Wallace Collection

1)      Labels

I really enjoyed the way in which the paintings were identified in the Wallace Collection. I agree that with the titles and artists names painted on frames that they feel more integrated with art. I also feel that the integration of the label allows for this gallery to feel personal; for instance as if your viewing someone’s personal collection. Personally, I prefer the labels like these because of that private gallery viewing aspect. Although, on the other hand I enjoy object labels because I like to know additional information about either the painting or the artist.

Throughout this collection I was a partial to integrated labels but when I got the European armor and weapons gallery I disliked this form of labeling. I found myself staring at the ornate suits of armor and intricate detail on the weapons and wanting to know more about them. For this gallery I would have chosen to use object labels outside the glass case describing the origin and composition of the pieces.  For example, there was one particular rifle that seemed to be made out of wood with detailed images of dogs in white. I would have like to have known what the white was made out of and which century this would have been used in.

2)      Object of Appreciation

There were many paintings I enjoyed in this collection but one that stood out to me the most was Govaert Flinck’s “A Young Archer”. I noticed it was the darkest painting on the wall in an already dark room. The painting is of a young African boy on a plain and dull background, richly attired in hunting garb, with a bow clenched in his right hand, a bag of arrows slung over his left shoulder. Only the intricate metal fastenings of the bag strap are highlighted, in contrast to the dullness of the boy's jacket. I sat and contemplated the artist choice of dull colors, particularly the background because this was a depiction of a dark African boy whom which did not stand out in any way. Questions of racism, class, and sensitivity to the subject came to mind. I have no answer to these questions but only appreciation for what this piece is: a work of art.          

          

3)      Object of excessiveness/ ornamentation

While there were many paintings I could have to chosen because of their intricate detailing, I decided to choose a piece of furniture, a “Coffer on Stand” manner of Andre-Charles Boulle. It is made of oak, pine wood, brass, turtleshell, gilt bronze, and ebony and black leather tolled with gold. Now these materials used to construct, what appears to be a chest, seems a bit outrageous. I don’t disagree that this piece is beautiful; the ornate detailing of the flowers, vines, and faces are fantastic and must have taken a long time to create. However, this piece of furniture is a wee bit excessive in terms of appeal even for royal standards.

4)      Favorite Museum

My first instinct would be to say The Science Museum was my favorite because of my science background. Upon further reflection of the semester I found myself realizing I liked many of the art galleries also. In fact I could not choose just one museum, my favorites were the British Museum and the Saatchi Gallery. I enjoyed the British Museum because of all the historical artifacts. I was amazed in every gallery I went into and also learned a wealth of knowledge. I could possibly spend days there and never get bored. There were just so many pieces of historical importance that I could not help myself and read each object label. I also enjoyed the Saatchi Gallery because the art within the collection was unlike that I have even seen before, but in a good way. I really liked that we had a guide to tell us about certain pieces. This allowed me to understand and appreciate the artist even more for their work and creativity.

5)      Museum Interest

Thanks to Steven Driscoll Hixson I absolutely have a greater interest in visiting museums.  Before taking this class I never would have gone into any museum, let alone an art gallery. I was completely intimidated and quite honestly didn’t care about art. Now, I don’t feel intimidated by museums or art and I’m planning on going to the Chazen Museum when I get back to Madison. I’ve been at Madison for three years and will finally visit the Chazen. I think that being in London and Europe in general has given me a greater appreciation for art; especially since I’ve been so fortunate to see pieces by such famous artists at the National Gallery and up and coming artist like at the Saatchi. I’m not sure if I have a greater interest in branding and graphic design since taking this class I know I have a greater appreciation for those who work hard to create logos and graphics. I am also more aware of the brand, its significance, and how unique it is. For example, I was walking in Soho near Covent Garden a few weeks ago and I saw a unique typeface and color palate for the restaurant Byron and I thought to myself “Wow, that’s really unique for a chain restaurant. I wonder what Steven would think.”

