Yale Art Gallery Adventure...

As I pulled up to the Yale University Art Gallery and struggled to find a parking space as I was unfamiliar with the area, I thought, yet another magnificent building to have a museum in. Museums are fun buildings to visit because unlike other establishments, there is a lot of thought put into making the building just as interesting on the outside as it is on the inside. As my boss and I walked inside and attempted to pay for our admission, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it was free to visit. We then ventured through the four floors of the building. The gallery that caught my attention the most was the African art. When I was at the Met I briefly walked through their African art collection but due to the sheer size of the Met I wasn’t able to appreciate it then as I was able to here at Yale. The pieces were unusual and remarkable.





African art typically depicts the human form as its subject matter for the pieces.
The art is based on visual abstraction and is typically created in a three dimensional shape. I think what I find the most interesting is that Africans use their art for several purposes. As I walk through and view the items I am amazed at how many of them serve more than one objective. The masks and costumes aren’t just viewed and appreciated for the craftsmanship and talent they can be used during many different events that can include: celebrations, initiations, ceremonies, dances, war preparation, and crop harvesting.


This particular costume just grabbed me as I walked into the gallery. At the moment I saw this, I just wanted to go back to the time and place where someone was parading around in this outfit. You don’t find ceremonies or celebrations anywhere around here where someone would dress up in this, except maybe on Halloween! The caption about this piece indicates that it is from the early 20th century and is made of wood, feathers, textile, hide, cloth, fiber, pigment, and metal and is 77 inches high. It origins are from the Loma or Kpelle people of the border of Liberia and Guinea. It isn’t known if the mask belongs to the costume but this attire would have been worn during a dance of some sort.
The masks of African art usually represent a spirit and are made mainly of wood but can also include ivory, animal hair, plant fibers, and semi-precious stones among other material found in the area. A person is designated to wear the mask during the particular event and usually performs a dance. It is believed the person who is wearing the mask during the dance is possessed by the spirit of the ancestor the mask represents.


African art dates back some 6,000 years ago to the rock art found in the Sahara. The art usually depicted the surrounding nature including animals, plant life, or other items found in the environment. However, many old African sculptures that were made of wood have not survived either the termites or the dampness and were destroyed.


This particular sculpture gave me a chill; it reminded me of a voodoo doll. As I read the caption I realize that although this figure may be related to the voodoo practices it dates back to the 19th century and is made of wood, iron, cloth, mirror, leopard tooth, fiber and porcelain. It is 18 inches in height and it known as a Kongo Nkisi figure. These sculptures were said to be owned by priest who add to the figure with nails or metal shims. These nails that are driven into the figure serve a purpose. Each nail driven into the figure represents a case that was brought on regarding murders or other heinous crimes. The violence of driving a nail in is supposed to parallel the associated crime and balance out the occurrence of the crime. It’s a little confusing and bizarre idea that violating this figure would even out crime but nonetheless, I thought it was interesting.


African art, especially African masks are exceptional works of art that serve a very interesting purpose. Colonialism caused many changes to African life, culture, and traditions which have resulted in many people there losing their original African ties of rituals and ceremonies and thus the masks are no longer commonly used.
African art takes great imagination, creativity, and talent. It is a form of art that goes somewhat unrecognized and it is great to see such a large display here at the Yale Art Gallery. I am grateful that I had the ability to appreciate African art.

work cited:

