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Isaac Kershner
Prof. Kim Anderson
Humanities 1100
September 16, 2014
Utah Museum of Fine Arts Critique
1) Which museum did you visit?
University of Utah
2) Describe at least one of the permanent collections exhibits on a theme, period,
geographic region or topic within the museum.
One of the permanent art collections at the museum that stood out to me was the
European collection. It displayed art that was created in Europe in the 15th, 16th, 17th, and
18th centuries. What really grabbed my attention when entering this area of the museum was
the coloring of the walls; they were painted a bright peach color that made the room feel very
welcoming and the art more appealing, if possible, to view.
The art pieces in these rooms easily kept my attention due to the wide variety. There
were paintings, stone and metal statutes, and pieces of expensive looking furniture all from
the 15th through the 18th centuries. The paintings were very distinct from others throughout
the museum. In almost all pieces, people were the subjects and the art was focused on the
beauty of the human body and life. A strong sense of Christianity could be found as
depictions of biblical stories, angels, and Jesus Christ were the themes of many of the pieces.
Another thing that made these paintings stand apart from the majority of the other paintings
in the museum, were the ornate frames. They were all very elaborate, one-of-a-kind frames
that were hand-carved and painted, usually in gold. It was interesting to see such distinctive
traits coming from the era and geographic region.
3) Give a brief, one paragraph description of a special, temporary exhibit.

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The temporary exhibit that I found to be the most interesting was titled, Creation and
Erasure: Art of the Bingham Canyon Mine. There was a diversity of photographs from the
Kennecott Copper Mine dating back from the late 1800s to modern day encompassing a
range of perspectives over a 140 year period from land use concerns to the beauty of
industrialization. Many of the photographs were of men working in the mine, showing the
now primitive tools they used to extract ore from the earth. One piece that caught my
attention was a series of four aerial photographs of the mine after the landslide had happened
in April of 2013. According to the exhibit description, it was the largest, non-volcanic
landslide in the history of North America the rock avalanche was large enough to be
recorded by seismic monitors designed to register earthquakes. It was remarkable to see how
much earth sloughed off of the mountain into the mine and how that occurrence can be
considered art.
4) What do you think the museum administration and/or exhibit curators want you to
learn or gain from the exhibits you viewed?
There are many things that can be learned from museums, while the museum at the
University of Utah is what is considered to be a smaller museum; it has a wide expanse of art
from around the world. The majority of the permanent art displays were divided into
geographic regions. By the museum administration doing this, it was much easier to see the
different genres of art and how they influence society. We can look back and see where
certain art forms and cultures have made a large impact on the modern world. It was also
very interesting to see many different pieces of art from completely different places around
the world that were created around the same time. Viewers can now easily see what one
group of peoples interests and what they considered to be art were, was completely
dissimilar from others across the world. The curators want us to look at and compare these
different pieces of art in their own respective way. Each room was organized and colored

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specifically to the region to give each collection its own representation and optimal viewing
availability.
5) What kind of information is provided about the works? Where might you look for
further information if you were more interested?
Next to every art piece in the museum, a placard had been posted giving the viewers
specific information about each piece. On each placard there was the artists name and
lifespan dates, where the artist was from, a title of the piece, when it was created, what
materials it is made of, a description of the work, how it was obtained by the museum and a
museum serial number. The associated number gives the viewer a way to get more
information about the piece of art by using the museums database accessible from the Utah
Museum of Fine Arts website. There is also a bookstore at the museum that contains many
titles, which provide more information about many of the exhibits, pieces, and artists. If one
still wants to learn more about certain art pieces, they can look it up using the Internet, which
can be an infinite wealth of knowledge.
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?
While looking through the temporary exhibit of the Bingham Canyon Mine, the first
photograph that stood out to me was taken by Andreas Feininger in 1942, which had been
digitally reproduced from vintage negatives. The placard next to the photograph states that
the picture is of a rotary car dumper. It is a huge cylinder where train cars that were full of
ore were pulled into one car at a time, fastened securely in place, and then the cylinder
rotated dumping the contents of the train car out into the designated area. The picture shows a

