This was my first visit to the MET Museum, after living in New York for over fourteen years. The experience as a whole was very overwhelming as there was so much detail to take in from the architecture of the building to the carefully displayed art pieces. The place was filled with large numbers of visitors but, the place didn’t feel crowded and most importantly didn’t take away from an observer’s experience. The museum seemed to be divided into different zones according to the setting and time period.
The first artwork that stood out to me from the Renaissance time period was called “The Miraculous Communion of Saint Catherine of Siena”. The artwork as a whole was very overwhelming, since there are so many details that catches the eye. It is a large altar piece and portrays the story of a Sienese mystic and a minister to the poor and plague-stricken. The work shows a divide in the middle in the forma pillar and the two worshipping the Christian Jesus while backs turned. There is so much warmth, mystery and high contrast in the artwork that invites the observer in. There is careful detailing in the Christ and the two people, showing the importance of deity during the Renaissance period.
An artwork that I drew to in the Baroque art section was the “Man Holding a Jug”. It first seemed very whimsical and without purpose, yet something so real that it seemed surreal. The artwork is a portrait of a man holding a jug. Like the renaissance art work, this picture also used a warm color to focus the portrait and showed high contract in the background with a darker color. The face of them man is the highlight of the piece for me because, it look very real and photo shopped. This is drastically different from the Catherine of Siena, since the work was very art-like, and didn’t have a real life portrayal. The faces of the subjects in the renaissance artwork was very dull, and unreal, for a lack of a better word.
The MET museum is definitely a place that pushes observers to critically think with its overwhelming portrayal of distinct works from distinct periods in time. I was able explore outside of these two exhibits, and it was amazing to witness the power of art. I think there is so much history that can be seen by simply looking at a piece of art.
