a landscape with a cow in it. Who is the artist? When was it etched?
The copper etching plate with the landscape and a cow was etched in 1650 by Rembrandt van Rijn.

13. In the center room of this section you will find an image of a person having a tooth pulled. Who is the artist of this work? What is the title? When was it painted?
The image of a person having a tooth pulled was created in 1692, by Jan Miense Molenaer., using oil on panel, and is titled The Dentist.

European Art – Still Life 14. In the middle room of this section, find the cabinet – a piece of furniture with shells on the top. Look inside the small door. Describe the “floor” inside this small door.
Inside the small door of this European Still Life is a checkerboard floor with a piece of coral in the middle of it. 15. To the right of this cabinet you will find a painting. What is the title of the painting? Who is the artist? What is the child on the far right doing with her arms?
To the right of the European Still Life is a painting titled Winter Landscape, by Joose de Momper the Younger. The child on the far right is throwing her arms up in the air, almost as if to call off to her family who is walking too far ahead.

Italian Art (This room is called the Alter room) 16. You will see that this section is more open and has one large room. You will see images of Madonna and Angels. Which one of these images has a landscape, with blue mountains and green trees on less distant hills? What is the title and who is the artist?
The image in the Italian Art section of Madonna that has a landscape and blue mountains is called Madonna and Child with Two Angels, by Francesco Francia, painted between 1495 and 1500 in oil on panel.

Northern European Art 17. Leave the room with the threads and go to the next section that is Northern European Art. You will be in the back room of this section. Find the two works by Tintoretto. What are the titles of these two works?
The two works in the Northern European Art section by Tintoretto are The Forge of Vulcan, 1544-1548, oil on canvas, and The Rising of Lazarus, 1585-1590, also oil on canvas.

18. Stay in this section, Northern European Art, and walk into the room that will bring you closer to the main corridor. Find the image painted by Lucas Cranach the Elder. Find Madonna and Child in a Landscape. What is Mary offering the Christ Child? Of what is this a symbol?
In Madonna and Child in a Landscape, Mary is offering the child some grapes. I believe this is a symbol of nurturing.

Italian 13th – 16th Century Art 19. Walk into the second room of this section and you will see a room filled with Madonna figures with the Christ Child. (Mary and Baby Jesus). Which one (give me the title and artist) of these do you respond to more favorably and why?
In the second room of the Italian 13th – 16th Century Art section, my favorite work is Madonna and Child by Francesco di Simone Ferrucci. I like how the whole piece looks like it could be made into a collectable coin. The round background of the marble statue wraps the whole piece up and gives it a sense of love and unity that would have to exist between a mother and child. I just find this work beautiful and it was the one that my eyes kept going back to over and over.

20. In the third or back room of this section you will see an image made of spools of thread. The work is created to look like what famous work of art? How many spools of thread were used? Who provided the spools of thread to the artist?
The image made of spools of thread by Devorah Sperber, titled After the Mona Lisa 2, was made to resemble the Mona Lisa by Leonardo DiVinci, only upside down. The 5,184 spools of thread were donated by Coats & Clark.