During this visit we were able to see the Japanese Calligraphy collection which is housed in an AMAZING building. On the inside the building feels organic, almost as if you are inside of a sea shell. We also managed to tackle the majority of another building which included, Polynesian artifacts, modern american art, and practically every era of european art. Not to bad for a saturday afternoon.
I actually love going to museums, which I suppose is unusual since history has always been among my least favorite subjects. There is just something so magical about art and objects serving as little clues to an ancient way of living or a moment in time. Going to museums always puts my life in perspective, it reminds me how little and how much human's have changed over the years.
The first gallery we entered had no little plaques to describe the objects and I suddenly found myself adrift. What are these objects? What is there story? What do they mean? Which lead to a bigger question. Have I been experiencing museums badly my whole life? Do I rely too much on the plaques to tell me what to think and feel and not enough on the art or artifact? I think not, it is just my museum going style.
While I feel that a great piece of art can move you without knowing anything about why it was made or who made it, I feel that background information can enrich the experience. It is just my style to be curious about who the artist was, when they lived and why they chose their subjects. I'm sure others ignore completely the unobtrusive black and white text next to great works of art. And that's okay too. What is your museum going style?
Claire Out.
7 comments:
I find museums to be totally overwhelming. I rely on text to tell me what the heck is going on.
In the same vein, my ADD tendencies make it hard for me to follow a chronological exhibit, or one that's set up in a specific way.
The Portland Museum of Art often puts a big blurb on a wall. You read that, THEN enter the exhibit. I like that a whole bunch more.
Sounds like a lovely day! :)
It was wonderful to read about your trip to the LACMA. It was always one of my favorite excursions.My first boyfriend {Tom} and I spent many a great day there, even after I moved to the bay area in 1971, showing my age!! We would often come "down" for the weekend and the museum would almost always be on our list of things to pack into a mere day and a half. I have probably not been there for perhaps 25 years, and it sounds like it has expanded tremendously. As for viewing styles, art is visceral, you react and if you're curious as to what and how you reacted to something you read about it. Of course if you're a obsessive compulsive like my friend Susan, you copy down this information and then draw a sketch of what you saw. Personally I go for the experience and may swing back for a look at exceptional pieces. But I would recommend when viewing a special exhibit that you plunk down for the audio tour. Your uncle Doug and I always go for these, and they round out the experience. Even better is tagging along with a docent tour. They often have stories about what goes on behind the scene in the museum and can answer questions too! Perhaps some day when I'm not so tethered to my shop, Doug and I and maybe even your mom, can come down for a visit and we can have a lovely afternoon and then partake of a great lunch or dinner!!! sounds like a perfect day to me, communing with wonderful people, art and food, in a beautiful setting.
correction,even though there appears to be an extensive reply to this blog from DOUG, It is in fact from your Aunt Carol. Since this is my first experience with replying to a blog, MY personal IT professional ie.DOUG could not remember what my account information was, and since I am clueless it said " Doug said" when of course it should have said Carol said..... so even this will be sent under Doug's account until such time as he has figured this out...over and out, love Carol
I've been to museums with and without labels, and I'm of two minds.
On the one hand, I like how the little cards tell you something about the painting that you otherwise would have no way of knowing (information about the artist, the creation, the location, etc.). I believe that all those tidbits will come in handy playing Jeopardy.
On the other hand, I dislike labels that try to force you to see a piece of art in one certain way and limit your interpretation: "This is a Rembrandt. It is important and classic. You may not make fun of the ridiculously poofy feather in the sitter's hat."
But in the end, I'd rather have the information there and available rather than not. If something interests me, I need to have a name to google! :)
Uncle Doug believes he has now fixed the issue referred to by his whining wife.
Hi Aunt Carol!
I'm honored to receive your first blog comment! It would be great to have you and Uncle Doug down here for a museum adventure sometime. It looks like you figured out how to talk as yourself. Talk to you soon.
~Claire
Heather,
You are the museum queen! I totally agree that the words should not try to sway you. It is a shame that even the name of some artists can be enough to influence the way art is viewed. P.S. That google art is crazy. Are you thrilled or outraged?
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