ART MUSEUM CRITIQUE

********************************** Name___Cody Farnsworth_____________Class period/section______9:45________

1) Which museum did you visit? (check one) _X_ Univ. of Utah ___ BYU 2) Describe at least one of the permanent collection exhibits on a theme, period, geographic region, or topic) within the museum. {150 words} The Pacific Island Art exhibit was the largest as well as the most unique collection of works on display and the Utah Museum of Fine Arts. The many pieces were composed of wood, fiber, shell, feathers, grass and pigment among other things making this exhibit really stand out from the other more traditional oil on canvas exhibits. Some pieces were quite large, Im guessing upwards of 14 tall, but thats thinking back on a piece I forgot to record the title of. I really enjoyed a piece titled Manimar Body Mask. Its purpose seems to me to have more of a ceremonial aspect to it. Being made of grass, fiber and feathers, it is not something Id typically expect to see indoors. It makes me think of grass huts and fire dancers, but maybe Ive just seen to many movies. I would say this was the most fun part of the museum because of three dimensional aspect of the art and its distinctiveness in media used and present theme.

3) Give a brief, one paragraph description of a special, temporary exhibit (for help, ask museum staff what these are; they are usually in one of the first rooms). {100 words} Bierstadt to Warhol: American Indians in the West, was the special exhibit on display at the time of my visit. This exhibition was composed mostly of oil paintings that portrayed Native Americans from the Plains, Rocky Mountains, and Southwest United States. Pieces in the collection bridged over a century in age and covered a vast array of themes and techniques used.

Ill admit, the exhibit did not fascinate me. Perhaps it was the abundance of dull earth tones that comprised a majority of the work, lulling me into monotony induced boredom or maybe I caught the exhibit on the wrong day, either way I did not find the majority of work visual striking or particularly meaningful. Despite my temporary close-mindedness, two paintings did manage to grab and hold my attention. The first, is a painting by Kevin Red Star titled Tea Party. Second, and my favorite of the exhibit is called Grandfathers Funeral by Shonto Begay. Both paintings stood out above the rest for me.

4) What do you think the museum administration and/or exhibit curators want you to learn or gain from the exhibits you viewed? {100 word minimum} I think the museum covered a large range of culture. It spanned centuries and continents alike, touching on many populations such as; American, Italian, French, Pacific Island, Japanese and Indian. There was even an Egyptian exhibit telling of the embalming or mummification process that was quite fascinating. I believe overall it was a taste of everything. The goal seems to be to expose the patrons to a variety of works from peoples they may not be familiar with. This allows for expanding minds and advances cultural awareness while interpreting the art.

5) What kind of information is provided about the works? Where might you look for further information if you were interested? (Name three possibilities) Some of the exhibits had a binder containing information on the artists and their works, but for the most part it was an abstract on the wall noting the artists name, the title of the piece, the time period it was from and sometimes how the museum acquired the piece. The most obvious place for more information is the internet. I used Google to find out more about Shoto Begay.

Exhibition guides would be another good place to find out the history of a piece. Finally the museum curator would be a valuable recourse when researching a piece.

6) Choose several works that particularly appealed to you. Explain why you were drawn to these works. Comment on the subject, style, medium, time period, etc. Who were the artists? What message do you think the artists were trying to convey in the works you chose to discuss? This question must be answered in its entirety. {This should be at least 500 words} Grandpas Funeral by Shonto Begay- Begays style, second only to Warhols in the exhibit as far as vivacity and brightness are concerned, is enthralling and borderline hypnotic. This particular work shows a boy at his grandfathers funeral. In the dark background is the graveside service filled with saddened friends and relatives grieving their loss. The foreground is bright, with the serene grandson releasing butterflies into the moon-lit dusk sky. Swirling patterns fill the entire work and a white, almost halo-like, outline of the boy give hint to his free spirit and unshaken soul. It is a remarkable piece full of deep spiritual meaning. It made the exhibit for me. Tea Party, by Kevin Red Star- Is an oil on canvas painting done in 1986. It features a Native American couple over tea in their dining room. In the background is a picture of two teepees, a display of their heritage. I think this work shows a people maintain an appreciation for their roots, while living in a more modern society. The couple is proud of where they come from and look back to reflect on their ancestors and heritage. Memento Mori (Remember Death) by Vincent Laurensz van der Vinne, a Dutch artist, is an oil on panel painting done in 1656. This piece signifies vanity and earthly success represented by earthly possessions which are meaningless in the face of death. The paintings message did not immediately stand out to me. It was the bold vivid colors and the lifelike still life objects that grabbed my attention. Upon learning of the artists meaning for the piece, it

only became greater in my eyes. Barancourt Clockmakers, French, Louis XVI-style Clock with Nymph and Cupid, 18th century. This clock, done in bronze ormolu, is a charming piece of work. If I could choose one Item to have from this museum, it might be this one. The bronze figures resting on the strong base really appealed to me. I love the knob-like legs supporting the piece, and the white face really stands out against the bronze. I feel like the creator really appreciated fine craftsmanship and made this piece to show that. Breathless (Self-Portrait in Blue) by Robert Arneson in 1976, is a large glazed ceramic piece. This is a very fun piece of art. It shows humor and humility in the artist, as this is a selfportrait one cannot help but smile at. It states that Robert used himself as the subject to avoid offending anyone. It reminds me of modern day selfies where the subject purposely makes an odd face, but this was nearly 40 years early and requires a great deal more time and effort. There is great detail in the piece, especially in his full beard and wrinkled forehead. The eyes however, are what bring this sculpture to life. I love the color and what this painting represents to me, which is the humor in life.

7) How did the artworks you looked at relate to material we have discussed in class? (They do relate in many ways, you just need to look for those relationships). {Minimum of 150 words} Many of the things I saw reminded me of topics we discussed in class. The most prominent were sculptures of the Hindu deities. Before this class I knew next to nothing of Indian culture or beiliefs. It was nice to know what I was seeing when looking at the Lintel Depicting Wedding of Shiva and Parvati. This was an amazing piece with an incredible amount of detail included. There are dozens of figures depicted including Krishna, Lakshmi, and obviously Shiva and Pavati. They all stand below the Temple of Gopuram. It is a

remarkable piece. The other observation I made thanks to class discussions was in depictions of Jesus. The European paintings portrayed him as very European looking. I now realized that this is simply the artists interpretation based on what they see and who they are painting for, their time period and geographical location. Its interesting to see how Jesus is represented very differently in different cultures.

8) What was your personal reaction to this experience? Would you enjoy attending this type of event again? Why or why not? {Minimum 100 words} I did enjoy visiting the art museum. It was a good experience for me, and was something I had never done before. There were many incredible pieces and some were very inspiring. That being said, I will probably never plan a trip like this just for the fun of it. If I was in the area and needed something to do, then I might consider attending the museum again, but I wont make a special trip for myself. I think it would be beneficial to take my kids to see it one day in order to show them parts of other cultures. Perhaps when they are older..