Samuelson: 1

ART MUSEUM CRITIQUE

Use the following format for your museum critique; answers must be typed below the
questions and all questions must appear in full on your final copy. You can use this
document as your template. Pay careful attention to the required number of words for those
questions that have them. Failure to follow the instructions here and on your syllabus will
result in a substantially low grade. Minimal answers poorly written are a D grade or less.
laboration of points! e"cellent arguments! and good writing garner higher grades.
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$ame%%%%%&amie 'amuelson%%%%%%%%(lass period)section%%%%M*+ ,,-./%%%%%%%%
1) +hich museum did you visit0 1chec2 one3 %4% Univ. of Utah %%% 5YU
2) Describe at least one of the permanent collection e"hibits on a theme! period!
geographic region! or topic3 within the museum. 6,7/ words8
One of the permanent collections on the second floor of the museum that I enjoyed was the
tribal art exhibition. I myself am not necessarily moved or inspired by tribal art, however, the
manner in which the museum choose to display this exhibit caught my eye and I found myself
waling around to the various mass and statues!totem poles" spending more time admiring
these pieces than I did most others within the museum#s collections. $or me it felt as if the
collection on display was the piece of art itself, the incorporation of anti%uated tribal art into a
modern contemporary style of architecture just seemed to wor for me. &dd to this the lighting
of the pieces against near flawless muted colored walls as well as the hollow echoes of my own
footsteps upon the wooden floors and this exhibit is exactly what I perceive a museum visit to be.
It just seemed to wor well and allow my thoughts to be on the pieces on display and nothing
else.
3) 9ive a brief! one paragraph description of a special! temporary e"hibit 1for help! as2
museum staff what these are; they are usually in one of the first rooms3. 6,// words8
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One of the special or temporary exhibits I enjoyed was the Exploring Sustainability
collection. I found the exhibited pieces to be extremely thought provoing and reflective. (he
pieces were not only informative about human impact upon the environment but eye catching
and appealing as well. (his was somewhat of an interactive exhibit which almost re%uired me to
participate and draw me in, in some ways maing me a part of each piece on display. I
understand that the message that was trying to be conveyed was being conscious about the
impact that we as humans have on the world around us. (his exhibit did an excellent job in
bringing its message to life in the way that every exhibit that I manipulated I made a conscious
effort to return the piece to its original form so that the next person may enjoy the piece in its
original condition. )uch the way we should approach our surrounding and our impact on them.
4) +hat do you thin2 the museum administration and)or e"hibit curators want you to learn
or gain from the e"hibits you viewed0 6,// word minimum8
(his was an excellent starter museum for those who have never ventured into a museum of
any type before. (here was an obvious focus on local and state history along with an eclectic mix
of period art utili*ing many different mediums and styles. I feel it is the curators intent to open
the eyes and minds of those who really have no concept of what art or a museum exhibit should
be, which I thin they were able to do very well. I was not particularly overly excited about any
one piece or exhibit but when taing all variables into account I found my overall museum
experience at the +niversity )useum to be very pleasant and rewarding.
5) +hat 2ind of information is provided about the wor2s0 +here might you loo2 for further
information if you were interested0 1$ame three possibilities3
(he information provided for the pieces on display starts with the name of the particular
exhibit that the piece is a part of !i.e. ,uropean 1-
th
century", from this point there is usually a
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placard associated with the particular piece on display with information about the artist them self
!if nown", the time or period in which the piece was created and a brief description of some
importance about the piece itself. If I were to want more information about a particular piece I
could simply as the curator !or attendants within the museum" for more information on a piece.
& more modern way to get information about a particular piece that I noticed was being implored
by (he +niversity )useum was the use of catalog numbers and a smart phone which would give
greater detail about some of the pieces within the museum. )y personal favorite is the use of
lighting and how the piece is displayed. & great deal of information can be derived simply by the
way the museum chooses to display a piece, looing at a piece under different lighting conditions
and from different angles and placement into a particular exhibit lends to give more insight into
the artist#s style, intent and medium but non the less can provide a great deal of useful
information and insight when viewing different wors of art.
