Tag: Met Museum Visit

My MET Visit

Visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art was a surreal experience. I have to say, I had a fun time doing this assignment. First, I will be describing and comparing two different sculptures from different time periods. The first sculpture, Adam (Tullio Lombardo), is an example of Renaissance art. This sculpture was created in 1495. The other sculpture is Marsyas (Balthasar Permoser) is an example of Baroque art. This was created in 1685. Both of these sculptures caught my eye because each sculpture represents a different tone and meaning. The first thing that came to my mind was the facial expression in the Baroque art. According to the background of the sculpture, Marsyas was a martyr that was burned alive after losing a contest with Apollo. This explains the absurd facial expression it makes. This sculpture is a perfect example of the dramatic tone that is present in Baroque art. Marsyas has a dramatic and emotional tone to it while Adam is more calm, soothing, straight, and serene. Another important thing I noted is Marsyas has more diagonal lines, unlike Adam which has straight/horizontal lines. This emphasizes the artistic and thematic difference between Renaissance and Baroque art. 

Met Museum

From its architecture to its massive art collection, The Met has a little bit of everything and one is sure to find something that captures his or her interest. Considering that The Met is the United States’ largest art museum, it is easy to get lost within its many corridors and wings. As a famous tourist site, there are a lot of visitors to the museum. However, the museum is commodious enough to hold a large number of visitors exploring artworks there. It was astounding how by switching between different parts of the museum could lead to completely different auras and cultures. The experience felt like a journey to the world and a travel in time. It broadened my horizon and taught me not to limit myself to only one possibility as in one single museum exist civilizations from around the world and even from decades ago. Overall, my experience in the Metropolitan Museum of Art is enriching and memorable.

Master of Monte Oliveto (Italian, active Siena ca. 1305–35)
Saints and Scenes from the Life of the Virgin

These well-preserved panels are the wings of a portable triptych, the center panel of which is still unidentified. The anonymous master worked outside Siena itself, but his scenes are based on those of Duccio’s famous altarpiece in the cathedral of the city. The left wing depicts three principal scenes from the life of the Virgin (her so-called “joys”) while on the right wing is her coronation in heaven. The six saints—three males and three females—would have been chosen by the person for whom the triptych was painted.

Merry Company on a Terrace

Another of Steen’s self-deprecating depictions of his own unruly household, this painting centers on the inviting figure of his wife, who looks out at the viewer with an empty wine glass in her hand. Steen, his face flushed with drink and a comic hat on his head, sits at the far left; next to him, with a sausage in his cap, is Hans Worst, the same theatrical figure depicted by Hals in a nearby work. To this day in the Netherlands, “a household by Jan Steen” remains proverbial for disorder and domestic chaos.

The Renaissance and Baroque Art.

This sculpture is a depiction of Orpheus, known for being a famous musician and poet in Greek mythology, playing the violin. At the immediate eye view, one notices that the Bronze statue is very big in size- especially when seen in relativity to the other statues around it. The large scale of the statue helps catch one’s eyes and stand out amongst the others. Although it’s one solid color throughout, there are many details that bring the statue to life and give it a unique character, From the way the hind leg is positioned to be bent and elevated in relation to the front leg, to the way he’s playing the violin on the other side of his body as he looks upward not only makes it seem human-like, but it gives it almost this grace in it’s expression. The loss in stiffness, helps remind the readers, aside from the violin, that he’s an artist. This is an example of Renaissance art because there’s a lot of more flow in expression that help attribute to this overall involvement of art and even “rebirth”, which is what the Renaissance was all about.

This painting is an image of Christ, carrying the cross. Christ being a very important and symbolic figure with significant Religious meanings, globally. In the painting, Christ is holding the cross very firmly with both hands (and as we know in Baroque Art there was the common presence of religion in the art) which can be interpreted as holding onto religion, as it wasn’t something fully accepted at the time. The colors, navy blue and a red that has rose highlights creating a silk looking material, are highly contrasted among the background of dark clouds, as is the Brown cross with white detailing creating a wooden appearing surface. Again, bringing attention to Christ and the cross, symbols of religion. Lastly, Christ himself is looking up to the sky and often this is a symbol or gesture done for hope, one done when in desperate needs, at that. With another symbol of hope this may reveal how hope and religion went hand in hand, and therefore baroque art was used not only to create dramatic, emotional art, but also to coincide with the more political side of things which involved religion.

