ART GALLERY VISIT #2

Questions about the exhibit:  

1. What is the title of the exhibit? 

The title of the exhibit was Humble and Human. 

2. What is the theme of the exhibition? 

The exhibition was in honor of Ralph C. Wilson. In which during his lifetime collected painting by impressionist artist like, Paul Cezanne, Edgar Degas, and Vincent Van Gogh. It's a celebration of works done in the late nineteenth century, which reflects the values and ideas, that Ralph enjoyed the most. 

Questions about the physical space:

1. What type of lighting is used?

The lighting that was used was very specific because each section of the exhibit used yellow dimmed lights. It was simplistic in the way the lights were only on two ends of the room, focusing exactly on the art pieces, instead of having the lights focused on the center of the room. 

2. What colors are used on the walls?

The colors used on the walls might have been my favorite part of the physical space. Each section of the exhibit had different color walls to match the art work displayed. It was seen throughout the entire exhibit. They used colors like light pink, navy blue, a light orange, and light blue. It was interesting to see how the colors of the wall and the pieces fit in so well together. 

3. How is the movement of the viewer through the gallery space? 

The movement throughout the gallery space was very slow paced and calm. The layout of the exhibition was so well put together into sections, that when walking around it did not feel overwhelming. I was able to walk around and take my time experiencing the art work. 

Questions about the artwork:

1. How are the artworks organized? 

The artwork was organized through categories. For example, in one section of the exhibit there were paintings of only outdoor settings. Whereas in another section, it was full of only women dressed in gowns. It was interesting to see the way they broke it up into their own sections. 

2. How are the artworks similar?
The art works were similar in aspects because majority of them were created with oil on canvas. The sections they were in, were also similar in colors used. Some parts of the exhibit used neutral colors, whereas others were similar in how they used brighter colors. 

3. How are the artworks different?

The difference in the artworks were the emotions it gave off. The vibe each of these paintings gave off was completely different with each piece. When looking at certain paintings, it gave feelings of happiness and warmth, whereas other paintings made me feel down at one point. It was weird how going into a specific section, along with the color of the wall, could make a person interpret the art differently. 

4. How are the artworks framed?

The artworks were framed in gold thick frames where some had floral prints on them and others were did not. The use of the gold frames helped shift our focus to the actual art, and it also helped it stand out overall. 

5. How are the artworks identified and labeled?

The artworks were identified and labeled on a printed sheet of paper, sitting next to each piece of work. They provided basic information on who the artist was, what year it was created, and some of them gave a background description. 

6. What is the proximity of the artwork to each other?

Many of the pieces had a significant amount of space between each one. Enough space to be able to admire the artwork individually. 

Art Criticism: 

1. This oil on canvas painting was created based on an out door setting. With what looks like a sun setting, a portion of the painting is made up of two huge hills, surrounding it with multiple trees. For the main portion of the painting, the focus of it is a man nailed to a cross. Right below him, we see women surrounding him, on their knees, dressed as what seems to be nuns. The element that stood out the most was color. Throughout the painting, there are multiple colors which range from light pale yellow, to orange and red trees and grass. Yet, despite the colorfulness used there was also value. The lightness of the background and the darkness from the colors used to create the women, created value. This painting reminds me of something you'd see in a children's book. The way it was illustrated along with the choice of colors, makes this painting look very fun. However, with this painting I believe the artist was trying to show the way the women sat there in disbelief as Jesus was hung on the cross. With the look on their faces, it shows how upset and hurt they are by the sight. They sit around him to mourn and reminisce his presence. 

2.  This painting is also in an out door setting. It is made up of a white naked woman sitting alone, resting her head on some rocks, with her toes out in a pool of water. Although there isn't much but rocks and darkness, there is also a glance of skylight coming from the top center of the painting. Along with hints of trees peaking through. The first element that came to mind when observing this painting, was texture. The rocks this women is laying on, is a perfect example of the type of texture rocks look like in real life. Along with the rocks, the pool of water underneath her also perfectly represented the way real life water looks like. Based on looking at this painting, this reminds me of Eve. I say this because Eve was the first picture I witnessed of a naked woman. The innocent vibe she gives off reminded me exactly of Eve. Yet, what I believe the artist meant with this painting, was whenever someone feels over whelmed and stressed, it's important to take some time to focus on ones self. Meaning, the same way we see this woman resting, with her feet in water, it is the type of things we should be doing. Taking the opportunity to worry about ourself and enjoy alone time, to gather our thoughts and simply relax. 

3. With this painting, it takes place in an in-door setting. The location is inside of a building, with four different entrances/exits. The building is completely dark, with the only source of light coming from one huge window and two other little windows. Inside this building, there are three women dressed in long dresses are placed in center of the painting. Two of the women are sitting with a silver tray resting on their laps, as the third women is standing over them holding a pile of papers. Within this painting, an element that stood out the most was space. Based on the setting these women are in, and the amount of openness there is, I'd say there is a lot of negative areas within this painting. Because they were placed at the center of this long empty hallway, it was easy to spot the negative space. With this painting, it reminds me of being in a school setting and being lectured by a teacher. The way the two women are sitting there while the other women is standing over them, reminds me of a teacher talking down to students. However, what I believe the artist meant with this painting was, that no matter how much other people want to tell us things and put their input on a situation, we will always do what we want to do and no one can tell us otherwise. We have the option to listen and respect what others tell us, however at the end of the day we can choose not to listen and do or say what feels right. 

Answer the question: What did you think of visiting the Gallery and purposefully looking at the exhibition from a different perspective - the physical space, the architecture, theme, etc.?

     Overall when visiting the gallery, I went in with an open mindset. I enjoyed every aspect of the exhibit because it is always interesting to learn something new. It was important to go, paying attention to small details in which I would normally never pay attention to.