Our culture today, believes that it is most fitting to display a piece of art in an empty room with no other distractions. We feel this is the best way to fully understand the artist’s concept while also connecting emotionally with the piece. In this kind of environment, your mind is only capable of focusing on one piece of art at a time. You are given the breathing room you need to take in the artist’s craftsmanship and stand there in a train of thought. This helps the viewer concentrate on the single piece and allows them to unravel the story behind each piece. I also believe that placing a painting or statue by itself emphasizes its importance to the viewer. The audience then takes more time to look at it because they believe it must be something grand if it was hung up here. The reading titled The Museum as a Way of Seeing talks about how the “everything in a museum is put under the pressure of a way of seeing” (The Museum as a Way of Seeing, 29). I believe this means that museums give a subconscious influence on the people and the way they see the art. If it is given a blank wall, people notice it more because they feel it was impressive enough to get it’s own wall. It is an impactful way of displaying art and having the piece communicate with its audience.
This is very effective, however, it is not the only way to experience a work of art. When our class went to the Palazzo Pitti, hundreds of paintings were hung covering the walls in every room. You would walk in and be overwhelmed by the room itself looking at all the imagery around you. This is how they used to display art. It was supposed to be shown collaged with other pieces. Back then, they enjoyed looking at art all together. It is displayed in a similar fashion to how family homes have multiple photos framed on their walls. This would make sense because paintings served with the same function as cameras do for us today: it is to capture the likeness of something or someone. In those moments of stepping into each room, I felt transported back in time. It was no longer just the paintings that impacted me but the environment itself. The display served as a way for us to understand more about the people back then and how these types of artwork existed when first created.
While I find both ways to be effective, I believe it comes down to how the artists behind the works want us to experience it. Artists create with purpose behind their work and choose environments they feel is most influential for the audience. They want the environment and the art to sink with each other allowing the audience to have that chance to embrace their creations. I believe a great example of this is how the Museo dell’ Opera del Duomo choose to display the statues that were a part of the construction of Florence’s Duomo. They have replicas currently placed on the exterior of the Duomo and have preserved the originals in the museum. I believe this allows us to appreciate the art in two different ways. Looking at the Duomo, we get to see the building and its details as a whole. We appreciate the bigger picture of what it is. When you walk into the museum, you get a closer look at the statues while also being in a clean walled environment. This allows us to look closer and understand and appreciate the details of the Duomo. Without this, I don’t think people would notice the intricate forms of the statues and the expressions on their faces. I believe that it is nice to look closer at the art but still be able to stand in awe at the way the artists wished for us to see their great work.
Comments
Post a Comment