6)      Additional Comments

Thank you Steven Driscoll Hixson for a great semester! You have opened my eyes to a new world of art that I (a nerdy science geek) previously ignored. I will take your lessons of Helvetica, color palates, branding, and logos with me where I eat, shop, and live and think to myself “I wonder what Steven would think of this hideous (or awesome) typeface”.                       

Design Museum

1)      Brit Insurance Design Awards

Architecture: Open Air Library, KARO Architekten and Architektur+Netzwerk, Germany. I thought this design was very innovative because the open air concept is unlike that ever seen before. I found it interesting because it’s if weather was not taken into consideration. I also thought it was remarkable that this library was based on a trust system. In addition, I liked that the book selves were made out of old beer crates (nothing like showing some German heritage).

Furniture: Thomas Heatherwick’s Spun. This innovative chair was not only interesting visually but entertaining to sit in. Personally, from a science background I found this innovative when considering physics because any person (not matter what size) can sit in this chair, spin all the way around, and not fall out. Aesthetically, it’s modern looking and provides a great conversation piece.

Transport: Yikebike by Grant Ryan, New Zealand. This mode of transportation is very interesting because it’s a folding electric bike. I have never seen an electric bike quite like this; it sort of reminded me of a segway that you sit on. I think this is innovative because it provides city dwellers with safe and fast transport because unlike a moped/motorcycle you aren’t competing with traffic. Also, unlike regular bicycles you wouldn’t get sweaty getting from one place to another.

Graphics: London College of Communication “Power of Ten” Summer Show 2010. I would give this design the Brit award because I think its innovation is in the form of its message: “promoting a sense of pride in a community as the local area around the college regenerates.” I also thought the display model was unique and their use of “Power of Ten” and the choice type face was impressive.

2)      Wim Crouwel:

The Wim Crouwel, A Graphic Odyssey exhibition was fascinating because it celebrates the prolific career of an influential graphic designer. At first I was overwhelmed by the amount of work that was on display. I felt that many of his works were very similar and that he doesn’t deviate much from the 1960s computer and space age style. Therefore I became indifferent to many of the posters. Personally, I think that Wim Crouwel’s work is too minimal and for a poster I would like to see more visual elements rather than simply text with colors. Although, I did like the Stedelijk Museum posters, they seemed to be the most fitting for the subject matter. Overall I would describe the exhibition as timeless, astonishing (career), colorful, legacy, and overwhelming.

When looking at Wim Crouwel’s posters I don’t think any of the shapes resembled Jackson Pollock. In my opinion Jackson Pollock’s work is much more abstract and I don’t see that in Crouwel’s work. Although I do agree that Math Rothko’s colors, especially contrasting colors, emerge in Crouwel’s posters. Although unlike Rothko, Crouwel has distinct transition between colors whereas Rothko’s work seems to be more of a blending transition.  I also recognized the Donald Judd inspiration of repeating shapes in Crouwel’s work especially in his use of squares and rectangles. I even noticed those repeating rectangular shapes used in the creation of his 1964 calendar which was my favorite piece.

After some research I came across an artist very similar to Wim Crouwel also working in the 1960s, Mr. John McLaughlin. John McLaughlin was an abstract artist that also focused on modernity. I feel that Crouwel’s work resembles McLaughlin’s much more than any other artist because both focus of simplicity, modernity, minimalism, and color.                         

Saatchi Gallery

Sightlines

Does this gallery enable various sightlines (lack of interruption or multiple vantage points) to engage new methods for viewing objects? Does this depart from other museum visits?

The Saatchi Gallery absolutely allows for multiple sightlines. Most of the pieces were not ordinary paintings hanging on a wall; many were free standing three dimensional objects that one could walk all the way around, there was even a piece that I could walk under. I enjoyed this way of viewing objects because I didn’t feel as if I was getting one person’s view point. I feel the use of sightlines at the Saatchi Gallery greatly departed from other museum visits because of the three dimensional aspect and that there was no barrier between the art and the viewer whereas in many other museums the art was highly protected by ropes.   

