Tate Modern

Posted by Griffin. This week Beth and I went to Tate Modern. The museum sits in a converted factory on the bank of the Thames, and the brick silo strikes a dramatic figure against the London sky. The entrance opens into a ginormous concrete hall, with hallways that spill into various galleries.

The exterior of Tate Modern

The galleries are organized thematically, instead of chronologically, which I like. I feel that specifically with modern and contemporary art organizing thematically gives individual pieces context that organizing chronologically does not. The first gallery that we went to was the "Energy and Process" gallery. This gallery had a large number of works, many from, or influenced by, the Italian "Art Provera" movement. This movement was all about using everyday objects to create art. For example the sculpture seen below is made up of only two metal plates, with no attachment, it relies entirely on balance to stay upright. This art is powerful, the materials prompt the viewer to think about their relationship with the material.

Triphammer by Richard Serra

The next gallery that we went to was the pop art gallery. This gallery featured a wonderful collection of works by Andy Warhol and Ray Lichtenstein. These works are fun. They use popular images, hence the name "pop art", to create art. One of my favorite works was Whaam! By Roy Lichtenstein. This work takes it source from a comic, and Lichtenstein replicates comic in painstaking detail, even using the colored dots that comics use to create shaded color. This work is a powerful statement against warfare, and reminds us about the social power of art.

Whaam! by Roy Lichtenstein

Unfortunately we had to cut our visit short in order to get to the theater, but I highly recommend Tate Modern. The galleries are spacious and the art is accessible and enjoyable. However if visiting during the week prepare yourself for school groups, Tate Modern is one of the most visited tourist attractions in London, so go early (or late) to avoid the crowds.

Le Louvre

 Note: Some of the art in this post has been deemed inappropriate by the regime (mother). Please leave if you do not want to see art in an uncensored form.

Storm clouds gather over the Louvre

    Posted by Griffin. This week I went to the Louvre. Yes I went by myself, apparently everyone else had some previous engagement. This is my second time going to the Louvre, the first being with mother back in April, and this time was so much better than the last. Last time mother and I went to see all of the most famous pieces, like the The Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, and The Coronation of Napoleon. This time I was able to avoid the crowds and find the lesser known masterpieces.

Venus de Milo

     I started in the antiquities wing. This houses the Louvre's massive collection of ancient Egyptian and Syrian Art, as well as the more famous Greek and Roman Statue collection. Much of this wing was completely empty, with a few exceptions. Every tour group flocked to see Venus de Milo, one of the most well-known Greek statues in the world, yet many failed to even enter the Roman sculpture wing. It may be easy to write off Roman sculpture as an inferior copy of the Greek yet the lack of people really make it worth it. The quiet of the Roman Sculpture gallery facilitates appreciation of great art. Entering the Roman Wing you can feel the difference, there are no large tours pushing, no tour guides trying to talk over everyone, and no one is trying to push you down to get a better view (true story: a woman pushed my shoulders down in order to see better)

The beautiful and quiet Roman gallery

Maybe these sisters are too close

     After the antiquities wing I went to the 17th century painting wing. This wing had painting from Italy, France, and Spain. Unlike the Renaissance wing, this wing was totally abandoned. Literally I only saw one person in he entirety of the wing. This wing does not have the masterpieces of the rest of the Louvre, but the painting is equally as enjoyable. Most of the paintings were religiously themed, but some painters ventured into some vaguely comedic painting (pictured left and below). Overall I left this wing feeling like I had missed the memo about crazy hat day. If only I had known. 

Crazy hat day?

     While I enjoyed the comic relief of the 17th century painting wing after I left I was ready for a change. I left the entire painting wing, and was determined to head where there were no people. I kept walking through tiny hallways, until finally the hallway spilled out into a beautiful open space. This pavilion was stunning. The sculptures were all French sculptures, primarily from the 17th and 18th centuries. This wing was surprisingly empty. The sculptures were mainly in the neoclassical style, embellished by elongated curving lines, and immaculate detail. This wing was one of my favorites, I love the design of this wing, plenty of open air spaces and greenery. The art was exemplary, the marble created a tranquil mood that pervaded the entire space, and the layout was amazing.
The Louvre is immense. Their are too many galleries to count, let alone visit. My recommendation is to get ready to be lost. The directions that the guides give are indecipherable ("just turn left, then go down the stairs, then take a sharp 10 o'clock turn, then take the left elevator"), and the maps provide little help. Just walk through and enjoy the art. 

