High Museum Visit

High Museum Visit

• Favorite Artwork - The artists name was Vik Muniz and the artwork is titled "Self portrait as an oriental after Rembrant. (Pieces of Junk) It was in the contemporary art section and I liked it because of all the random finds in the self portrait. He used random junk in his work to form his portrait. Such random things like a urinal, wheelchair, many crushed cans, and a lot more junk.
• Looked Sad - The piece that I thought looked sad to me was titled "Christ at the Column with Saint Peter" done by Bartolome Esteban Mirillo. Depicted in the painting was Jesus being bound before his trial and his eventual execution. Being a christian this had meaning to me, although according to my beliefs it turned out for the best.
  
• Liked but wouldn't take home - I liked the "Incense Boat" by Reinhold Vasters. It was a very ornate boat decorated with many different jewels and pearls. It was used to burn incense. I wouldn't take it home because it was way too fancy to be at my house and I don't use incense.
• Taught me Something - The piece of art that taught me something was "The Victory at Saint Gothard" by Jean Regnaud. It made me read about the reason behind its creation which was a commemorative to King Louis XIV for the success in battle. The art itself was a very large medallion, (about the size of a sewer cover), meant to be put on the light posts in the street of France. However they never made it up to the light posts and not all the medallions planned were created.
  
• Reminded me of someone in my life - The artwork was called "Tyrannosaurus #1" by William L. Hawkins. It reminded me of my girlfriend Terri because we refer to ourselves as dinosaurs and she is Terri the T-Rex and I'm Spencer the Stegosaurus.
  
• Shocked Me - The work of art that "shocked" me was by Tom Wesselman and titled, "Mouth #15." The shock was that it is an exhibited art piece. The only thing that I could really appreciate is he had to shape the frame of the canvas to be lips but the piece in its entirety was very unimpressive.
  
• Historical - The piece that I found historical was "Nydia the Blind girl of Pompeii" by Randolph Rogers. This work was inspired by the book The Last Days of Pompeii which was inspired by the real events in Pompeii. The character in the sculpture is fictional but the peril she is escaping was real. Mount Vesuvius erupted in Pompeii and covered it in ash. I found the sculpture very impressive for its size and I also like marble sculpture.
  
• Folk & Contemporary vs. Rest of Museum - The folk and contemporary art is more recent and valued in a different respect. The rest of the museum is covered in artifacts and things from the past that have more than one relevance. Personally I enjoyed the rest of the museum over the folk and contemporary areas.
• Most Meaningful - My girlfriend and I went together and saw everything together, including the Terra Cotta Army exhibit. We enjoy looking at stuff like that and learning so we had a fun day.
  

Here is the statue by Auguste Rodin that stands outside the High Museum. The High received it as a gift from the French Government. It was given to the Robert W. Woodruft Arts Centre, formerly the Atlanta Art Association (AAA) on Oct 5th, 1968. It was given in memory of 122 AAA members who lost their lives in a plane crash at Orly field in Paris on June 3rd, 1962.