Didactics

The galleries present minimal text in relation to the art. Is the text adequate? Do you desire more information –and if so –what information would you appreciate?

The galleries didactics was inadequate in relation to the art it presented. Most, if not all, pieces had only a small card with the name of the piece and artist. Personally, I like to know more behind the art work whether it is a historical painting, by a famous artist, or a modern/contemporary piece. I would like to know additional information about the artist background, inspiration, and method of the creating the art work. For example, the tour of the gallery was great because our guide explained how the artist created their works and what their inspiration was. Personally, this puts meaning to art and I understand it more; whereas, many of the pieces I would have just walked by and not have thought anything of them.    

Collection

Do you find the works on view more adventurous than museums? Or is some of the work questionable in craft, subject matter, and composition?

I feel the Saatchi Gallery’s works were not any more adventurous than say the Tate Modern but they were certainly progressive. For instance my favorites were the one in which the artist dug a hole in clay or the piece where dead bugs were held from horse hair. Then again, I think pieces like this would not be found in the National Gallery therefore very adventurous indeed. Some of the work, particularly the internet spam posters were not very tasteful but overall the craft and composition of art was imaginative and revolutionary.      

Street Art

1)      I found this piece of art near the Spitalfields Market in Shoreditch. From far away I thought it was just another example poster-like piece of street art reproduced from Kinkos. As I moved closer this “reproduced” street art was actually a carving into the wall. Somebody must have taken hours or even days to chisel away at the concrete wall. I feel that this graffiti enhanced the landscape of this area and resembles something that should be in an art gallery despite being surrounded by vandalistic graffiti. The expression in the man’s face and eyes provoked my thought as to what the artist inspiration was and if this symbolizes something.

2)      I also found this piece near the Spitalfields Market in Shoreditch. Again, this piece of street art did not diminish the landscape; rather it enhanced the feeling of public art in the area. In fact this was right across the street from the chiseled piece of art. I was really fascinated by the intricate detail and optical illusion effect of the winking woman, butterfly, and British flag. It all depends on how you look at the piece as which figure comes into the foreground. I’m not sure the meaning of the street art but the artist is sure brilliant in his/her illusionistic technique of painting.

3)      I found this piece of street art on the Portobello Road. I think this is my favorite example of street art because clearly doesn’t diminish the landscape and more or less just made me laugh. If this was not done high above a garage I feel this wouldn’t have had the same effect. Also, if the phrase “made you look” wasn’t done in scrabble letters it wouldn’t be as funny.

4)      This piece of graffiti was on Brick Lane in London’s east side. Again, I would not classify this as diminishing the streetscape because I expected vandalistic graffiti here. Although, I would not classify it as street art either. This work seems to be disjointed but yet also has an element of beauty. Overall I think this is a wall that has been worked on by many artists which could be the cause of its disjointedness and therefore exudes little beauty and more notions of vandalism.                    

Museum experience over spring break

I spent my spring break touring Italy with my sister. While we had many adventures and witnessed strange encounters with fellow tourists, the most memorable was at The Academia Gallery in Florence, Italy. Upon arrival our first stop was The David by Michelangelo and as we admired the work of the sixteenth century artists we couldn’t help notice a group of Asian tourists. One of them in particular, I shall call “the rebel” was pacing the around the magnificent sculpture. Undoubtedly I noticed this fellow tourist by his intense interest and I certainly couldn’t miss the oversized backpack and large camera because he kept cutting me off. After admiring and pondering the David my sister and I exited toward the plaster casts by Lorenzo Bartolini and Luigi Pampaloni and on our way out we heard a woman shouting. The woman was a museum security worker yelling (in Italian) at the rebel. He had taken a picture of The David when there were clear signs “no photography”. She took his camera, turned it off, and gave it back to him. Looking confused he grabbed it and proceeded to walk in our direction. After walking a few feet he turned the camera back on. The security woman briskly walked up to him again spoke in Italian and turned his camera off. I shamelessly found this quite amusing until the rebel followed my sister and me into the next gallery. This is where then I started to feel like a criminal since the security guard followed the rebel and she then watched all visitors like a hawk.