www.rebirth.co.za/african.htm
www.artgallery.yale.edu

Florence Griswold Experience

I don’t know what I expected to find when I arrived at the Florence Griswold museum but it wasn’t what I anticipated as we pulled in to the driveway. I had heard my mother and some other family members talk about the museum; however, I had never gone so what I had in mind wasn’t close to what the museum had in store. As we pulled in I saw this beautiful older home in front of me; which I quickly took a photo of. It was the type of home that I would love to have and the setting was quaint as well. I thought to myself, wow, this isn’t what I expected. I am actually going to get to tour through this gorgeous home! I have to tell you that exploring through homes really excites me. I don’t know if it is because as a child my parents and I would always visit old homes and tour through them, even if they were abandoned. It was probably dangerous to go through the empty deserted ones but it was exciting. I grew up in a house that was built in 1690 so I have a real appreciation for older homes.
I was fortunate to have my mother along with me who has visited the museum several times before so she could give me some additional information on the home and the life of Florence Griswold.
I really found this museum so uncommon because the other museums that I have visited so far have been inside a building which was established for the purpose of a museum but this wasn’t entirely that way. There was more history to the property than just a building holding spectacular pieces of art; it was where the spectacular artists created their work. I thought how amazing to be where some of the most famous artists have lived and painted.
The tour began behind the Griswold home at the Krieble Gallery. This gallery was completed in 2002, it is a modern type building that has temporary and permanent exhibitions and a brief film. The gallery was much smaller than the others I have visited so far but still had some wonderful paintings. The Florence Griswold Museum is known as the Home of American Impressionism. So you can imagine that the majority of the work was impressionist paintings. Impressionism was a 19th century art movement where painters used distinct dabs of bright colors which were unaccustomed to the art of that time period. Impressionists create their picture using spontaneous brushed strokes of paint which remarkably formulate into a clear picture. It is really an interesting way to paint, from a distance it looks like a crisp, clear image but as you move in closer to the painting you can see how it is really made up of random strokes.
I was prohibited from taking photos in the gallery; however, as I ventured up to the house I snapped a picture of the rear of the building so that you can get an idea of just how beautiful this home really is. As my mother and I ventured inside we were greeted by two guides who gave us some interesting information about Florence’s life and then left us on our own to tour the house. It was so elegant inside; although most of the pieces inside aren’t original, they are representative of the time period that Florence lived. I secretly snapped a few photos inside, please don’t tell!This is one of the bedrooms that an artist would have stayed in while visiting at the Griswold home. I just love how old fashioned it looks and the bed is the original to the home.
The house was far from small; there were several rooms in the downstairs. The one that was of particular interest to me was the dining room. The artists would spend time inside the home painting on the doors and walls. The dining room was where most of this type of painting was done. Almost every panel had a different scene painted, it was quite interesting. Unfortunately the guide was there so I didn’t attempt to photo any of it. But it was certainly a sight to see if you ever have the chance.
As I headed upstairs, I found even more remarkable pieces. One that I found the most beautiful and stunning was this painting Summer at Hadlyme done by Willard Metcalf in 1914.This was a large piece that was displayed on an easel. I would have to guess it was probably 2 ½ ft by 3 ½ ft but don’t hold me to it; I am not all that good at determining size without a tape. It was large enough to make a statement but not too big to where it would overpower a room. I would love to have this painting over my fireplace mantle.
Metcalf was considered one of the leading impressionist landscape artists. The caption on the wall informed me that the woman in the painting is Metcalf’s second wife and his daughter. Through the door you can see the lush of the outdoors which is painted in an impressionist form. Metcalf spent a time at the Griswold house and then settled in the area with his family.
There are many gardens surrounding the estate, which unfortunately I was not able to appreciate as we are in the winter months now and the flowers have gone by. I plan on going back in the late spring with my mother again to see all the gardens in bloom. It looks as though it would be a beautiful sight. Miss Florence was an avid gardener; she had both flower and vegetable gardens. And with the river right behind the home there are many beautiful landscapes for artists to replicate in their work. Once you have visited the estate you can appreciate why so many famous artists aspired to this location.

Visit to the Wadsworth

I was happy to be visiting the Wadsworth Atheneum. I believe I had been there back in grammar school but I had no memory of what I would find inside. What I found was another unique building that had extremely intriguing pieces that undeniably caught my eye. The part of the building that had me in amazement the most was the Great Hall, which I have included here.
Unfortunately the photo doesn’t do justice to the magnitude of the room. I would love to have a room like this in my home to throw parties and dances in. The design of the windows up next to the ceiling was rare, which gave it a cheery feel, even though it was overcast outside. The pink color of the walls and the interesting sculptures and paintings put me in good spirits which was a nice change from the dreary miserable feeling of being sick. I was just in love with the room. I had my boss along with me which gave me an advantage both to navigate through the maze like rooms but also to get a neat sense of history about the museum. Ironically enough, my boss had actually painted the ceiling in the Great Hall back in the 90s and a plague hangs there on the wall to this day indicating such. However, as you can see here, the plague has seen better days and needs to be refinished.
My boss, Mike, hasn’t worked at the Wadsworth in quite some time, so it was interesting to see the accomplishments he had here. I often hear him talk about his days at the museum and I was now able to actually see some of the things that he worked on. Mike was the facility manager there for something like 10+ years. He wasn’t just responsible for maintaining the building he was heavily involved in setting up and breaking down all of the artwork displays. I thought what a neat job that must have been; being able to have a firsthand view of such masterful artwork. He was able to add in his own creativity as well when creating the display setup. He also had to ensure the security of each piece, which I could imagine must have been challenging. These art pieces are irreplaceable and they had to, at all costs, protect the work.
After I was done appreciating the Great Hall and listening to my boss’s stories of the painting challenges we ventured off through the many wings of the museum. It was neat knowing that I was walking through the oldest public art museum and originally the Wadsworth was a teaching museum. The building as it stands today is much larger in size than what it had originally started out as. Today the Wadsworth is compiled of five building totaling 192,000 square feet. As individuals donated money over the years, wings were added on and then dedicated to the donators. That is why the museum can seem so maze like because of all the additions.
As I wandered through the many wings of the building, the item that I kept coming back to was this painting done by Salvador Dali.

