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November 15, 2005

MFA Assignment

1) While at the Museum of Fine Arts, I paid special attention to how Ansel Adams’ work was presented and how that aspect made me feel. I noticed that the exhibit had gray walls, all the photographs had the same black frames with white mats, and that the lighting was soft. This setup made me pay more attention to the photographs and really appreciate them. I also thought that since Ansel Adams only took black and white photographs, the gray walls really complemented the work. In art exhibits, I would say that you would want the walls to be neutral in order to highlight the work; you wouldn’t want the wall to be competing with the art.

2) I have many assumptions about the art in museums. First of all, if it is in the museum, I think that the work presented must be good; if it were bad, why would it be in an art museum? I know this is a common assumption, but I’m not saying that art not in museums is bad. I also think that each piece of art has a deeper meaning. I think that if artists were good enough to be in a museum, then they would put a lot of thought into the art that they are creating and would therefore put layers of meaning into their work.

3) For the landscape photograph, I chose “Lyell Fork Meadows, Yosemite National Park, 1921.” It shows trees with a river down the middle. The river has reflections in the water. I liked this particular photograph because to me it had the feeling of a portrait instead of a photograph; it had a soft feel to it and I really liked that. I think in this photograph, the peacefulness and the serenity of nature was important to Ansel Adams. I think he was trying to show people how gorgeous nature is and that it shouldn’t be tampered with, as nature is just so pure on its own.

4) For the portrait, I chose “Eagle Dance, Tesuque Pueblo, New Mexico 1929.” It shows the back of a Native American man dancing. He is wearing a costume that makes him look like an eagle. I found this photograph intriguing because it focuses on this man dancing, and yet the viewer cannot distinguish who the dancer is. Therefore, I think the man is representing his tribe and any tribe that does this particular dance. The man also casts a shadow on the ground that looks exactly like an eagle. I think that that is why Ansel Adams shot this particular photograph at this moment instead of another shot of the back of the dancer. This picture relates to Adams’s landscape portraits in that he captures different aspects of the dancer just like he captures many different aspects in his landscapes. In this particular photograph, he shows the dancer, his shadow, and the costume. In many of his landscape portraits, he captures nature and its natural beauty as well as the power and independence of nature.

5) I chose the photograph entitled “Saguaro Cactus, Sunrise, Arizona 1942” for the abstract picture. The only thing presented in this photograph is one cactus. It is shot at an angle that makes the cactus appear much larger than life. I found this to be abstract because Adams was portraying the cactus in a non-realistic sense. I think Adams was trying to show the viewer the importance of nature and that it is a huge part of life. This picture relates to Adams’s landscape portraits in that many of his landscapes present nature in a positive light. In this photograph, the cactus is clearly shown as positive; it is “larger than life” and it is basically the only thing in the picture.

6) It was difficult for me to find a favorite photograph. I really enjoyed many of the landscapes for their beauty. However, the photograph I chose was not the typical landscape picture; I chose “Westport, California 1936.” It shows an old, black building adjacent to a newer, white building. Off in the distance in-between the two buildings, there is a mountain. I liked this photograph for a few reasons. First of all, in the artistic sense, it was a really good example of perspective. The two building fronts were flat and shot straight on and then in the space between the buildings, you could see the sides of the buildings “merging” together. I also really liked this photograph because of the multiple layers of meaning that I perceived. At first glance, I thought about the concept of modern versus antique. The black building is old and rundown as opposed to the new white building directly next door. Also related to this concept, is that of stark opposites. Old versus new and black versus white. Being American, I also thought of the common concept of black skin versus white skin. I think it is prevalent in this case because the houses are painted black and white, and I think paint for a house is like skin for a person. I also liked the mountain shown in the background because the buildings frame it. I would definitely classify this piece as a “work of art” because it has so many meanings and it is definitely a conversation starter, all on top of being nice to look at!

-Jessica F.

Posted by lcisfaria at November 15, 2005 03:15 PM

Comments

Posted by: Katie at November 17, 2005 03:37 PM

Posted by: Dwaine Madden at May 13, 2008 01:22 PM

Posted by: fiqmaop at June 23, 2008 07:34 PM

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