 

While both Baroque and Renaissance art have had significant impacts in expression during their time periods, both were very different in how they manifested in art. Renaissance art included more Humanism, Realism, Greek/Roman art forms, linear perspectives, architecture, music, and much more. Baroque art, on the other hand involved more color, more dramatic scenes, details, to “create a sense of awe” for the audience, with intentions to “appeal to emotion”, and etc. They are both significant because they help show the difference in focuses and ideologies that Art helped carry throughout each of these specific time periods.

The MET Visit

The MET has always been one of my favorite places to visit despite the long lines and large groups of tourist. Its size makes it is easy to get lost in, however, you still find something to look at and admire even if you can’t seem to figure out which part of the museum you are in. I have been there numerous times yet still find many things I have never seen before. The art from various cultures and eras makes it so that every corner of the museum has something that will pique someone’s interest, even those who aren’t fans of museums and find them boring. This visit was particularly fun because I saw many pieces that we actually studied in class, such as the sculpture of the Roman man’s portrait.

When examining the differences in Renaissance and Baroque art I focused mainly on paintings. At first it was difficult to tell the difference between the two eras because there are so many similarities. For example, in both Renaissance and Baroque art there was an emphasis on religion and religious figures. However, after looking for a while, it became more apparent that Baroque art was more dramatized and depicted scenes of chaotic emotions and actions. Meanwhile, Renaissance art, mainly from Italian origins, was much more natural with clear linear perspective and a focus on still life.

For the Renaissance era I used Fra Angelico’s “The Crucifixion,” dated to the 1420s. This is a great example of Renaissance art because it focuses on a violent religious event, however, the artist manages to make the scene appear delicate. The picture depicts Christ crucified on the cross with people surrounding him and angels in the background. Some of the men appear to be holding spears that have caused the wounds on Christ. There is blood coming out Christ’s chest, but true to Renaissance qualities even that appears still and light, like the other hues of red in the painting that are also light. Even the Virgin Mary passed out on the floor lacks the dramatic chaos of what would be seen if this were to be a Baroque painting. 

 

“The Rape of Tamar,” by Estauche Le Seur from the 1640s, is the Baroque painting that caught my attention because of what was being shown. Although there are only three people in the painting, it seems like there is a lot happening. At the forefront is a man with a dagger held high, aimed at a woman with her breasts peeking out of her disheveled dress. Both of their faces show fear, which adds to the mayhem surrounding them. True to Baroque era qualities, there is real sense of dramatic disorder, especially upon looking into the context of the story which is one of a man named Amnom- the son of David- raping his half-sister. This action in the painting is illustrated through the running maid in the background, the vases scattered on the floor, and the flying sheets and clothes. Despite being a painting, there is no stillness to the painting and the audience can practically feel the urgent emotions that are being shown.

Metropolitan Museum of Art Project

    I got to the museum after a 30 min walk and had to go through the usually trouble of getting the ticket, which is waiting among a mass of tourists. It’s pretty clear that many museum goers are not New Yorkers. I have been to the Met many times in my childhood, but I really never cared for it because the museum is not relevant to my life. This apply to the present me because I don’t have any personal reasons to go the museum unless it is for an assignment. I’ll skip all the things in between and get to the exhibit. I walk through the door, and I am greeted by a large room with paintings. Being very familiar with this scene, I start looking for art pieces to use. I can obviously see the skilled artistry behind these paintings. They are beautifully painted and show dedication to the arts. But at the same time, I am annoyed by the amount of tourist here. It makes me want to leave as quickly as possible. Even with the large amount of paintings here, I have trouble see the painting unless I walk past the crowds of people here in this large room. But when I think about it, the museum really has a lot of these old historical and influential painting; I realize that many tourist come here because if this. Some of these may be from the where the painting was painted and have never seen it. I find my two pieces and start typing on a bench. In the middle of the many rooms in the gallery. I choose Joos van Cleve, The Crucifixion with Saints and a Donor from 1520 for renaissance art. Charles Joseph Natoire, The Rebuke of Adam and Eve from 1740 for Baroque art.

 

The Crucifixion with Saints and a Donor is an altarpiece made in the 1520. It depicts a group of people at the site where Jesus Christ was crucified on a cross. My eyes first focus on Christ himself and then I notice the masterful depictions of greenery in the background. Hills and rock formations covered in grass looks beautiful in the building. Then I notice the people at the feet of Christ. The ones to the far left and right seem uncaring and not really in pain. The ones in the middle are however interacting with Christ’s dead body. A nun is praying, a man is setting the cross, a women seems distressed, a priest is on his knees praying. This scene represents humans in a very calm state of mind, showing the mental strength of human beings. It also has people seemingly having individual thoughts on the situation, showing individualism. These traits reflect humanist values.

