Bailey Van Wagoner

Period 8

Art Museum Critique

1) Which museum did you visit? (check one) _X_ Univ. of Utah ___ BYU

2) Describe at least one of the permanent collection exhibits on a theme, period, geographic

region, or topic) within the museum. {150 words}

My absolute favorite permanent exhibit was tucked away in a corner of the building. It was titled

“Funerary Art from the Ancient Mediterranean World: Res Mortis (Matters of Death).” This

exhibit explored artwork of Mediterranean cultures created specifically to ease the passage of the

spirit to the afterlife or to protect the body of a loved one. The selections were from Rome, Greece,

and Egypt from the time of the ancient world. There were various items from funerary mosaics, to

urns, to sarcophagi. Each item depicted a scene, figure, deity, or idea from the religion of the area

from which the item originated. These decorations tied the artifact to a religion in order to describe

the process of death, a ritual, or the afterlife. One thing that every piece had in common, however,

was that the living had a part in the ritual of the dead. Without the care and attention to the body or

soul of the deceased, the person could never reach whatever afterlife in which the culture believed.

3) Give a brief, one paragraph description of a special, temporary exhibit (for help, ask museum

staff what these are; they are usually in one of the first rooms). {100 words}

The exhibit which I came to the Utah Museum of Fine Arts specifically to see was by a

photographer named Yang Yongliang. In this small room, pictures shone with backlights along the

edges and an image was projected onto one of the walls. Each picture appeared to be a photograph
taken of mountains and landscapes in the style of traditional Chinese painting. However, on closer

inspection, the mountains are actually made up of skyscrapers and urban buildings in a

combination of modern photography and traditional Chinese art. With a closer look at the

projection on the wall, I realized that small parts of the image were moving very slowly. Cranes,

cars, and construction vehicles drove through the image getting gradually faster and faster perhaps

in an allegory for the exponential growth of urbanization in China.

4) What do you think the museum administration and/or exhibit curators want you to learn or gain

from the exhibits you viewed? {100 word minimum}

Considering the fact that the Utah Museum of Fine Arts sits on the University of Utah campus and

offers free admission to students from any Utah college, I would say the main goal of the

administration and curators is to educate students about art. The museum displays artwork from

cultures across the world in a variety of mediums: sarcophagi from Egypt, statues from Greece,

photography from China, paintings from all around Europe, masks and cultural items from Africa

and the Pacific islands, and even local art from University of Utah students and staff. This

diversity encourages viewers to appreciate different cultures and their interpretation of art. It is

also a way introduce a broader meaning for the category of art to include things besides just

classical paintings and sculptures. The final message, provided by the University of Utah student

and staff section, was that anyone can create. All one needs is some inspiration.

5) What kind of information is provided about the works? Where might you look for further

information if you were interested? (Name three possibilities)

Beside each artwork, there is a plaque that describes the artist’s name, nationality, birth date, and

death date. Along with this information, the plaque also described the piece’s medium and some
history/meaning behind the work. If I wanted more information, I could take an audio tour of the

museum, grab a pamphlet at the front desk, purchase a book from the gift shop, or even research

the art online through a simple Google search.

6) Choose several works that particularly appealed to you. Explain why you were drawn to these

works. Comment on the subject, style, medium, time period, etc. Who were the artists? What

message do you think the artists were trying to convey in the works you chose to discuss? This

question must be answered in its entirety. {This should be ​at least ​500 words}

Retour de Marcus Sextus dans sa famille​, 1801-1802

This oil painting depicts Marcus Sextus in his military garb. He sits on the bed of his dead

wife with his daughter hugging his leg. The French artist Pierre-Narcise Guerin painted this

classical subject in a more macabre style with grey monochrome. It doesn’t have the same

vibrancy and life that Renaissance paintings of Greek and Roman subjects had. Those light

Renaissance paintings are the ones that I see more often and that I am more familiar with. I had

never seen a more morbid, haunting painting in the classical style. What really drew me in were

Marcus’s eyes. They are opened so wide that the whites of his eyes completely surround his iris in

a disturbing stare. It was also strange to see a painting without color. Everything else had beautiful,

bright colors whereas this was dark and grey. I think the message that the artist aimed to convey is

that no matter a person’s station in life, they can be hit be devastation just like anyone else. And,

the perfect image of Classical times that the Renaissance painted was not the truth of the time.

Aphrodite with Eros on a dolphin at her side,​ 1​st​-2​nd​ Century

This beautiful sculpture is a Roman sculpture from the Imperial Period. It is a marble statue

of Aphrodite with the features of a woman from the imperial family. I have always loved Greek
and Roman artwork, particularly sculptures, because I am fascinated with the mythology and

history. That on its own drew me to this piece. However, I also love these sculptures because they

represent the body in a natural, unaltered way that I don’t see enough of in the media. Even

Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty, has a body with curves and fullness common for real-life

women. It is a body that common people viewed as perfect without any unrealistic expectations or

photoshop. By creating Aphrodite in the likeness of a royal woman, the artist not only conveys that

royalty is comparable to divinity but also that the beauty of women is comparable to that of the

gods.

Your Memory is Already Fading,​ 2016

This piece was probably the most fascinating work I viewed in the museum. It was a

life-size acrylic sculpture of trees and plants rising out of the floorboards. It caught the light in the

most beautiful way as a woman spoke softly over speakers in the room. It is not something that I

had ever seen before because most of the museums I visit contain mainly paintings and stone/metal

sculptures. The artist is Wendy Wischer who either attends or works at the University of Utah. She

created this piece not long ago as a way to bring attention to the sharp decline in plant and animal

extinction. The somber words of her poem as well as the haunting beauty of her sculpture makes

the viewer ponder the loss that our world is facing. I think this piece stuck out to me especially

because it combined visual and theatrical arts. I have participated in theater for over a decade and

really appreciate emotion through words.

7) How did the artworks you looked at relate to material we have discussed in class? (They do

relate in many ways, you just need to look for those relationships). {Minimum of 150 words}

I do not believe that every single piece of art had a deep meaning, sometimes artists create simply
for the sake of art. However, I do think that a few of them seemed to connect with Humanities. The

most common link that I saw was with the unit called Happiness and the Good Life. It showed in

the way that different cultures pursued and represented happiness. Some pieces showed pleasure

through material or carnal pleasures. They showed decadent feasts, expensive clothing, and

beautiful people. Others showed a more religious path towards happiness with prayerful scenes of

gods, saints, and religious ceremonies (the majority of these had to do with Christianity and

salvation through Christ). Still others preached happiness through self-enlightenment. This came

through education, music, hard work, child-rearing, or the contribution of something long-lasting

to a community and the world. While these are by no means the only connections that I saw,

happiness was the most common and interesting topic to pay attention to.

8) What was your personal reaction to this experience? Would you enjoy attending this type of

event again? Why or why not? {Minimum 100 words}

I really enjoyed my visit to the Utah Museum of Fine Arts. I found the artwork both beautiful and

engaging due to the interactive exhibits. I might not come back to this museum soon just because it

is a very small museum, and I got the chance to view all of it. However, I have always loved

museums and am not likely to ever lose that passion. I never turn down an opportunity to visit a

museum. I think it’s because my family has always put a lot of emphasis on learning and art,

especially through museums. In fact, almost every vacation we take is centered on the museums in

the area.