French sculpture pavilion

The Rijksmuseum

     Posted by Griffin. This week we went to the Rijksmuseum. The Rijksmuseum is the state museum of the Netherlands similar to the National Gallery. It is housed in a giant 17th century Dutch castle. The collection is organized chronologically, ranging from the Medieval Ages up to the 21st century.

     The first section of the collection was northern Medieval and Renaissance art. Much of this art appeared very similar to the Italian art that was in the Uffizi. This art is remarkably peaceful. The landscapes radiate harmony, the portraits  exude regalia, and the biblical scenes display piety in the upmost. The Northern Renaissance art is much more pious than the Italian, definitely no nude Venus here, or any gods for that matter. 

A ceramic parrot

     The next section was the collection of 18th century art. The 18th century was dominated by the Rococo, which began in France with Louis XIV and then spread throughout continental Europe. The ornamentation of the Rococo is impeccable. I personally find great delight in the frivolity of the Rococo. The shell curves and pastels combine for a dazzling effect. This section not only featured Rococo painting but also a lovely menagerie of porcelain animals collected by the Stadholder. Overall the collection of 18th century art is amazing and proves much more fun than any other time period.

The Night Watch by Rembrandt

     Unfortunately the 19th century works were closed so we went directly to the 17th century floor. This floor has the best collection of Dutch Golden Age art in the world. The collection contains masterpieces by Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Frans Hals to name a few. The Dutch masters have a very distinctive style, that lifts the best parts of High Renaissance and combines it with uniquely Dutch style elements. I enjoyed the masterpieces of Rembrandt and Vermeer, like The Night Watch, but one of my favorite paintings from this section was The Threatened Swan by Jan Asselijn (below). This painting is just so filled with life. The swan is in mid squak and Asselijn perfectly captures the bird. All of the art that I love is about life, and this painting, more than anything else, captures the ecstatic energy of life.

The Threatened Swan by Jan Asselijn

      The final section in the museum was the 20th and 21st centuries. This collection was wonderfully varied. It had everything from Art Deco vases to a collection of Yves Saint L. Personally one of my favorite pieces was Wombtomb, a giant coffin\vagina. This piece is both humorous, I mean it's a giant plushie vagina, and morbid. This piece is about the futility of life, how we are all destined to die, to return to the void from which we came. I also greatly enjoyed the collection of clothes by Yves Saint Laurent. While not as evocative as the art in the museum this collection was a fun walk through, and a great capstone for the end of a momentous museum.

Wombtomb by Ferdi

Yves Saint Laurent

The Riksmuseum is definitely one of the superior museums of Europe. The collection spans such a great period of time but the museum itself feels very manageable. The building itself is beautiful, very spacious. The exhibits are excellently curated, and it all really makes for a magnificent visit. 

Van Gough Museum

Posted by Griffin and Beth.

The exterior of the Van Gough Museum

Griffin on the building: I thought that the building was unremarkable. To me it feels like such beautiful art should have an equally amazing home, such as the Louvre, Rijksmuseum, or any of the other art museums I've seen so far. This building felt very utilitarian, like it was just a box for the art. Don't get me wrong, it was a fine building, a large central column made it feel uncluttered and spacious, but there was nothing special about it.
Beth on the building: I really enjoyed the layout of the interior. Very spacious and light filled. The three floors showed van Gough's progression from his early years until his death in 1890.

Beth and her painting

Beth on the Painting Workshop: As we made our way through the first floor we noticed a sign saying "free art class". They had volunteer artists setting up canvases on easels, for people to create their own still life. It was super fun and inspired me to take a painting class when we get home.

