Event Critique – Art
Monica Hall
MWF 10:00am
1. Which museum did you visit? De Young Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco
2. In 150 words, describe at least one of the broad collections on a theme, period,
geographic region, or topic within the museum. There were several collections at the
museum during my visit. One that I enjoyed the most was the American art
collection. The de Young Fine Arts Museum showcases American art from the 17th
through the 21st centuries consisting of paintings, sculptures, and decorative arts
objects. The collection is one of the finest survey collections of American paintings in
the United States. This collection consists artworks from several time periods and
cultures. The works ranged from Native American, Spanish Colonial, trompe l’oeil
still life, Impressionism, Modernism, etc. Another collection I thought was interesting
was the section on African and New Guinea. This collection was exceptionally
extensive containing a large selection of traditional tribal wear, warrior masks, and
other artifacts. The collection represents the hundreds of clans throughout the island
of New Guinea. Viewing this exhibit is a great way to learn more about a different
culture and understand how these artworks are of great importance to that culture.
(157)
3. Give a brief, one paragraph (100 words) description of a special exhibit (ask a docent
what these are; they are usually in one of the first rooms): When I attended this
museum, the 27th Annual Bouquets to Art was being held. It went from March 15 to
19, 2011. This exhibit featured 150 floral arrangements by prominent Bay Area
designers and garden clubs. The floral arrangements were displayed throughout the
museum. The purpose for these pieces was to show the designers interpret and
complement the museum's permanent collection. The pieces varied from the
American art collection to the International Contemporary collection. The
interpretations were stunning; it was a beautiful display of floral expression. Bouquets
to Art is the largest fundraiser held to benefit the Fine Arts Museums of San
Francisco, and one of the country's premier floral events. The Bouquets to Art raises
funds to support acquisitions, special exhibitions and educational programs. (125)
4. What kind of information is provided about the works? Tell me three places you
might find more detailed information that doesn’t include the web {hint: ask a docent
for help with this question} Next to each piece of artwork there was a plaque with
information about the artist and when the piece was made. It also included a short
description about the artwork so individuals can have a better understanding about
that certain piece of artwork. If you were wanting more detailed information, one
option would be brochures and pamphlets that the museum has available for the
public.
5. Choose several works that particularly appealed to you. Explain why you were drawn
to these works. Comment on the subject, style, medium, time period, etc. Who were
the artists? This question must be answered in its entirety. (This should be at least 500
words) Most of the pieces I like were from the American art collection or the New
Guinea art collection. When I went through the contemporary exhibit, nothing really
caught my eye. One of the paintings I liked the most was George Caleb Bingham’s
Boatmen on the Missouri. It is an oil painting on canvas and was painted in 1846. The
painting depicts how in the 19th century the major western river served as interstate
highways in the United States. Back then steamboats where refueled while on the
river by “woodhawks”, which was men in a small boat loaded with chopped wood.
George Caleb Bingham presents the boatmen as links between nature. He uses the
forest in the background and the steamboat advancing in the distance to represent this.
The steamboat is supposed to symbolize civilization. Another painting I was drawn to
was Jerome Thompson’s Recreation that was painted in 1857. This painting takes
place during the mid-nineteenth century when industrialization had begun. During
this time the American lifestyle had also changed. This image provides an ideal
encounter with nature for people who live in the city and are looking to escape their
troubles of city life. The scene is a romantic landscape. The group of individuals look
to be having a wonderful time in nature, while the center of the image is the flute
player evokes a romantic idea that humans are inspired by nature. The painting by
William Hahn, titled Sacramento Railroad Station, was also liked. I think mostly
because during my trip to San Francisco, I drove through Sacramento for the first
time and was able to learn more about that area. So when I saw this painting I had
already some background knowledge. Anyways, the painting was created in 1874 and
is William Hahn’s depiction of the Central Pacific Railroad in Sacramento. The
image emphasizes the mingling of people from all different cultures and economic
backgrounds. You can see in the center of the image finely dressed passengers
waiting for their carriage, while off to the right you see a Chinese laborer carrying a
heavy load. Also, in the background, there is a hardware store advertising building
supplies, which is supposed to represent Sacramento during that time as a growing
frontier. Albert Bierstadt’s Sunlight and Shadow is probably my favorite artwork I
saw at this museum. This painting was a lot more difficult of me to understand. I did
spend a good deal of time trying to figure out the meaning. When looking at this
painting the main things you notice is the oak tree, the chapel, and the woman nursing
her infant on the steps of these chapel. From just reading the title, you can infer that
this image deals with some sort of spiritual enlightenment and darkness. The woman
who is nursing her infant service as a traditional Christian symbol of charity but is
cast in shadow on the steps of the chapel. The oak tree is a symbol of enduring faith
in the face of adversity. (501)
6. How did the artworks you looked at relate to material we have discussed in class?
{They do relate in many ways, you just need to look for those relationships}
Minimum of 150 words. During this course we looked at several different styles of
artworks from different cultures and time periods as well as themes. The de Young
Fine Arts Museum had a wide variety of artwork, from American art to New Guinea
to floral arrangements. The artworks from the New Guinea collection were similar to
certain pieces of artwork we looked at in class when we were discussing how
different cultures depict certain things differently than what we might, such as people
from different countries who are Buddhist see Buddha who is most relates to them.
So of course there is a wide variety of how Buddha looks. The masks from New
Guinea are made the way the people who live there think it should look because that
is how they can relate to it. There were a few paintings in the American art collection
that dealt with racism. Some of these painting were depictions of black soldiers
during the Civil War or of a black maid who tended to white children. (169)
7. What was your personal reaction to this experience? Would you enjoy attending this
type of event again? Why or why not? {Minimum 100 words} I did enjoy this
experience. It had been a couple years since I have been to a museum and it was nice
to go with a new and different way of looking at art. To me, learning how to really
look at art. Before I would look at a piece of artwork, but I was never really seeing it.
I would simply look over the artwork, think it looked nice, and then move on. During
my visit to this museum, I was determined to get into the art by asking myself a few
questions about the pieces. This experience helped me improve my way of looking at
art and being able to discover and understand the meaning of a piece of artwork.
(122)