My Trip to the High Museum of Art

ART 3000

The High Museum of Art

1. Your favorite work of art. Why?

My favorite piece was in the Folk Art Gallery. I believe it was in the Fay S. and Barrett Howell Gallery. I loved Mattie Lou Kelley’s painting, the Yard Sale, 1979 and My Parents Farm, 1980. Both of these paintings were beautiful to me because they were bright and colorful and had a homey feeling to them. It was almost comforting to the eye and the soul.

2. A work of art that you liked but would not take home. Why?

I liked the Self-Portrait, 2005, by Vik Muniz in the Contemporary Gallery. I thought it was really cool how he made it from junk and trash and then put it together on the floor of an airplane hanger, so that tells how large it was. But it was a little too wild for me to want it in my house. I did enjoy looking at it though.

3. A work of art that taught you something that you did not know. Why?

I did not understand about the rhythm and movement within a painting until I saw this one particular painting in the Contemporary Gallery. It was called “The Great Pyramid”, 1980 by Alfred Jensen. It was really interesting to look at, because it looked like a huge quilt and it had little borders painted around each square that made your eyes move all across the painting. It was very interesting to look at and was very pretty with the use of bright colors an intricate pattern.

4. A work of art that felt sad to you. Why did it make you feel sad?

In the European Art, Marilyn and Don Keaugh Gallery, the painting by Eugene Carriere, “Untitled”, 1900. This painting was sad and gloomy. The trees were very ominous and the entire painting was just dark and drab. It felt lifeless.

5. A work of art that identifies a historic moment in time. When?

In the Contemporary Gallery, Kara Walker’s “The Emancipation Approximation” 1999-2000. It is a series of black, white and gray screen prints depicting this time in our nation. I was shocked in one of the photos, the heads are lying at the person’s feet!

6. A work of art that reminded you of something or someone in your life. Who?

In the American Art Gallery, Ralph Albert Blakelock’s “Moonlight” 1883-1889. This painting reminded me of the time I went night fishing with my dad because of how the water looked. It was very peaceful with the moon reflecting on the water.

7. A work of art that shocked you. Why?

In the Folk Art Gallery, Fay S. and Barrett Howell Gallery, the painting “The Flag Waver”, 1970. It was depicting racism and the man who was shouting obscenities had his head beheaded, which was shown by dripping red paint across his neck and chest. I don’t think everyone felt this way, so I was kind of shocked, really appalled by this painting. I have never felt racist like that before and it just a lot to look at.

8. Compare the contemporary gallery and the folk art gallery to everything else.

The contemporary gallery was very interesting. Not everything I saw I understood why it was called art. Not all of the pictures seemed to be what they really were at first glance. I liked to look at these works of art, but I would not want them in my house. They are a bit too bright and bold for my style. The folk art gallery I really enjoyed. It was very interesting to see all of the handmade items from people that seemed to do it just because they loved it. There were many carvings and paintings of home places and people. This gallery seemed to depict more of every day life things. There were many pieces of art that I would love to have hanging on my walls at home. I especially loved Mattie Lou O’Kelley’s works. The rest of the museum was nice. However to me, most of the paintings and sculptures were just interesting to see, but were not my taste. Some of the paintings were very large and eccentric to me.

9. What was your favorite gallery and why?

My favorite gallery as a whole actually was the Contemporary art Gallery. It was just very interesting to look at and many of the pieces were bright and fun. It was very open and to me it had a feeling of newness and airy.

10. Describe the part of your High Museum experience that was most meaningful to you. I think the part I enjoyed most was getting to go with my family, including my younger sister who is about to be in sixth grade. It was fun to see how she experienced the museum. I thought that she would be bored and uninterested in it all, but she was taken by it and wanted to look at everything. Plus, it was nice just to get to spend the day with them.