After spring break when visiting Brighton, England with my fellow study abroad mates we encountered a similar experience to that at the British Museum. Through our privilege of having Britt as our tour guide, she set up a tour of the Royal Pavilion. About 15 minutes into the tour we reached the royal kitchen. In here our tour guide explained cooking in the seventeenth century. This is where I first noticed the Wisconsin imposters. Interestingly these imposters were not even close to our scholarly age of twenty, they were a middle aged married couple. Indeed they even tried to pretend like they were not listening into our guided tour. They had bought the hand held audio guide and occasionally held it up to their ear but clearly were listening to the tiny lady in the black dress that was our tour guide. I glared at them but even the dirtiest looks didn’t phase them or they didn’t even notice me. I admire Steven Driscoll Hixson for his courage to confront the imposter at the British Museum because I most certainly could not face these elders. Thankfully when we got to the music room the guide kindly suggested those with audio guides go to another area within this particular room. Another victory against Wisconsin imposters. Wisconsin scholars-2, Wisconsin imposters-0!  

The National Portrait Gallery

1)      Logo

Once again like the National Gallery, The National Portrait Gallery uses a very simplistic brand that suggests this museum is simplistic and lacking dimension. The sans serif typeface and perfect dimensions of the each word is plain and lacks excitement. Although I can envision the logic behind each word to fit into a perfect square; due to the mimicking of a portrait/frame. I think the logo is over simplified for the contents of the museum and the National Gallery/National Portrait Gallery building’s architecture. The portraits from each period are exclusive and the National Gallery building itself is grand with large doorways and impressive domes. Personally I feel this is not reflected in the logo. Generally, the logo works for the gallery despite its simplicity. Indeed the logo should be more intricate to fit with the collections but I do not think I could design anything better.

1)      Self-Portrait

Princess Jamie was born in 1589 to a Tudor aristocrat family of southern England. Unlike other Princesses of the time she enjoyed learning about science, medicine, and humanities. She devoted her life to becoming a scholar of medicine and therefore never married to become Queen.

2)      Karl Iglesias

Karl Iglesias born 1989 is a poet, rapper, and composer. Originally from Puerto Rican descent his poetry stems from growing up in Milwaukee, WI. As a result of his love for music he never leaves the apartment with his ipod or a fashionable hat or scarf.

3)      Lauryn Besasie

Lauryn Besasie born in 1989 is of Italian descent. Her heritage is clear from the amount of garlic in her cooking, which always draws a crowd lining up to try some. She wishes to live in the 18^th century because of all the fabulous dresses and hats. She also is a lacto-ovo vegetarian and has a love for all animals but especially dogs like the Maltese pictured in her portrait.

4)      Ethan Krupp

Ethan Krupp born in 1990 to Jewish American parents is an artist and scholar. Some of his works include papers completed at the University if Wisconsin-Madison. He is an intellectual with many facets but his secret lifelong dream is to be Harry Potter. Maybe that has something to do with the glasses?  

      

5)      Sara Waller

Sara Waller born in 1990 to Jewish American parents is a scholar in child development. Although she is first and foremost the princess to her parents, she was quite the rebel as a child. Her long lashes and curly locks make her an icon of her time.

The National Gallery

1)      Logo

The simple serif typeface suggests that this museum is simplistic and lacking dimension. Indeed this is not the case. The National Gallery is ornate and filled with sophisticated pieces from the most famous painters throughout history and also those not so well known. I think the logo is over simplified for the contents of the museum and the building’s architecture. The paintings in all the collections are beautiful and intricate and the building itself is grand with large doorways and impressive domes. Personally I feel this is not reflected in the logo. 

