Baltimore Museum of Art

1. My favorite artist at the Baltimore Museum of Art was definitely Henri Matisse. I found all of his paintings visually pleasing and interesting to look at. I really enjoyed his painting "Young Woman at the Window, Sunset." This painting style is expressionism and was painted by Matisse in 1921. After further research, I discovered that Matisse painted many images of women near windows. I find this fact very intriguing and I wonder why he was drawn to that style. This painting reminds me of a scene out of a movie. The woman is looking longingly out the window at the beach. The sunset adds extra beauty to the painting. The focal point of this painting is the woman and the composition is leading lines. The path of the window frame leads to the woman and my eye is automatically drawn to her. It seems as though the lines and patterns on her clothing add to this visual effect. I admire the color choice that Matisse went with and this painting leaves me with a happy, content feeling.

Young Woman at the Window, Sunset by Henri Matisse

2. I found this painting to be fascinating because it was labeled an odalisque. This term was used to refer to women, "often scantily dressed in North African or Middle Eastern costume, who recline in ornately decorated prints." This statement is kind of ironic seeing that the woman in this Matisse painting is fully clothed with only a small amount of skin revealed. This painting is visually pleasing because of the leading lines. The woman is the focal point but is accentuated by the lines that draw my eye to her. The lines in the floor, wallpaper, and chair all lead to the woman. The business of the background really contrasts with the simpleness of the woman on the chair. This painting makes me feel very relaxed and calm. I think the position of the woman reclining, makes the person viewing this painting feel comfortable as well.

Seated Odalisque, Left Leg Bent by Henri Matisse

3. I also enjoyed this painting by Alfred Sisley. This painting was made in 1882 and is oil on canvas. This painting radiated a sense of tranquility and peace. Although there are small figures in this painting, nature is the dominant force here. The brush strokes are very soft yet prominent and you could really see where the artist put his brush down and picked it up again. I see the rule of thirds in this painting. The sky, trees, and foreground are equally separated. This adds visual symmetry and balance to the painting. I admire Sisley's color choice. I like the pastel blues and greens he used. This painting looks very natural and peaceful.

Poplars on a River Bank by Alfred Sisley

Ways of Seeing

The way people view images has changed radically over centuries. As technology advances, so does the way people view images or see art. It used to be that certain paintings could only be seen in their original location. But in today’s day and age, famous paintings can be duplicated, photographed, and viewed millions of times by millions of people on many different screens or canvases. In John Berger’s series “Ways of Seeing,” one of his statements really stood out to me. In regard to famous images he says, “As you look at them now on your screen, your wallpaper is round them. Your window is opposite them. Your carpet is below them. At the same moment, they are on many other screens, surrounded by different objects, different colors, different sounds. You are seeing them in the context of your own life. They are surrounded not by gilt frames, but by the familiarity of the room you are in, and the people around you.” In years previous, people only heard about famous paintings through literature. Today, people don’t even have to leave their house to experience Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Virgin of the Rocks.”

But there is something to be said about actually experiencing viewing an original image in its original state and location. There is a certain magic about being able to view first-hand the authenticity of a famous painting or sculpture. Everything is reproducible today thanks to the camera. So why do people still venture to different countries to view the original? It is because a reproduction will never encompass the beauty of seeing an original painting in its whole, life-size glory. It is an experience that cannot be replicated by seeing a duplicate.

In opposition, modern day technology can help to enhance and add details to classic art that couldn’t be done before.  The camera allows a still painting to have movement. In the video, John Berger shows a painting set to music from an opera which adds a new dimension to a formerly still painting. The painting was able to transform and have deeper meaning. The meaning of a painting can change depending on the context in which it is viewed. The impact of a painting can be modified due to replication. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but a different thing. For example, my roommate has a giant tapestry of Starry Night hanging in our hallway. The Starry Night is currently at the Museum of Modern Art where thousands of people view it daily. But The Starry Night is also viewed daily in our small Loyola apartment.

Visibility

Italo Calvino’s article, Visibility, proposes a very interesting concept of how we visualize things. The first type of imaginative process starts with the word and ends with the visual image. The second type of imaginative process begins with the visual imagine and concludes with the verbal expression. It is easy to say that this is true but when I sat down and truly thought about it, I believe that both of these thought processes can happen simultaneously.

As a writer, I constantly have words, images, and concepts flowing through by brain at all times of the day. Sometimes I will see a single image of a scene or I’ll see phrases and words that I find interesting. But I have also experienced the processes that Calvino describes in his article. There have been times when I only see an image and then create a story revolving around that image, letting the words fall into place naturally. Or, I’ll start with words and let the image write itself.

I liked the example of a movie that Calvino used in his article. A film is the perfect representation of images to words and words to images. I especially liked the quote, “This mental cinema is always at work in each one of us, and it always has been, even before the invention of the cinema. Nor does it ever stop projecting images before our mind’s eye.” I can see how visibility relates to visual art. Sometimes artist have feelings or concepts in mind and then use art as a way to release the visual representation of those ideas into the world.

The Whole Ball of Wax

Art is an inevitable and unavoidable aspect of daily life. In his article, "The Whole Ball of Wax," Jerry Saltz says that "Art is not optional; it is necessary. It is part of the whole ball of wax." Famous works of art like the Mona Lisa, Starry Night, American Gothic, the statue of David, and The Persistence of Memory, are all images that people have seen numerous times whether or not they register in their brains. In various classes I have analyzed and studied these pieces of art countless times and each time I discover something new or see the image through a different lens.

Oscar Wilde's quote, "The moment you think you understand a work of art it's dead for you," really resonated with me. I agree with him completely as looking at art is a process in itself. Art forces a person to explore new ways of thinking and viewing the way the world works. I also believe that is is nearly impossible to completely understand a work of art because I always find new things to analyze and different world issues to relate the artwork to.

Art can't change the world by itself. Art has the potential to influence human outlook. So by proxy, art can change the world. Art has the ability to alter and affect a person's mood and attitude. In Saltz's article he points out what painter Gaylen Gerber said in the days after September 11. Gerber claimed that going to the Art Institute of Chicago and "looking at shiny furniture form the '60s and '70s that in some way, maybe because of its superficial, and ultra-clean look, made me feel a little better." Although this may sound a little bizarre to some, his outlook definitely made sense to me. After a major tragedy in my life, a good friend of mine sent me a picture every single day. At first it simply annoyed me, but after a while, it centered me and gave me a semblance of hope during a dark time in my life. So yes, I believe that art can change the world.