6) (hoose several wor2s that particularly appealed to you. "plain why you were drawn to
these wor2s. (omment on the sub:ect! style! medium! time period! etc. +ho were the
artists0 +hat message do you thin2 the artists were trying to convey in the wor2s you
chose to discuss0 ;his question must be answered in its entirety. 6;his should be at
least 7// words8
+pon first entering the museum I was immediately drawn to the great hall and the /awrence
0einer piece BENT TO A STRAIGHT AND NARROW AT A POINT OF PASSAGE. I choose to
visit the museum with a close personal friend of mine and struc by his words, 1so you call this
art23 as I first laid eyes upon the big blue letters bent around the awe inspiring open space. &t
first I was not sure what to mae of the words wrapped around the great hall and even as I write
this I am not sure I understand the piece yet. 0hat I did enjoy about the piece is that it drew me
in and teased me to view the words from many different angles and no matter what room I was in
I wanted to see where I was at in relation to the great hall. 0hat I got from the piece was a
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thought provoing insight into what is it that 0einer was trying to convey. $or myself the piece
is sort of a conundrum, which I enjoy and probably continue to reflect on in the future. I am
ama*ed at how something so simple can be so complex and whether it was meant to booend my
entire museum visit or not, that is exactly what it has done. It is a piece that will probably stay
with me always. &nother wor that jumped out at me almost begging for my immediate attention
though a prideful child would from their parent was the oil painting Silvry Nig!t by 5alph
6laeloc which he composed sometime in the late 17
th
century. (o me this is a beautiful wor.
&gain, I cannot explain exactly what it is that drew me to this piece but whatever it is it just
maes me feel warm and comforted. (he placement of this piece allowed for ade%uate lighting
necessary to showcase the texture of the piece, adding a .89 effect and an almost lifelie %uality
to the piece which drew me into the scene and sparing memories of standing at the ban of the
)ississippi 5iver on a full moon night when I was a young boy. 6eing a photography student I
found myself drawn to some of the photography on display as well. (he two photographers I
found particularly appealing were )icheal /ight with his photographs of the local mines and
&ndreas $eininger whom focused more on the people and lifestyle associated with the mines
rather than the actual mines themselves. )y appreciation for these two photographers lay more
with their preferred photography style than their subject matter. 6oth were able to utili*e a very
large aperture reminiscent of other great photographers !i.e. 6rett 0eston, :eorgia O#;eefe,
,dward 0eston" to capture sharp focus blac and white images with almost complete free*e of
motion and emphasis on contrast of hi and low tones. $rom another perspective, yet one that
struc my eye none the less, I found myself drawn to the subject of the "o#s!a$ P!otograp!y by
Fa%al S!i#! ,xhibit. I was completely torn by this exhibit mainly due to the photography itself.
I feel that this photographer was unable to convey the meaning and<or suffering withing the
people of the selected photography. Some images were excellent with perfect subject ground
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ratio, giving the images clear intent. 0here the photography went wrong for me was the selected
close8ups and blured motion images. It almost seemed as though there was not focal point or
subject that was intended for the shot. I too into consideration that the exhibit itself was about
the forgotten and shamed women of >rindavan and I believe Sheih intended to convey how
these women#s peers in society viewed them as insignificant, however, I felt that he fell short and
perhaps tried too hard to add an almost abstract meaningful %uality to his photographs. I waled
away from this exhibit in disappointment, wanting very badly to see something that I did not or I
was simply unable to find.
7) How did the artwor2s you loo2ed at relate to material we have discussed in class0
1;hey do relate in many ways! you :ust need to loo2 for those relationships3. 6Minimum
of ,7/ words8
(aing into consideration all wors on display in relation to what we have discussed in class
and how it is that the art relates is completely a matter of perspective. I found myself thining
bac on the different topics and examples given throughout the semester. Seeing wors of art
from a particular period or subject matter helps to add a layer of realism to what it is we have
read and heard about different periods throughout history. Simply reading about a topic or
hearing about the way things used to be is great, however, there is a sort of disconnect from the
days of history#s past. &rt helps to put history into perspective by giving us something physical
to tae in and ponder what influenced the artist to do what they did. &rtists throughout history
have always been influenced by something !i.e. love, romance, war, death, suffering, joy",
whatever that something may be, it offers us a widow into the views and perspectives of times
and traditions sometimes much different than our own. In class we discussed media and its role
on changing the views or perspectives of people during various times throughout history. I see art
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as a form of media that withstands the test of time.
8) +hat was your personal reaction to this e"perience0 +ould you en:oy attending this
type of event again0 +hy or why not0 6Minimum ,// words8
)y personal reaction to this assignment was very positive. I understand that art can be
interpreted in many different ways and mean something different to everyone. I feel I get more
out a collection of art rather than a single piece. Of course, there are exceptions for certain pieces
but I find that I am able to appreciate and find the beauty in art pieces when they are displayed as
part of a collection. It had been years since I last visited a museum of any type and this
assignment helped to remind me of the enjoyment I get out of such activities. I would definitely
attend this type of event again and I plan to incorporate my family into these inds of activities
by planning trips to different local museums and activities as well as planning camping trips and
traveling for the purpose of getting them more involved in appreciating what is in front of and
around them.
<s always remember that = want to see reflective thin2ing on your part. 'how me you are
aware of your limitations! your biases! etc. 'how me that you are thinking about your own
responses and why you respond the way you do.