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rail car inside the rotary car dumper tipped almost all the way upside down, pouring the
contents out of the car.
In 1942 when the picture was taken, I believe that the artist was trying to capture how
advanced the equipment was that the miners were using to remove the contents of the rail car.
Today many of the rail cars have trap doors at the bottom of the car to allow the contents to
be dropped out. It is very fascinating that a photograph of, at the time, advanced machinery is
now hanging in a museum because it is so out-dated. It makes me wonder what modern day
technology will be displayed in a museum in fifty years because it is out-dated?
The second piece of art that caught my eye was an oil on canvas painted by an
American painter named, LeConte Stewart in 1937, his work was titled, Private Car located
in the American region of the museum. This painting in particular probably stood out to me
more than others because I had spent a lot of time viewing the black and white industrial
images with the Bingham Mine. The works in that exhibit had a harsher feel with the
machinery and this one in contrast is a more warm portrayal of a steam engine and the beauty
they possess and opportunity they bring. This work depicts eight travelers that have jumped
on to a Union Pacific freight train. In the era of the Great Depression, these hitchhikers
appear to be relocating with a few of their worldly belongings in search of a better life out
west. The train is passing through large wide-open plains and there is a power line running
parallel with the train track. The lush green grass along the tracks is a great contrast to the red
train cars.
Based on my feelings while looking at this painting, I gather that the artist is painting
something that was not uncommon or unfamiliar to him or his time in the 1930s. While not
being able to see any of the facial features of the travels the viewer can sense a feeling of
excitement and hope from the artist by the postures given to the hitchhikers and also the

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bright colors in the painting. A feeling of hope is what I believe the artist was trying to give
his viewers in the 1930s and today.
The third piece of art that I really enjoyed was an oil on canvas painting created in the
late 19th century by Ralph Albert Blakelock titled, Silvery Night, in the Utah and the West
room. It is a landscape painting of a midnight moon lighting up the whole sky while
reflection off a large lake or other large body of water. On the shore nearest the viewer, the
bright moon illuminates the silhouettes of two large trees on either side of the painting. The
artist is able to exemplify his ability to give great depth and texture to this painting, helping
us as the viewers to see great beauty even in the dark or at night. The painting was refreshing
to look at; no people, technology, or distractions. It was easy to get caught up in viewing it
because it made you feel solitary and almost as if you were being let in on seeing a secret
place that isnt shared with anyone else.
7) How did the artworks you looked at relate to material we have discussed in class?
The permanent exhibits on the upstairs level in the museum were what I found to be
the most relative to what we have discussed in class. In class we have discussed a lot about
trying to understand other peoples views, beliefs, and where their ideals stem from while
maintaining a non-judgmental attitude. The permanent exhibits were divided mostly into
geographical regions and time periods. Museum patrons including myself were able see how
different artists living around the same and different time periods expressed themselves while
sometimes experiencing very similar events. By comparing the different artists work, we are
able to decipher the different feelings and views the artists had during the time and why they
may express feelings the way they did. However, comparison across the regions in an artistic
concept may be more difficult for those who are not familiar with other cultures. Personal
baggage as well as the environment an artist thrives in can be so vast from anyone elses
experiences. To say what is art and what is not art is in the eye of the beholder just as it is in

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the eye of the artist. It is important to familiarize oneself with other cultures to open up
personal perceptions, not only with art but life itself. As history has shown time and time
again, a cross of culture and miscommunication is often the basis for contention and
potentially war between countries. What better way to bridge the gap than to see physical
adaptations of culture in a range of mediums of art?
8) What was your personal reaction to this experience? Would you enjoy attending this
type of event again? Why or why not?
It was an interesting experience attending the museum. I wouldnt normally choose to
spend my Saturday afternoon there, but since I had to go and actually look at the art, it
became somewhat of an enjoyable experience. I wouldnt mind attending other museums or
art shows but they would probably be few and far between. Cultural insights can be
worthwhile at times, but for me, I prefer it in small doses. Paintings and other forms of art
dont have an overwhelming effect on me as they seem to have on others. Ive never seen a
painting that has prompted me to reflect on life or given me feelings that I could relate to a
particular artist and how they were feeling, which is probably why I dont overly enjoy
attending museums. It takes an effort to put time into something when you dont feel a
connection or emotional tie with it.

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