Layla Quinones
HUA101.1102
Professor Joan Harmon
November 6, 2008
Museum Journal 3
Modern Art
When I went to the Museum of Modern Art, they were many works of art that I
found intriguing. One of these paintings was “The Birth of the World” by Joan Miro
made in 1925. When I had seen this painting at first, I did not understand it and I simply
questioned “Why is this in a museum?” As I continued on with the rest of the exhibit, I
came to realize that during the 1920’s this form of art was revolutionary. Artists where
trying to explore new ways to express their feeling, especially pertaining to the World
War. Miro sought out to “destroy” formal art and create a new form of expression that
triggers the unconscious mind and impact emotions of the “psychic mind.” This style of
art is abstract surrealism due to the impression that the artist was trying to give to the
viewer. He suggests some sort of sperm figure with a red head. This red head is probably
a focal point for the viewer that has a yellow diagonal giving some sort or directional
force towards a white dot on the lower left corner. This white dot appears to also be part
of some sort of creature that I interpreted as a human. Next to this figure is some sort of
five legged creature that I interpreted to be an insect, more specifically a spider. More
focus is concentrated in left side of this painting with the depiction of some sort of flying
object or creature that I interpreted to be a bird. With these figures suggesting some sort
of gamete, land animal flying animal, and insect the title to this painting makes more
sense to me. The characteristics of surrealism come to my mind due to the impression I
got from these figures being living things illustrating different varieties of organisms on
the earth. Birth can be symbolized by the sperm representing a single cell that begins live
in all organisms. Characteristics of abstract surrealism are also shown through the
unrealistic form of these “creatures” that Miro painted that stimulates the mind to make
connections to familiar objects. The connection that I made was that the gamete
represents birth or a new life, while the directional force leads the viewer to look at the
human signifying life in general (evolution from gamete to organism). Finally you can
then look at the insect creature and the flying creature further connecting various
different types of organisms found on the earth. Hence the connection of birth, earth(or
world) and the confusing setting in the painting allows the viewer to use his/her
imagination to when the world was born, how or where.
The next painting that I found amazingly interesting was “The Night” by German
Expressionist Vasily Kandinsky. He worked on his artwork rather eccentrically, giving a
lot of his paintings names of musical compositions. His philosophy was that art should
impact the viewer as music impacts a listener: with an emotional “vibration.” This
painting gave me an impression of sorrow and depression due to the dark colors that
Kandinsky chose to use. The elongated straight body, angular simplification of the
woman illustrated, and dramatic color contrasts in this painting gives a sense of sorrow
and emotional intensity that was key in German Expressionism. The vivid dramatic color
and contrasts between black and white almost jump out of the painting giving a “melting”
feeling to the artwork. I also noticed that the downward drooping movement of the
woman’s attire gives off an intense sense of a contemporary pose as the woman
stands/walks by. I also found it interesting that Kandinsky used black in order to depict
shadow that is casted on the woman’s clothing. He used this “blackness” in such a way
that it does not confuse the viewer however, it allows for the more vibrant color of
turquoise, purple and red to stand out. I didn’t know how to interpret the woman’s yellow
polka dots on her blouse other than, despite the sad mood of the painting; it is possible
that she is either on her way to or from some sort of party. Lastly, I noticed how the
limited background scene that is given in the distance balances nicely with the drooping
headdress that the woman is wearing giving this painting great stability. In all, this was
my most favorite painting and I find myself daydreaming about what might have
happened to this woman.
The last painting that I found rather interesting was “Road near L'Estaque [ La route de
l’Estaque” by the famous cubist Georges Braque. First of all, in order for me to
understand this painting well I must know that in analytical cubism, an artist takes apart
the subject in which he is painting and breaks them down into various geometrically
abstract figures with contrasting surfaces. In this painting, Braque breaks down a road
that is possibly located in a forest. The vast shapes of green that crowd the top of the
painting suggests trees that are surrounding a dirt road. The road, broken up into various
geometric surfaces, end in some sort of clearing in the distance. To me, it seems like
Braque used a vanishing point so that the viewer can interpret the painting as some sort of
road to be traveled on. As one of the “forefathers” of cubism, Braque set out to stimulate
the mind into interpreting what is seen in the painting. By this I basically mean that in
order to understand his cubist paintings, the viewer needs to think about it first then
analyze what the painting is actually illustrating. I found that as I kept “guessing” what
the subject of the painting was, I began to see other things that direct my mind into
thinking of a long strenuous journey on a dirt road that is seemingly endless. In all,
geometric shapes, rhythmic position of these shapes, and the unspecified ground,
foreground and sky are fundamental to the style of cubism. These factors allow the
viewer to use their minds to get the ultimate impression that this painting gives off in the
end: “A Road Less Traveled.”