The Rebuke of Adam and Eve from 1740 show Adam and Eve begging for forgiveness for eating the golden fruit of the tree and God accompanied by angels looks furious and with a finger pointed up, looks ready to curse the pair. The first thing I recognize is the somewhat exaggerated poses of the characters compared to the altarpiece. These poses tell a clear story of drama due to the eating of the forbidden fruit. I also see the clear contrast of light and dark to create a dramatic tone. This is seen from the light that God is surrounded by versus the real world that had greenery from the trees and plants that are darker in comparison. These are typical traits of baroque art.

Met visit: The Renaissance vs. Baroque

The Renaissance began approximately in the 14 century in Florence, Italy. The era ushered in a period in which Artists rediscovered Greek and Roman technology and incorporated the concept of humanism to their pieces. This era included famous pieces such as David, The Last Supper, The Sistin Chapel, Gatamelatta, and The School of Athens whose qualities distinguished them from the darker and less realistic art of the medieval ages. The Boroque period began in the early 17 century and lasted until the mid 18 century. This period succeed the Renaissance, and like the Renaissance it had specific and unique characteristics that made more interesting and different from other art periods. While visiting the European art exhibit at the Met, I was able to compare art pieces from both the Renaissance and the Baroque. From the Renaissance period I was intrigued by Andrea Solario’s Salome with the Head of Saint John the Baptist, and from the Baroque period I was also intrigued by Eustache Le Sueur‘s The Rape of Tamar. Comparing and contrasting both of these clear and beautiful pieces made it easier to identify the distinguishable qualities of the these pieces respective periods. For example, despite the subject matter in the Renaissance painting and the depiction of a severed head, the Rape of Tamar seems to be more dramatized and successful in capturing not just a moment but  the emotions that each person in that moment might feel. Another difference between both paintings is that although Salome with the Head of Saint John the Baptist and the Rape of Tamar  are capturing a specific moment, the Rape of Tamar actually feels like a snapshot of the moment as demonstrated by the mid-action depictions. Finally, another main difference is the use of diagonals in The Rape of Tamar, every single person portrayed in the painting is at positioned diagonally as well as their view. This use of diagonal allows for the artist capture a  more realistic portrayal of events.

The Rape of Tamar

Salome with the Head of Saint John the Baptist.

Met Museum Experience

This was my second time going to the Met. This experience was interesting because I forgot how much bigger it was compared to the Brooklyn Museum. I was able to see a vast collection of art from both the Renaissance and the Baroque period. In the Renaissance period, they focus more on religious aspects while in the Baroque period they focus more on the action. The paintings has a freeze moment in time. Within the Renaissance period, a piece of art that caught my eye was the “The Dormition of the Virgin”. It is part of a double sided piece. I liked this painting because it has a vast amount of colors that instantly caught my attention. Like all the other renaissance paintings that I’ve seen, this one had a religious aspect to it. The painting focused on the Virgin Mary. She has passed away. She was the only person in the entire painting to have the golden halo around her head. She was surrounded by some of Jesus’s disciples and Mary Magdalene who is in the red clothing and holding a leaf branch. Mary Magdalene is also seen crying and wiping her tear. One of the disciples is reading the bible (the Catholic version) as everyone else is paying attention. In the Baroque period a piece of art that caught my eye was the “The Abduction of the Sabine Women”. In this piece there were so many things going on. In the front you can see a woman that is going to be taken away. You can also see a man who looks like his the head leader in charger. On the right you can see that there is a fight going on between people.

      

  

     

MET Museum Visit

Met museum was a great experience; this was my second time visiting the Met museum, I visited once before when I was in 9th grade. This time I was able to stay only 2 hours, and I did manage to explore some great exhibitions. I heard a lot about the iconic The Temple of Dendur, so I decided to take this opportunity to explore the temple first. It looked amazing, I also learned some background history of the Temple of Dendur, it was built to honor the Egyptian goddess Isis. The temple dates back to the reign of Augustus Caesar and was gifted to the Met from Egypt in 1967. The structure of the temple is made of sandstone, and the temple has various engravings and carvings depicting the religious symbols of the Roman-Egyptian era of the 15th century BC. The base of the temple shows carvings of lotus plants and papyrus. I believe these symbols associated with river Nile and it is also the religious representation of ancient Egypt.