I do agree with those who propose having the “National” part being grander than “Gallery” but I can see the logic behind Gallery being the larger of the two words. Perhaps “Gallery” was enhanced in size to fit with the word “National” right above it. Generally, the logo works for the gallery despite its simplicity. Indeed the logo should be more intricate to fit with the collections but I do not think I could design anything better. Maybe that minimalism in logo was done deliberately? I also agree that being such a vibrant city the colors used in the banners should reflect that of the city. The single dull red color does not exemplify the gallery nor Trafalgar Square where this museum is located.

2)      Van Gough

 I very much agree that Van Gough’s paintings live up to their position in art history. His line quality wasn’t the greatest in “Van Gough’s chair” (1888) but I think it’s supposed to be like that and this is where we begin to see the cubism influence. In his other works such as “Sunflowers” the gestural brushwork is remarkable and his abstract use of lines to create a masterpiece with dimension is truly astonishing. Also, the subject matter in these two pieces is very different yet the similar. They depict different scenes, i.e. a chair with tobacco and a pipe versus, sunflowers on a table. However, both these paintings are of one object and focus with texture and dimension. As far as mood goes, the yellow in the sunflowers painting is said to represent harmony and happiness. Although the chair painting also has some yellow, it doesn’t illustrate this sense happiness. To me the chair is more or less is a realistic representation of Van Gough’s life; that is the chair in which he paints while smoking. To be honest I do not know why Van Gough has become so popular. Did cutting off his ear and dying shortly after transport him to superstardom? I cannot say for sure but I agree that his paintings are moving and influential.    

        

3)      Object of desire

Claude Monet’s 1899 Water-lily pond is a desirable piece for my country cottage. Monet is my favorite artist therefore this piece was an easy choice. I particularly like the abstract aspect when standing very close but as you move farther away the image then comes into view. He uses beautiful shades of green similar to that of the countryside and the gentle brushstrokes that compose the water lilies rival the beauty of that in nature. This would be suitable for my country cottage because epitomizes the country lifestyle of green grass and flowers.

This piece particularly stood out for me while admiring Monet’s work because of its central bridge. The bridge’s literal interpretation is crossing a pond but it reminded me of my own life. My personal interpretation is crossing a “pond” to a new chapter, which for me means crossing the ocean to a new chapter of studying in London.           

4)      Gallery/ Display

Personally, I enjoy the bright color palette. The contrast from gallery to gallery enables one to recognize the movement to another gallery with a different collection. I think the patterned wallpaper and ornate gold frames enhance the objects appreciation. To me this indicates the painting is special and exclusive. This way of presenting art work infers that I am in someone’s home looking at their personal collection. I think this aspect keeps the experience of art more exciting and interesting. My personal taste in art (classic and traditional) also reflects the style in which I like to see galleries, i.e. with a bright color palette and not dull neutral tones.

5)      Exploitation/Merchandising

Exploitation and merchandising of famous art work seems to be very prevalent here in London. From postcards, to handbags, to umbrellas I think merchandising does not diminish the original art work. If anything the presentation of art on everyday objects spreads appreciation and makes people more culturally aware of art. I believe that art should be noticeable in everyday life because not everyone has access to such galleries, specifically in the states since some cannot afford to attend art museums. Although this is not the case in London I still consider exploitation of art to be beneficial to this eclectic city.

6)      Object of Appreciation  

        

I liked many of the pieces at the National Gallery and will certainly go back. The 1833 Execution of Lady Jane Grey by Paul Delaroche was intriguing and caught my interest. The appeal of this piece probably stems from my interest in monarchy, especially the history of King Henry the VIII. The description stated Lady Jane Grey was beheaded on Tower Hill. In the painting Delaroche is depicting her execution inside, however Tower Hill is actually outdoors near the Tower of London. Therefore this is not quite accurate. I also was intrigued but the multiple facets of the people in the painting; Lady Jane Grey’s calm composure, the sadness of the women in the background, the priest’s concern, and the executioner’s eagerness (shown by his hand on the ax). Before I go back from more contemplation I would like to read more on the history of King Henry VIII and his wives, particularly why Lady Jane Grey was beheaded after Henry VIII’s death.