Baltimore Museum of Art Trip

Pierre Bonnard - Breakfast in the Garden

Oskar Schlemmer - Composition on Pink Ground—Relationship of Three Figures

Andy Warhol - Physiological Diagram

The three works that stood out to me during our class trip to the Baltimore Museum of Art were: Pierre Bonnard’s Breakfast in the Garden, Oskar Schlemmer’s Composition on Pink Ground—Relationship of Three Figures, and Andy Warhol’s Physiological Diagram.

Bonnard’s Breakfast In the Garden was interesting to me, because it depicted such a common, simple theme in a very bold and colorful way. He didn’t include any detail in his work, but the viewer is able to perfectly depict what the painting is supposed to show.

I chose Oskar Schlemmer’s Composition on Pink Ground—Relationship of Three Figures, simply because I thought it was interesting to look at. The combination of light pink and grey is one of my favorites, which drew me to this piece. As I spent more time looking at this piece, I began to notice different figures hidden within the shapes that seemed random at first glance.

My favorite part of the trip was the Andy Warhol exhibit in the contemporary art wing. The Physiological Diagram piece stood out to me, partly because of its size, but also because of what it represented. According to the description of the piece, Warhol created this work during the heart of the HIV/AIDS crisis. It was meant to represent the individuals who were affected by the AIDS epidemic, as well as himself and his awareness of his own aging body.

Visibility

When we see a movie or a play, we interpret it in our own personal way. Personally, I have never thought of any of these works from the artist's point of view. When I sit through a movie or a play, I think about the story line, how the actors performed, and what I got out of it. Calvino brings up the point that there is an incredible amount of work that goes into the production of these works. Typically when we read a book, we imagine the characters, the settings, and the interactions differently. When producing a film or a play, he director must convey the story in a way that can be physically constructed and visualized by the viewers. The amount of work that has to go into creating this before it can be tested is immense, and it takes a very creative mind in order to do so.

This point in the article was very interesting to me as I have never considered it before. I have seen a plethora of movies and plays, but have never thought about the amount of work that is done on the other end. Calvino bringing up the idea that reading "starts with the word and arrives at the visual image" struck me, because there have been many times that I read a work before it was made into a movie or a play, and was disappointed in how the producers interpreted things differently than I had. Everyone can depict all aspects of a novel, article, etc. differently, and a visual representation of one of these works shows the way the director interpreted it.

The Whole Ball of Wax

Art holds a significant part of our lives, even though we don't always notice it. It allows us to see things from someone else's eyes, and interpret things however we please—it is an experience, and something that should never be fully understood. After reading "The Whole Ball of Wax," I have a different appreciation for art. Hoptman and Elley look at art from a different perspective, explaining that "Art is a bridge to a new vision and the vision itself, a medium or matrix through which one sees the world, and that grants that pleasure is an important form of knowledge. Art is not optional; it is necessary." Each individual depicts art in a different way—and that is how it is intended. There is no “right” way to view or feel about art.

I thought Hoptman and Elley’s point that art tells you things you don’t know you need to know until you know them was very interesting. I found the example that they referenced regarding Gerber looking at a piece of art in the Art Institute of Chicago and feeling better and more relaxed following the tragedy of September 11 fascinating. It shows that no matter who you are, where you are, or what you need, art is able to provide clarity and make you feel better about your situation.