The first thing that I was told in terms of handling this project by the great Mr. Tom was “don’t wait until the last minute to decide to go to the museum and write your paper”, and guess what I did? Of course I waited until the last minute to do it. I’m a hard headed, 17 year old teenager, what do you expect? You know a large part of school is having the ability to manage your time properly, and most high school students suck at it, and I’d definitely say I am one of the students that suck at it. I waited literally until 2 days before it was due to even start thinking about it. On Saturday (2 days before it was due) I had the option to go back to New York and get everything done, but I was having the time of my life with my family and friends in New Jersey; so I decided It could wait. Then the morning of Sunday hit, and my whole demeanor took a complete 180. I began stressing tremendously. I didn’t know what museum I was going to nor the piece of art I was going to talk about.
On top of that Museums in New York tend to close rather early (around 5-5:30) and getting me up before 12 on a weekend is harder than a no armed man playing baseball. And get this I woke up at 1 o’clock and had to take the New Jersey Transit into the city, which didn’t help my stress levels. Now if you don’t know how long it takes on the New Jersey Transit to get to Penn station, it takes approximately an hour. At the time of my departure from Maple Wood station in New Jersey, I’m thinking things can’t get any worse and of course I am sadly mistaken. A man on the train was extremely intoxicated and was going from cart to cart yelling repulsive things as well as physically harassing people. The whole process of getting him off of the train took about 45 minutes to an hour, because the train conductors and operators had to wait for the authorities to come. It was now 2:45 and I was still nowhere near Penn Station, I still had about 45 minutes until I was there. My mind was just entirely flustered with thoughts of uncertainty, uncertain that I would reach the museum in time, uncertain that I would even be able to do the project in general, and uncertain that Mr. Tom would give me an extensio…
Who am I kidding Mr. Tom give an extension? Yeah, okay. Anyway, back to the story, my arrival at Penn Station was estimated at about 3:45, and I had finally decided what museum I was going to go to. The Museum of Modern Art also known as the MoMA. I had chosen this museum, 1. because it was the closest and 2. because the artwork in there is exquisite and I had been there millions of times so I knew exactly what to expect, but mainly because it was the closest. From Penn Station to the MoMA takes about 15 minutes, but of course when you’re Aaron, God never fails to put obstacles in your way. I proceeded to the E train, and was thinking, well thank God it’s only 3:50 and the MoMA closes at 5:30, I’m good, smooth sailing from this point. BUT NOOOO! I get on the E train, and the train is stuck in that same station for another 30 minutes. At that point I was just thinking, maybe I should just go home and take this 0. But knowing myself, I wouldn’t be able to do that, and just as I thought that, the train began moving. Thank God! I made it to the Museum at around 4:15 and now had an entire hour and 15 minutes to explore the depths of the artwork.
The Museum of Modern Art is located in Midtown Manhattan and is thought to be one of the world’s greatest modern art museums and is home to many types of modern art pieces such as paintings, sculptures, as well as architecture. With New York, arguably being one of the world’s greatest tourist attractions, it allows people from everywhere to experience the modern styles of art and just observe the art and recognize these fascinating creations for what they are, as opposed to recognizing them from a historical perspective.
When I first walked into the Museum of Modern Art, I was unsure if I would enjoy browsing its collection as I did the Metropolitan Museum of Art, or the Guggenheim Museum which are two museums located further uptown in Manhattan. It was hard for me to really gravitate towards any particular painting due to the fact that, I am not one would consider an artist. I thought the art I have seen only appealed to me due to its historical reference, and not because of its sheer appearance; with that being said, I did not know how I would feel about certain exhibits. In my mind, although I do not have much experience in the field of art, I saw the creations that I came across as the perfect represenation for what modern art should be.
Many of the paintings were very unconventional, some of which were out of proportion like the table with the fruit in which, according to natural laws of physics, the fruits should roll off. Others utilized interesting painting methods that made them stand out from the rest. Claude Monet is considered one of the most respected French painters ever and his water lily room was an awesome sight to behold, containing beautiful paintings that stretched the span of an entire wall. Some were painted in ways that made it easy to tell what they were, while others must be stared at from a distance. He was able to utilize his artistic abilities to really make the water lilies look as if you could grab them off of the canvas. But the painting that stood out to me the most although it was of historical reference was the “Five Great American Negroes” painting by Charles White. Charles White was known for his African American related paintings. This particular mural showed the great, Sojourner Truth, Booker T. Washington, Frederick Douglass, George Washington Carver, and Marian Anderson. All significant figures within the African American community. They opened up many windows in terms of freedom, science, music/art, and education. His ability to tell a story so to speak on the canvas is amazing. He is able to incorporate all aspects of what these powerful figures are known for. This painting really stood out to me because of my African American background and without them making the social advances they did, life today wouldn’t be the same
The Museum’s primary purpose is to express and to display such artwork rather than to educate. The works of art here compel the viewer to analyze and think about their meaning, they’re open to interpretation and are supposed to be perceived however you want to perceive them. They reveal things about the artist, they relate to the time they were created, and how they affected the flow of style from generation to generation. They were not created for function or use, but rather were crafted and shaped just for the purpose of expression with no guidelines.
