Wadsworth Museum
Last week April 9th I visited the Wadsworth Museum. I had some time to myself before a meeting at work, so I took the ride to Hartford. I really liked this museum. A lot of pieces caught my attention but for this blog I will share a few.
Duane Hanson Sunbather, 1971
was a polyester resin and fiberglass, polychromed in oil, mixed media, with accessories. Hanson work was popular with the public because of its lifelike qualities. with this piece the Sunbather lies surrounded by the debris of consumer culture , junk food and celebrity gossip magazines which reveals the forces that have made her what she is. This piece reminds me of the average american sunbathing at the beach. I like the ordinary creative debris that was set around her to depict her lifestyle.
Hank Willis Thomas Basketball and Chain, 2003
This picture Digital C-print immediately caught my attention and I already knew what it was portraying. Thomas appropriately manipulates the slick advertising photography of Nike, with dramatic lighting and graphically strong imagery, to question the role of the media in shaping African American identity. Here the ankle of the soaring black youth is tethered to a basketball like a ball and chain. The ironic commentary situates consumerism and stereotypes as forms of enslavement.
Ahmed Alsoudani Untitled, 2012
Acrylic and charcoal on a canvas. Untitled depicts the chaotic aftermath of a car bombing, with bloodied flesh and severed limbs lying alongside the cold, jagged metal of the car. Alsoundani commingles shocking realism with colorful, cartoon like imagery to temper the horrors of war and conflict in his native country. The charcoal passages, with haunting visages, perhaps of the dead, contrast with the vivid intensity of the horror.
This museum was really cool, and I would visit it again, They had two floors focusing on Coney Island that was really cool, however you are not allowed to take any pictures of any of the Coney Island material. Very nice museum with a lot of great pieces of art.
Glad you enjoyed your visit...
ReplyDeleteWhen you use words that are not your own, it is important to attribute them to the source and put them in quotation marks or italics... Here is the full title card of the Alsoudani piece:
"Ahmed Alsoudani
American, born Iraq, 1975
Untitled, 2012
Acrylic and charcoal on canvas
The Ella Gallup Sumner and
Mary Catlin Sumner Collection Fund, 2012.21.1
Alsoudani ‘s Untitled depicts the chaotic aftermath of a car bombing, with bloodied flesh and severed limbs lying alongside the cold,
jagged metal of the car. Alsoudani commingles shocking realism with colorful, cartoonlike imagery to temper the horrors of war and
conflict in his native country. The charcoal passages, with haunting visages, perhaps of the dead, contrast with the vivid intensity of
the horror. Ahmed Alsoudani was the featured artist of Matrix 165 in 2012–13."
http://4eg99614zvx21of7ql3apu8c.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/post-war_contemporary_labels.pdf
Are you counting this post as a photo essay? I would expect many more pieces if that was the case... If it is a paper, then please refer to the Syllabus to see expectations... I have a template that can help organize and prompt the writing....
http://jnevins.com/museumsyllabus1.htm
Personal Discovery... This is essential. The central thesis point of the paper hinges on this. What drew you to the piece in the first place? Why did you choose this piece in the face of the myriad of possibilities? What is your emotional response? Your first-person account of your encounter with the artwork is at the heart of each writing assignment.
Summary and Template:
Don't stress too much about writing your papers. I understand that this is probably your first class in academic art... This template will break it down for you and make the process go much easier...
1) Write one paragraph of your impressions of the day... set the scene.... Did you go alone? Who was with you? What were your first impressions upon arriving at the museum? Post 1 or 2 pictures... Write 1 paragraph.
2) Write a brief history of the museum itself. When was it built? Who was the architect? What style is the building? 1 paragraph.
3) Convey your general impression of the whole collection. Can you identify some of its strengths? Were there special exhibitions? 1 paragraph... 1 or 2 photos posted.
4) Choose 1 artist to focus on and specifically, one piece. Concentrate on this for the next 3 paragraphs. This artist and work should appeal to you personally.
-Begin with a description of the piece and artist's name. What medium (oil on canvas, marble, etc..) What size is it? When was it executed? (1 or 2 photos)
-Write a brief biography of the artist...
-What movement does the work fit into? (Impressionism, Surrealism,, etc... or period, Rococo, Baroque...) -What artist of work came before this piece that might have influenced the artist's vision? Name the movement.
-What work or movement followed?
Post detail shots (close up) of the work as well that support your impressions.
-Wrap up paragraph.... Total length about 750 words - 1,000 words... can go higher...
That's it... break it down like this and the paper should go smoothly
As a reminder, if you use any words written by someone else, set them off by italicizing them (highlight them and hit the "I" button in the editor). Cite where the source came from. You can copy the url and paste it under the quote if it came from an online source.
Most of all, have fun with this!