Museum Object Analysis
In class, last Wednesday, we went to visit the Manetti Shrem Art
Museum. Most of the objects on display in this museum are art themed, and
almost all museums are art exhibitions. Amongst the many exhibits, the one
that impressed me the most was author Deborah Butterfield's These Are Not
Horses. The name might lead you to think that the piece resembles the shape
of a horse, as it is thought that the piece looks like a horse from the outside.
Butterfield named the work after the end of a poem by his lifelong mentor,
William T. Wiley.
The author gave it such a name because it has a deeper meaning. The
ceramic piece was made 50 years ago by Deborah Butterfield of the
University of California, Davis, and the author wanted to use the piece to
address a central issue that universities considering today: environmental
conservation and the changing West. Fixedthe fixed author's intention in
making this work is to make the audience understand that its sculptures are
not just representatives of the horse world. I think the argument is that we
have to go beyond the surface to explore the deeper meaning of the object, or
I'm more concerned in this article with the meaning behind it, and the political
meaning it carries.
What I mentioned in the article was a great horse sculpture that was
made out of scrap and scavenged materials, including old cloth and some
wood. The horses made of these materials are mostly ordinary and plain in
color, and there is no gorgeous color to set off the brilliance of the utensils.
However, it is very large in size, just like a real horse. Its location was right in
the middle of the hall, so I saw this piece as soon as I walked in. It was very
impressive, like a horse appearing in front of my eyes, and I was fascinated
by it because I found it very interesting and very curious about the materials
the piece was made of. But after looking at it closely for a long time, I felt that
the profound meaning of the piece resonated with me, and my emotions
became eager to have a deeper understanding of the piece, to explore the
historical significance behind it, what emotions I wanted to express. From The
content of Eilean Hooper-Greenhill's article 《The Irrational Cabinet》 "One
characteristic of the art of memory is that it gives the individual unique vision
to construct his/her own memory images. If the physical order of the items in
the cupboard were indeed memory images, many of their references would
now be invisible. Combined with these two aspects is further deliberate
confusion caused by the need to conceal 'secret' knowledge."
Artist Deborah Butterfield is an important sculptor who has won many
awards for her work. Most of her works are works of art, innovative and
original. Her exhibits in Manetti Shrem Art Museum are all horses every time,
and these works reveal the problems of environmental protection and the
changes of the western region, exposing the environmental problems of the
world. I hope to advocate students to pay attention to environmental
protection through this work.
This item may represent environmental protection and the changes in
the western region, thus advocating that we should pay more attention to
environmental protection issues, and this item may also reveal the
environment and the lifestyle of animals in the western region at that time, and
what kind of living environment. I think this object has cultural significance in
promoting environmental protection, not only for me personally, but I think for
the world or for everyone who sees this object. For me, the world today is
facing the problem of global warming, which is very profound, there is no
doubt that mankind has wasted too many resources, caused the rapid
increase of carbon dioxide, and overexploitation of non-renewable resources
and so on. This series has led to a sharp decline in environmental quality, and
now many regional countries have taken corresponding measures, including
the western region is improving environmental quality.
When I saw this object for the first time, I was deeply attracted by it.
The work resembles an emaciated horse bending over a multitude of foods to
find food that is not affected by the environment. This picture reminds me of
the history of my hometown, because it experienced an unprecedented
drought in 1942, which caused millions of deaths, from which we can see how
important it is to protect the environment! So, I have a deep feeling for this
piece and a strong resonance for the meaning expressed by this piece. So,
we live in a happy family, we should pay more attention to environmental
problems to avoid history repeating itself.
The project also has a political dimension, as environmental protection
and environmental change in the West are closely related to politics. The
piece is also closely associated with the museum in which it is located. From
The content of Eilean Hooper-Greenhill's article 《The Irrational Cabinet 》
"The 'cabinet of the world' was a form of language with a complex relationship
to the other languages of the world. "Emphasizing that the display and context
provided by the museum contribute to the interpretation and meaning of the
sculpture. For me, museums with high visibility are more attractive, followed
by art galleries, because they may capture the thoughts of modern people,
and many people may think art galleries are more interesting than traditional
museums. This sculpture in this gallery will let more people see it and let them
understand the meaning behind this work.
As a museum exhibition, I think it has inherent political significance,
because this work wants to worry about environmental protection issues,
which are political issues requiring orders and measures from the government
or the state, but I think this political way is a kind of liberation. For no political
thought can force the people to do a thing, otherwise such politics will become
a means of oppressing the people. The political significance of this work is to
live with all the species in this world, because only by creating a home with a
beautiful environment can we survive. However, when the inner meaning or
political significance of the work rises to the social level or even the world
level, it will subtly affect people's thoughts. The significance of this work is
closely related to the world's environmental problems that concern us today.
I think this work is very meaningful for the museum because it's not just
a single work, the meaning and the political meaning it expresses is
extraordinary. Its meaning is to encourage people to work together to protect
the environment. Hence, I think this object is very important to me, because it
can influence the audience's thoughts and change their original thoughts
about protecting the environment, when the audience understands the
meaning behind this object. I think this object has a strong educational
significance, encourages thermal protection of the environment, and is a good
object sculpture.