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November 15, 2005
MFA Assignment
1. The Museum of Fine Arts never fails to make me feel like I am being swallowed
into a completely different country. Perhaps it is the presence of the artwork that does this to me or maybe it is simply the vastness of the MFA. It really is a huge place. It is both quiet and loud. The physical quality of sound is not present but the “noise” the art makes is deafening. It is a bombardment of the senses. The MFA has a very ethereal quality as well. I walk among the ghosts of the artists because I sense and see the art that is their manifestation in the present day.
The assumptions I bring with me to the museum is everything I have experienced in relation to Ansel Adams and his subject matter. I have known the name Ansel Adams for a long time and seen his work reproduced in the form of posters and know he is an esteemed photographer. However, I have not experienced it “in the flesh” nor in this mode, as grouped together, which adds power. I knew before coming to the museum Ansel Adams photographed nature so not only do I bring my knowledge of him as an artist, I also bring my own personal relationship, if you will, to nature. I’ve always appreciated the beauty and power of nature because I grew up on the Maine coast, which besides the central and northern California coast, I consider to be one of the most beautiful coastlines. Immediately I have a connection with Ansel Adam’s work because I am intrigued by the complexity of nature and its aesthetic powers.
Landscape: Mount Brewer, Kings River Canyon, California 1925 This is a photograph of a lake and trees in the foreground and mountains in the background. It is very 3D (if 3D can be qualified) and it feels like I am falling in towards the mountains. I think the time of day was important to Ansel and capturing the shadows of the trees on the ground and the shadows of the clouds on the mountains. Timing was everything in this photo because the sky appears to be overcast yet the photograph is still sunny and this makes me wonder what it would like in color. Though maybe I don’t want to know because it would give me a completely different impression and perhaps it would take power away from the contrast between dark and light of the shadows. I don’t really feel Ansel uses abstraction in this piece. I think he was simply trying to represent a certain moment in time that he found to be especially moving and beautiful. Perhaps symbolism was used in that this piece could represent the dynamics of nature and that one moment is never exactly as a previous.
Portrait: Eagle Dance, Tesuque Pueblo, New Mexico 1929 This photograph captures an Indian in mid-dance. A panel on the wall states Ansel was interested in preserving Indian culture and I think photographing an Indian in the act of cultural importance immortalizes the subject. Usually photographs taken of people are of their front. This one, however, is of the back and is very fitting for the title of Eagle Dance because the subject really looks like an eagle taking off or flying. Perhaps this is a symbol of him/her transcending modern material culture. The photograph is not completely centered either. It allows for the shadow to be seen as well.
Abstract: Ruins near Princeton, New Jersey 1939 This photograph depicts the remains of a wall, or it could be anything like a castle or tower. I cannot tell exactly what it used to be. It is up to me to decide what the ruins used to be. If I didn’t know the location I may think it to be sugar cane plantation ruins in the Caribbean because of the trees and brush in the background; they do not look like New Jersey trees. The shape of the ruins is very abstract as well. I see different forms within them, such as the outline of a dog’s head or a crude imitation of a gun. It reminds me of looking at clouds and seeing shapes and forms come from the clouds though I know they really don’t exist except for in my mind.
Coast North of Bodega Bay, California 1960 This photograph is of the California coast sprawling into the distance. It speaks to me because it reminds me of my trip to California last spring and driving up the California coast. I was just amazed at its beauty and the complete change from dingy, sprawling Los Angeles to clean, rolling mountains plunging into the ocean. I see in the photograph how I saw the miles and miles of beautiful coastline from a rest stop I stopped at near Big Sur. However, my memory is in color. Seeing the same view in black and white now is interesting because it adds the quality of age, as in nature is timeless. Not only do I realize this through the black and white aspect but also because of its similarity to my memory. The view I had in California in 2005 is virtually identical to the one Ansel had in 1960. The beauty of the coast remains the same as human life around it changes yet obviously both Ansel and I have similar appreciation for this beauty.
Posted by lcisfreya at November 15, 2005 10:12 PM
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