Metropolitan Museum of Art - Research Paper Example

Museum Assignment It has been said that art is a reflection of society. It is often seen that art canbe a barometer of the people’s emotions, feelings and the like. After all, painting is another way of keeping a diary, according to Picasso. For this assignment, I picked three works of art that I think would greatly reflect the values of the 21st century, and has had an impact in today’s society. 1. War by Jackson Pollock (1947) Jackson Pollock is an American artist. He was famous for his drip paintings and is a major figure in American painting, specifically in abstract expressionism. He was the purveyor of the drip technique, and this was seen as the origins of action painting. This was his way of challenging the Western style of painting using the easel and brush, with an attempt to leave figurative representation. However, he abandoned the drip painting style just as it was getting famous and returned to painting using figurative elements. War is one of Jackson Pollock’s earliest known paintings and is the only painting he ever titled. This painting was made before he became famous with his drip style. It should be noted that Pollock was a successful draftsman and often used his sketches to execute his artistic ideas. War is a very apt descriptive title for this abstract expressionist painting. This painting was made just after World War II and it shows the brute violence of war: there is a funeral pyre, a human figure being thrown to it, a bull, and a crucifixion. The colors of red and yellow were then added for drama. The elements of this painting hark to Picasso’s war-inspired painting Guernica, where it also had suffering people and the bull as a major figure in the painting. Although it has more figurative elements, this painting has many linear motions that have emerged in his later paintings. The date is significant to understanding this painting: 1947 is a time when war was still fresh in most people’s collective memory, and this was probably the way that Pollock expresses his feelings towards war. This painting symbolizes the harsh effects of war in society, and the ghosts in people’s consciousness. The media used for this painting are colored pencils and ink. The size is 20 5/8 inches by 26 inches. The size is not exactly relevant to the viewer, but it is easier to observe because of the size. This seminal work of art has influenced the 21st century because it had paved the way for Jackson Pollock’s Abstract Expressionism genre. It may not be as noticeable here but the traces of Abstract Expressionism are here: the linear movements, the near-abstract figures, the fast composition. This painting may not be as popular as his drip paintings; but this painting shows how he managed to get into that style. Without this painting, abstract expressionism in America would not be as successful. 2. Marilyn Monroe by Richard Avedon (1957) Richard Avedon was one of the most iconic American photographers. His work, Marilyn Monroe, is one of his most popular. Richard Avedon was born and raised in New York City and entered as a photographer for the Merchant Marine. He learned photography there as he took identification pictures of the crew. This picture was taken on May 6, 1957 and it completely embodies the style of portraiture that Richard Avedon helped made famous: his ability to capture the real essence of the subject by letting the viewer see the intimate, candid shots of a certain personality in an often bare setting, with no props but just the details needed to compose the picture. He developed his unmistakable style there: stark, high contrast, black and white pictures. The main feature of an Avedon photograph is that it is honest: everything you ought to see in your reflection is seen in an Avedon photograph. This picture, simply called Marilyn Monroe, is named after the subject herself. As a portrait photographer, Avedon shot many famous people, as well as the working class and the criminals; Marilyn Monroe is one of the most famous, iconic actresses of her time. The year, 1957, was important to this picture because this would be the start of the glossy fashion photography-photojournalism hybrid that we see in today’s portraits. This was also the year when the baby boomers’ influence where felt all across America, as well as the start of materialism. Avedon’s pictures are testaments to the irony of both glamour and work in his subjects. The medium used for his photographs is film (gelatin, silver print). The size is 22 ? by 23 ? inches. Avedon’s subjects often deal with the reality of people and labors. Laborers were shot as they were, as well as criminals and glamorous people. For example, in this portrait with Marilyn Monroe, she was pictured as a mature woman, serious and pensive. Her arms hung at her sides, looking resigned and she is not looking at the camera. This is far from her Hollywood persona of a flirty and playful woman. This shows how far the social construct of fame is from reality, and that theme is always present in an Avedon picture. This has influenced the 21st century by providing a different style of portraiture to the audience. Portraits can now be journalistic and not contrived images that the photographers construct behind the camera. 3. Plato’s Atlantis by Alexander McQueen (2010) This dress was taken from Alexander McQueen’s final collection before his death in 2010. Lee Alexander McQueen was one of the important designers for the 21st century, pushing boundaries with his creativity at all time, having known to transcend art into fashion. The artist behind the brand Alexander McQueen is Lee Alexander McQueen. He was a tailor at Savile Row and continued on to become a fashion designer as he enrolled in Central Saint Martins in London. His works always reflection his artistic vision, and he always took inspiration from literary greats or history. In this case, it was Plato’s Atlantis. This work came in the same name, as it took inspiration from Plato’s interpretation of Atlantis, and this piece of work is McQueen’s interpretation of human’s evolution when the ice caps melt force us to return to the water. Hence, the prints and the camouflages on the dress. This is symbolical, as we go through global warming. This was made in 2010, and the specific genre for this is high fashion/couture, although it should be noted that McQueen had his roots from Savile Row being a tailor and he also worked as a costumer for theater. The date is relevant in understanding the work because it provides the setting and the reason for the theme: Global warming and revolution of the species and going back to the water. The medium used was silk jacquard in a snake pattern embroidered with yellow enamel paillettes in a honeycomb pattern, which was engineered. The subject of the art was how art (fashion, in this case) can actually reflect and complement science, not just passions and emotions. It shows how art can be made one with the human as a piece of art; and at the same time, as a piece of science as it a projection of how evolution could turn out to be. This dress symbolizes the vulnerability and the beauty that we could have as mere humans who would have to adapt to the conditions that nature will present in the near future. McQueen changed the whole fashion industry by taking fashion up a notch. He transformed by making fashion high art, putting intellect and creativity to his works. What makes him work is also the fact that he blends technicality with art as well, giving his works a tailored look, but at the same time, that careless whimsy as dictated by his passions. As an artist of the 21st century, he was a milestone because he opened the doors for many fashion designers out there who struggle to be artists and at the same time masters of fashion consumer culture. References: Avedon, Richard. Marilyn Monroe. 1957. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Metropolitan Museum of Art. Web. 4 July 2011. Dalland, Eugenie. "How Alexander McQueen Transformed Fashion Into Art." Art Info. Art Info Magazine, 23 May 2011. Web. 4 July 2011. “Did You Know?”. Jackson Pollock Unauthorized. Jackson Pollock Unauthorized. n.d. Web. 4 July 2011. McQueen, Lee Alexander. Plato’s Atlantis. 2010. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Metropolitan Museum of Art. Web. 4 July 2011. Pollock, Jackson. War. 1947. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Metropolitan Museum of Art. Web. 4 July 2011. “The Title of This Photograph Is Marilyn Monroe, Actress, New York City, May 6, 1957”. New York Magazine. New York Magazine, 7 May 2007. Web. 4 July 2011. Read More