Art Museum Critique I attended the University of Utahs Museum of Fine Arts on a Sunday the fifteenth in the afternoon.

The feel of the museum was that of quiet grandeur. There were few patrons around, I felt as if I had the entire place to myself. As you pass the desk at the entrance you see before you a beautiful staircase with no art in site, almost as if to tantalize and tease you, allowing one a fresh palate to begin your experience upon. I honestly felt a bit intimidated wondering if I was going the right way. There are no bright colors, signs, or distractions. For me this formulated a tension of anticipation as I yearned to find out what was before me. I then looked to my right and read the words Bent to a Straight and Narrow at a Point of Passage and contemplated where in the world I was. So random and yet so fitting a statement for a plain, wide-open, room. The first of the exhibits I found myself perusing through is a temporary exhibit by Martha Wilson. In her exhibit she displays her inner play of the concepts of different age, gender, and social identities. A few of her works I primarily invested my time in were based off her photographic collections. Though her full exhibit is made up of three layers of her career I narrowed my focus to her photographs that portrayed the questions of social boundaries, cultural expectations, and gender lines. I will admit I am not a fan of her work but I can partially appreciate what concepts she is trying to emulate, even if a bit too strongly. I feel like she is taking the movement of feminist to an extreme and almost disrespecting what it is to be a woman. Yet, through her questioning photographs she does make a few points I cant ignore. A few great examples of her work would be captivating the man or posturing: male impersonator. In the picture, posturing: male impersonator, she presented herself as a butch. She dressed as a man and spiked her hair in male fashion, the appearance of a jock at that time, and actually attempted to enter the mens locker room at the University she currently attended. Her willingness and flare for testing out the lines of social acceptability I completely admire. It takes a lot of courage to step out like that, especially during that time. So even though I dont like her exhibit it doesnt mean I dont appreciate the energy and courage she put in to creating it. We are all entitled to our own opinions. If anything it helped me define where I stand in the ideas and concepts of the feminist movements. The next exhibit I entered was the American Visions; this display is made up of one of the museums permanent collections. There are two rooms that make up this area. The first contains many still life portraits ranging from the 17th century to the early 19th century. The second room is themed after The Old West of America. The picture by Edgar Alwin Payne of Red Messa, Monument Valley stood out to me. When I looked at his oil painting of this beautiful scenery I felt content and at home. It was such a real representation to me of a place I spent a lot of my child hood that I found myself entranced for a period of time. Dark gray clouds upon the Red Messa outline the way the light and shading at the bottom leads your eyes centrally to their destination, the Messa. The techniques of coloring he used draw you right to the

central beauty of this display. Reminding me of a statement by Brigham Young when he once declared, as he looked upon the Salt Lake Valley, This is the place! Close to this you have a picture of men riding the rail cars. This piece is also part of the western movement and of the expansion of the great Wild West. A surprising aspect of this painting was the lack of facial features on the people of the painting. As if the artist is enticing you to put yourself in their shoes or see many people instead of just that one person. It allowed me to see or remember other nameless souls of that time who worked themselves to the bone to survive. It helped me take the texts I have read and my history lessons and contemplate what it may have been like in the world at that time. For others though they may only see a plain picture with a soft edged illusion lacking identifying features. The thought of more may not even occur to them. I love how many ways a painting can be interpreted. Ironically I did not even see the picture the way the artist meant as a display on transportation between social classes. All of the selections were very enjoyable for me in this area for the sole reason that they had a more personal connection to my ancestry and thus resonated differently for me. I feel that the curators of this museum and its exhibits set up with the purpose of teaching but also allowing one their own original thoughts. All of the pieces in the different exhibits had some background information about the piece on display but gave no set impressions upon that piece. I found myself wanting more information as to the reason behind the artists creation. Or more details as to why they picked that particular subject or place? What it meant to them? My curiosity has come to life; that can be a time consuming and dangerous thing. The pieces were arranged on plain walls and open spaces; allowing you your own interpretation and feelings with each piece. More information was able to be obtained through the personnel of the museum, in the pamphlets available, online on their website, and from the downloadable pdf learning plans. Breathless by Robert Arneson in 1976 was one of my favorite pieces displayed in the museum for multiple reasons. Growing up I always had a fond interest in ceramics due to the influence of my mother. I know how hard that medium is to work with and greatly appreciate a well-made piece. Not only are Arnesons pieces extremely well made, displaying his talent with sculptures and his artistic ability to portray emotion, it also shows his humor and wit. His break from the traditional and mixture with folk culture beautifully blends in this masterpiece. After seeing this piece I wished I could hear the puns and jokes of the artist, know the full reason for this pieces creation, just learn more. So I did. In the learning plan made about this piece you can find background information and short biography of the artist. As you delve into this information you find that Arneson was the Father of Funk, a 1950-1960s movement where artists started to promote abstract expressionism. He personally used his own self-portraits, in order to not offend anyone, to explore the human emotion and personal expression. The next piece I connected with was Ocean with Cross#1 by Vija Celmins. This piece though plain in presentation as a picture of the ocean really had the ability to draw me in. Like the physical ocean can draw you in with the sound of the waves and the smell of the salt

this picture pulls you in with lines. The artist placed an x in his picture causing your eyes to gravitate along the lines to the center. Just like many of the pieces we discussed in class the artist creates where they want your main attention drawn. Using many different techniques like lines, light, direction the people are headed, shading, the horizon, etc. In the more contemporary area I found another selfportrait by Chuck Close (called Self-Portrait, 2000). In this piece he has taken more than a 100 colors of silkscreen and created a self-portrait. It is absolutely incredible!! When working with silkscreen the artist must apply each ink color individually in order to control how the color transfers to the papers surface. What a very long and arduous process. Even in such an abstract portrait you can still see where the artist wants you to look with the direction of the pupils. It reminds me of collages we use to have to do in art class, so many random different pieces brought together to create something beautiful, like the many threads of color it takes to create a tapestry. The last piece I chose was by Marie Louise Elisabeth Vigee-Lebrun who specialized in oil painting. Her piece of Princess Eudocia Ivanovna Galitzine as Flora was beautifully painted with soft colors and light. Her porcelain skin almost glows but most surprising to me was that the artists portrayed her with a simple smile. Most portraits from the 1800s were devoid of facial expression. The softness of the lines and the serene features of the women make her and the piece that much more beautiful. All of these art pieces can relate to many of the things we have discussed in our class in many different ways. As with many of the pieces I discussed above, the artists used different techniques to draw the viewers eyes to their main point. Whether that was a cross to draw you in with the lines or the direction the eyes are looking. I also found that the soft blended lines vs. the bold strong lines affected the way I emotionally connected to the piece. The colors also greatly contributed to the mood or setting of the paining. Many attributes of the time the piece was created were also readily apparent if you looked close enough. In the western exhibit I spoke of the picture of the railway car. In this picture you can see the separation of rich and poor. What a normal mode of transportation had been. What a common job for the blue-collar class was. I personally enjoyed attending the University of Utah Art Museum and would definitely consider going again to see new exhibits. I only really appreciated half of the work I saw but of those I wouldnt mind seeing them again, or more like them. Though I admit to hoping for a future temporary exhibit that is not hitting on the transgender lines of society. I would love to see more of the classic paintings from the 1800s era or of different war times throughout our history. I think that would make an incredible exhibit. Regardless though of what is displayed I enjoy broadening my horizons, which I feel to be an important feature of all museums.