             

Later on, I looked at some European painting, one of the painting was Madonna and Child Enthroned with Saints, done by an Italian painter named Raphael. This painting as the name depicts, shows Saint John, Saint Peter and Saint Paul with Madonna and the child. This art piece was completed in the year 1504 and oil, and gold has been used as the medium on a wooden base. One thing I noticed is that Raphael painted this work in a very conservative manner and the painted shows Saint John and the Christ fully clothes in this work. I think this is a good example of Renaissance art, during this period, religion bore a significant influence on people’s lives. And evidence of religion in art during this period was clearly present in this art piece. In contrast, an example of Baroque art is The Entombment of Christ by Juan Rodríguez Juárez, 1702 Ca, Oil and gold on copper have been used as the medium. This work displays the brilliant color and dynamic modeling. This painting shows everyone bending towards Jesus, indicating that his death has an impact not only emotionally but physically on them. The expression of terror and shock is remarkably captured in this painting. The group of people look traumatized at the death of their beloved Jesus Christ. The artist has used the color and lightness to bring out the drama, emotion, and suspense of the moment.  I think Renaissance art consists of more calm, stillness, and seem to lack emotions and failed to capture the emotions that it should depict. However, Baroque art is filled with emotion, focused more on the drama of the subject they were trying to showcase. Art consists of warm colors and the scenery always combined with people. The Baroque art gives people a magnificent feeling because in that period people paint pictures were very colorful. Overall, met museums visit was a pleasant experience for me, as I had the chance to learn and observe many beautiful artworks.

 

Met Museum Visit

This painting is titled, “Saint John on Patmos” painted by the artist Hans Baldung circa 1511. It depicts Saint John living in exile having a vision of the Virgin as he is writing his Book of Revelation. Originally, this piece was one third of a triptych joined by two other paintings. This painting is a good example of a Renaissance piece of art is it shows the lighter, more approachable side to Christianity. Many paintings before this time had gruesome depictions of Christ on the Cross or other grizzly or unsettling images. The Renaissance paintings, specifically this one, switched up the approach to depicting Christianity, partially because it relies on iconography with the Virgin appearing in the clouds. A heavily recognized and celebrated image within the religion.

 

This painting is titled, “The Rape of Tamar” by the artist Eustache Le Suere circa 1640. The painting depicts Tamar being raped by her half-brother Amnon. This is a good example of a Baroque painting because it highlights a scene of drama. It illustrates the action right before a dramatic event occurs. It also utilizes the diagonal plane in both the bodies of Tamar and Amnon. The use of light is also being played with by the artist specifically on the upper left side of the painting where there is a shadow cast on the pillars. When looking at this painting it is hard to be neutral or ambivalent, another sign of a Baroque painting, as most paintings from this time force their viewer to take a stand.

 

The Met Museum Visit

My experience at the Met was full of amazing visuals from a huge selection of pieces of many different time periods. Immediately entering the Met, I was able to see the difference in size compared to the Brooklyn Museum. What I found most interesting in the Met were the sculptures of the Lamassus before entering the Assyrian palace section. Similar to the Brooklyn Museum, the Met’s Assyrian Palace Relief panel showcased many works of King Ashurnasirpal ll and eagle headed guardians performing common rituals. Art of ancient Mesopotamia never fails to interest me and it is fair to say that I spent a great amount of time at the Assyrian reliefs during my visit to the museum.

Moving on to Renaissance art, the piece that caught my eye was The Crucifixion with Saints and a Donor in 1520 by Joos Van Cleve. This triptych oil painting contains three panels with gem like hues such as ruby and sapphire which can be seen through the clothing in the middle panel. Through Cleve’s painting, Cleve creates this setting of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ with a beautiful landscape in the background. Like most Renaissance art, this art by Cleve is meant to tell a story through this visual representation of the crucifixion. We are able to see biblical figures such as Virgin Mary, Saint Peter, Saint Paul, Saint John, and Saint Catharine. On the left panel you can see John the Baptist carrying a lamb which indicates Jesus Christ’s sacrifice for our sins. Artwork of the Renaissance were very similar to The Crucifixion with Saints and a Donor in the case that artists intended to tell a story through religious visuals and images. In contrast to Renaissance art, Baroque art has a deep emphasis on emotional intensity as well as a clear focus on what the author intends for his/her audience to focus on. The Lamentation in 1603 by Domenichino clearly illustrates the differences between Baroque art and Renaissance art. In the Lamentation, you are able to see the grief in the individuals faces as they mourn over the crucifixion of Christ. You can also see an emphasis on diagonals rather than vertical like in Renaissance art. Everyone in the painting is at a slight angle whereas in The Crucifixion with Saints and a Donor, you can see the verticality from Jesus on the cross as well as the biblical figures standing upright. Another common technique in Baroque art is the use of foreshortening where images seem to be moving towards us. In the Lamentation, we can see the legs and feet of Jesus and Cupid coming towards the audience which is also emphasized through the diagonal. It is through these differences that audiences can clearly distinguish between Renaissance art and Baroque art.