This painting is so interesting. Depending upon how you look at it, you can see many different things going on. It is like a picture within a picture. It is amazing to me how he was able to incorporate all of these different items together to make such a masterpiece. This painting really is so creative and unique. Dali was a Spanish artist who painted this picture in 1938. It is called “Apparition of Face and Fruit-dish on a Beach”. Dali was known as one of the leading surrealist artists of his time. It’s said that he associated with other famous artists such as Picaso and Miro. Surrealism is a term that I have heard thrown around but never really knew where it came from or what it meant. Surrealism was a European cultural movement that began in the early 1920s. It is a style of art that uses visual images from the subconscious mind and has no intention of making the artwork understandable. Dali certainly accomplished that description in this painting. As interesting as the piece is, it really doesn’t make any sense but I think that is what I like about it so much. Not understanding it makes it interesting to me.
It is fascinating to see how art can come in so many forms. There is no right or wrong when it comes to art and I think that is what makes it so great. It isn’t like a math problem, only one possible answer to a problem. Art is a feeling, a passion and can be whatever you want it to be.
Work cited:
surrealism.org

My Day at the Met

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City seems to be the museum of all museums. However, it is the first one that I am visiting but I couldn’t imagine anything bigger than this! They certainly had every piece of art imaginable from every time period and place that has ever existed. There were so many pieces of art; you almost couldn’t take it all in. Visiting the museum was an experience to remember and an educational event never to forget.
My father was nice enough to come along with me to visit the museum. He was a good partner in the venture as he has a great interest and appreciation for art. I have to be honest that my intentional encounter of art has been pretty minimal but as I begin to walk through the museum I realize how art is around us no matter where we are; from a handcrafted piece of jewelry to early body amour. I realize just how much I have been appreciating art all my life and didn’t even know it. I think now how my first job was creating art decorating cakes using my own ideas and creativity; I just didn’t look at it that way – until now. I think that it was my own lack of perception that made me believe I wasn’t familiar with art. Although, visiting the Metropolitan made me realize that art is all around, you don’t even need to be looking for it to find it.
I was extremely interested in some of the art work that was religious in nature. The Byzantium art display represented many Christian stories and events. The Byzantium period or empire is thought to have lasted approximately 1,100 years or from the fourth century to the fall of Constantinople. Constantine The Great was the first Christian ruler of the Roman Empire. He transferred the religion of gods of ancient times to that of Christianity; which is why you will find that much of the Byzantine artwork is religious in nature, depicting Christian stories that can be found in the Bible.
Byzantine artists are known for their three dimensional artwork. As you will see in the photo, this sarcophagus from Rome illustrates several Bible related stories. A sarcophagus you ask? Yes, sarcophagus is better known as a coffin or casket. In earlier times, when someone of wealth or importance died, they were placed in a sarcophagus and then placed in a crypt to rest. And I say “of wealth or importance” because I would have to imagine that creating a sarcophagus was expensive and time consuming. The one you see here was carved out of marble and thought to be made in the early 300’s. It is extremely intricate and detailed in its form. It is almost hard to grasp that someone thousands of years ago carved such skilled artwork into a marble stone by hand, no power tools here. However, what is even harder to grasp is that a person was put inside of it. The sarcophagus was so narrow it looks as though you would have to lie on your side to fit. It would certainly have to be modified to accommodate the deceased of today’s age.
This particular sarcophagus portrays several stories on both the front and sides. The front carvings are done in what is known as high relief meaning that the carvings have a three dimensional view and appear to sit further off the stone. The side carvings are done in low relief where the carvings seem to sit right on the stone and do not have the raised up appearance or three dimensional look. When you look at the sarcophagus from the front, the left side of it depicts the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who were three Hebrews that were accused of defying King Nebuchadnezzar and then ordered to a fiery furnace which you can see from this photo.
The opposite side shows Adam and Eve just after eating the forbidden fruit and then feeling naked for the first time. The front of the sarcophagus includes many different scenes. Moving from left to right you see what appears to me to be Christ with the children. In the Bible Christ states “suffer the little children to come unto me”. The next item is Saint Peter’s arrest in Rome and following that is Jesus on a donkey on Palm Sunday. Next is Zacchaeus, a little man in a tree. The Bible story explains that Zacchaeus climbed into the tree to see Jesus because he was too short to see him over the crowd. After that there are a few figures that I am not sure what story they are relating to. The narration on the wall next to the piece indicated that when the sarcophagus was discovered much of the front had deteriorated away and the restoration was done somewhat inaccurately. The last scene moving to the right appears to be the story of Lazarus who Jesus had raised from the dead four days after his death.
Christianity was a very strong religion during the Byzantine time period and not only was the religion portrayed on a sarcophagus but on a good majority of the other art work from that time. However, religious symbols have long since been displayed on items having to do with the dead because death and God are so closely related. Death is the time that a believer would be reunited with God.
It just amazes me that a person that long ago was able to produce this creation with such a limited supply of tools as compared to today’s age. I was so drawn to it because it is honestly a work of art. The skill that went into this isn’t something that just anyone could do and I really value that, it is almost unbelievable. It is a piece that I will never forget.