Rachel West LBST 1105 Julie Doppel Hicks November 22, 2013 Response to the Mint Museum When

you first see the Mint Museums exterior, it seems large, but not massive. When you walk inside and see the giant windows towards the front, as well as the escalators to the different floors, the museum seems to have expanded, at least in our mind. Welcome to the world of art, the building seems to say, where the world truly opens right before your eyes. The large windows also provide especially bright (natural) light, allowing light through the transparent windows. In a way, this reflects life itself. We all have interpretations of what is going on outside the transparent windows that influences our perception of life around us. Similarly speaking, we also have interpretations of art that influences our perception of each piece and that works together with similar pieces to create a bigger picture of our overall impression of the museum. Individual art pieces are typically displayed along the wall in relatively even space. If the piece is furniture or a sculpture, it may be displayed more towards the center of the room. The pieces are typically grouped together by style, time period, or theme. For example, the early American nationalist art was displayed together, while more modern art was grouped together in a different area. In this way, the pieces definitely work together and complement one another. There is a lot of lighting throughout the gallery, but the art is still highlighted by even more lighting. The white walls also highlight the art the many colors of the works hanging against the white walls seem to pop even more their colors are emphasized against the neutral color of the wall.

I noticed that the very detailed and intricate pieces visually attract me right away. In these pieces, the hard work that the artists put into creating each piece is especially evident. The details are very intentional and show talent and dedication, which I greatly respect. I wonder how long it took for the artists to come up with the idea for each small detail. It could have taken months or years, for all we know. But each detail beautifully works together with the other details to create a uniquely beautiful work of art. I was very surprised to see how many pieces of art there were that were more than a century old. Even though this probably shouldnt have surprised me with the reputation that the Mint Museum has, it was still amazing to see history on display in front of me, instead of just being told about it. There is a great different between hearing about history and experiencing it yourself. At the Mint Museum, I learned that art plays a great role in this process of experiencing history at least, a much larger role than a lot of people realize. That being said, I learned about each piece (including the year it was created) by reading information about the art that was posted either beside each piece or on the floor of the display, if the piece was not hung on the wall (such as furniture). The basic information included the title, artist, the year of creation, the artists country of origin, and the art medium for that particular piece. If there was a group of similarly styled pieces of art, there were usually a few paragraphs of information that went more in-depth into the particular style near the featured pieces. I also learned a great deal about some of the pieces of art by talking with the security team, who were very knowledgeable about the art. I intentionally took time to read the information about particular styles of art to get a better understanding of each style and how it was made. One security guard came over to tell me more about the particular style I was reading about at when he saw me reading the information on the wall. Another security guard asked my

opinion about a featured artists exhibit, and shared his initial opinion with me and how it has changed. Hearing about his personal experience with the art was great it showed that he loved what he did for a living, and it is always interesting to hear another perspective on art. In particular, I especially enjoyed the American Art section of the permanent collection. One piece in particular that interested me was Indian Summer in the White Mountains (1862) by Sanford Robinson Gifford. Aesthetically, the tone of the colors is very light red. Because red often signifies passion, this tone of color signifies the subdued passion within the natural scene represented. This subdued passion seems to be the combination of passion of the beauty and the unknown of uninhabited land combined with peace. Interestingly, both portrayals of humans in the painting (which are a man walking towards the woods, and a camp on the opposite side of the expansive lake) are tiny compared to the uninhabited land shown that comprises the majority of the painting. This gives the painting a sublime effect while also acknowledging the importance of the land over the false power that humans think they hold over the land. Not only did Gifford choose to make humans tiny in the piece, but he also made them the least detailed parts of the piece. The buffalo drinking water, the trees of the forest, the majestic mountains, and other similar expressions of nature are painted in great detail and with smooth strokes. The people, on the other hand, appear more blurry and much smaller. Gifford clearly uses detail to emphasize the power of nature over the self-imposed power of humans. Personally, I find spending time in nature to be very peaceful and relaxing. There is something special about being overwhelmed by the natural beauty all around you as you take the time to take it all in. I have to admit that whenever I go hiking, or even if its just walking to class, I am one of the weird people who take the longest to look at nature, even taking pictures of the beautiful trees that are shedding their leaves in the fall. Unfortunately, many people my

age have a short attention span we would rather be on our cell phones for an hour than just sit and reflect in nature for the same amount of time. But being in the midst of natures beauty is one of the best places to think, reflect, and collect your thoughts. It is where you can leave all of the small burdens and crises of everyday life behind (if only for a little while) and focus on the beauty that surrounds us. Unfortunately, young people are not the only societal group that has taken nature for granted. Every age group has gone off the trail of appreciating nature as much as we should. We hear or see evidence of this every day, including careless littering, animals in the ocean dying from plastic garbage, the pollution of water, and cutting down trees for human consumption: construction and buildings. Indian Summer in the White Mountains calls us back to the same appreciation we had for nature and its beauty just centuries ago. The second piece of art that I found particularly fascinating was Washingtons Inauguration (1900-1910) by Howard Pyle. This is a very interesting piece, both aesthetically and culturally. First, the colors used by Pyle range from black to gray to white there are no other colors used. In my mind, this signifies the historical aspect of the work. We often think of history as black and white while the present plays out in brilliant color. But the past is also important to consider, as its strong presence provides the foundation for the present and the future. Another interesting aesthetic choice that Pyle made was making the faces of the people in the crowd in the streets unidentifiable. Honestly, they basically look like dots. However, the powerful figures on the balcony with Washington are highlighted and portrayed with much more detail. This drastic difference in detail poses the question that people sometimes ask: is democracy really a government by the people, for the people like traditional America claims?

Or is it just another structure of power in the world that accounts for the people after it accounts for power and political agendas? This is a stark contrast to the nationalist theme that the American Art section carried. Finally, Washingtons Inauguration is presented from the point of view of an individual in the room with the politically powerful figures, looking on as George Washington is sworn in as President of the United States. It is interesting how Pyle chose to make the piece from this point of view instead of from the point of view of a person in the crowd. This choice further highlights the fact that instead of focusing on the people they represent, many politicians seem to only see power and gain, not their humble and hard-working constituents. Unfortunately, this is still true today. Within the political crises of the day, there is usually one factor that affects each one: the cooperation and humility required to actually get things done within the capital of the nation are usually absent. Personally, it annoys me how much politicians focus on power and each other. George Washington didnt seem to be as focused on such petty distractions. However, the individual from whose point of view Pyle portrays in the piece apparently was influenced by power, displayed by the drastically different attention to detail given to the crowd and to the powerful elite. Politicians today need to get back to representing their constituents well, viewing them as important individuals with a power all on their own, not chasing after power or personal agendas. Culturally, this prompts the debate of whether democracy truly is the freest and most effective form of government in the world today. With the greediness of politicians, the bias of the media influencing the publics perception of important events, and quite frankly, the naivety of many Americans who are being fooled by it all, is democracy really the best for all? Or is it

the best for the powerful? This is a question that we must continue to tackle because, whether we like it or not, it holds both the leaders and the public accountable for how this nation is led. The combination of past and present art makes the Mint Museum a special venue to visit. Like the Harvey B. Gantt Center, the Mint reminds us that we must first understand and appreciate the past to better appreciate the present and the future. Even if we do not particularly enjoy certain pieces as much as others, they are still extremely valuable in this understanding of the museum as a big picture, just as the experiences we do not appreciate as much in life are still very valuable to our development as people. No matter what the circumstances are, we can always learn more in both art and life, allowing light to shine through the large windows of our eyes to illuminate our mind and heart.