The boxes for Stendhal Syndrome

Griffin on Stendhal Syndrome: As we walked through the second floor of the museum we came upon what appeared to be three upright coffins. As we approached them we saw a sign on the side of one of them that read "For Stendhal Syndrome". We wondered what it was. It turns out that Stendhal Syndrome is a psychosomatic disorder that causes nausea, dizziness, fainting, and hallucinations when a person is exposed to beautiful art. The boxes are for people to climb inside to escape the art. We believe that Leo suffers from this disorder, and he is looking into a doctor's order to stay permanently away from beautiful art.
Beth on the Art: I liked that there were a lot of examples of van Gough's work from different time periods in his life. I felt like this gave a good perspective on the cannon of his work as a whole. I also liked that the museum showed how van Goguh's work was influenced by artists he admired, and how he influenced other artists, by showing works of other artists.
Griffin on the Art: I think that the art was amazing. The museum had a large collection of van Gough pieces, however they were missing a few key pieces that are currently on loan to the Munch Museum in Oslo. Van Gough's art is so deeply personal that it feels as if you can see him creating it. The visceral brush strokes evoke emotions that other art fails to do. Van Gough's work provokes introspection in a way most art does not.

Wheat Field with Crows by Vincent van Gough

Museum Row

The Brohan Museum

Posted by Griffin.Yesterday we went to Museum Row in Berlin. Museum Row is one block that houses 5 of Berlin's top museums. Unlike Museum Island, coming in a later post, which houses 5 extremely large museums, the museums on Museum Row are small specialty museums. As we set out to leave yesterday Leo got, what I shall call, museum stomach. This mysterious illness only strikes when we are heading to art museums and causes severe stomach cramping and overly dramatic nausea. So after a drawn out battle, Leo remained at home. From the outset Elizabeth was adamant that she could only handle 2 out of the 5 museums, however the museums were so amazing that she managed three in one day!

The Berggruen Museum

The first museum  was the Brohan Museum (pictured above). The Brohan Museum is a specialty museum which only features the finest works of the Art Nouveau and Art Deco movements. The exhibits in this museum presented a delightful collection of lighthearted decorative arts from around the turn of the 20th century. One of the finest works, in my opinion, from this museum was the peacock vase (pictured below) done by Hans Christiansen. Overall the Brohan Museum was an easy visit, the exhibits were aesthetically pleasing and the clean white walls juxtaposed with the vibrant colors of the exhibits provided a very calming atmosphere to enjoy this amazing art. The Brohan Museum is most assuredly a must for any art lover visiting Berlin.

The Peacock Vase by Hans Christiansen

 
 The second museum was the Berggruen Museum. This was a themed museum focusing on "Picasso and His Time". The museum featured many works by Picasso, as well as works that had an influence on him, such as the works of Braque and traditional African art. While the permanent collection was amazing the travelling exhibition entitled "SIDEWAYS: Alexander Calder- Paul Klee" was breathtaking. The exhibition featured mobiles by Calder which seem to defy all sensibility. They remove the viewer from a world governed by logic and transport them into a world of the impossible. Watching these sculptures I couldn't help but become transfixed as the pieces slowly moved with the slightest breeze.  In this exhibit the sculptures don't stand alone but but interact with the paintings of Klee. While the travelling exhibit was one of the best I have seen the permanent exhibition didn't stand out from the crowd of Picasso museums across Europe like the one in Paris which I loved. Overall the museum could be missed if not for the Calder and Klee exhibition.

Homage a Goya by Odilon Redon

Untitled (Dancing Stars) by Alexander Calder

The third and final museum of the day was the Scharf-Gerstenberg. This museum was another specialty museum which focused on Surrealist Art. Before entering this museum Beth had to take her leave, for unnamed reasons but museum stomach seems to be the prime suspect. So now only Elizabeth remained to accompany me through Museum Row. The works in this museum were markedly different from the works in the previous two. Instead of creating calm they brought about a primal fear of being stranded. Recurring motifs were dead babies, tentacles that appeared to be strangling people, and desolate landscapes. The work above, Homage a Goya, was one of the more pleasant works, mainly because it didn't make me afraid for my life. Quite unfortunately we were not able to experience the full effect of this terror due to 2nd and 3rd floors being closed for renovation. Overall this museum would be great for people who love psychedelic horror movies and enjoy looking at what quite possibly could be a dead toddler warped in tissue paper. 

The Scharff-Gersenberg Museum