Art Gallery Visit

A.)

George Segal, Cinema, 1963, Plaster illuminated Plexiglas and metal

            This piece of art grabbed my attention as soon as I turned the corner into the room.  At first I had to do a double take to see if it was a real man just acknowledging the work.  The illuminated lights reminded me of all the glitz that comes with the Hollywood and cinema business.  I really liked how the artist only showed one letter being put up on the cinema side so that the viewer could really imagine any movie title going up there.

Tom Wesselman, Bedroom Painting #40, 1978, oil on canvas

            This picture really interested me at first because of the use of bright colors and almost life-sized objects.  I really wanted to know what the woman was staring up at, and where she was and why she was so excited.  After looking at the title, many of my questions were answered.  It seems as if the woman is lying in her bed looking up at her mate possibly getting ready for a kiss or embrace.  Her open mouth almost looks as if she was laughing and the curtain blowing in the wind creates movement and action in the painting.

B.)

Jim Dine: Child’s Blue Wall, 1962, Oil on canvas, wood metal and light bulb

            I felt a connection with this piece of artwork in particular because it brought me back to my childhood room that I grew up in.  The light bulb that was on in the corner reminded me of the nightlight I had in my room that would shine up and create shadows on my wall.  I remember imagining different shadows walking across my room at night, and creating stories to go with them.  I think that this was the artist’s intention, to evoke the child in us.

Giacomo Balla: Dinamismo Di Un Cane Al Guinzaglio, 1912, Oil on Canvas

            This painting in particular was one I remembered from one of my first visits to Albright Knox.  I was only nine at the time, on a fieldtrip for school.  I didn’t have as much appreciation for different kinds of art as I do now, but this painting in particular really stood out.  I loved the way in which the artists used several strokes to make it look as if the dog is walking and wagging his tail.  It reminded me of my little dog growing up and his excitement as we would go on a walk.  I feel that anyone with a dog would feel a connection with this painting.

C.)

Lee Bontecou: 1960: Untitled, welded steel, canvas and wire

            This piece of art was very interesting and almost disturbing at the same time.  When I first saw it I initially didn’t like it because it made me feel very uneasy and almost frightened me a bit, but after looking at it for a while I really wanted to know its purpose.  I think the fact that the author named it Untitled was very appropriate, because it left the viewer up to decide what its meaning was.  For me in particular, it reminded me of an eye of a powerful machine, ready to take over society.  Maybe that was what the artist was trying to portray, that our society is one day going to be overcome by our own advances.  I would really like to know what the author was thinking when creating this piece.

Anne Arnold: 1971, Charlotte, Acrylic on canvas over wood

This was one of the first pieces of art that I saw in the gallery that really grabbed my attention.  This sculpture really interested me, but I really wasn’t sure of its meaning or purpose.  The pig almost has an angered look in his eyes with his eyebrows raised and ears perked at attention.  The size of the pig is also much larger then any normal sized pig.  I wondered what the author was trying to convey with the sculpture, was she trying to show an angry animal that was about to get in a fight, or was the pig a symbol for something else?  Also at the art gallery, the pig was placed directly in front of another one of Anne Arnold’s sculpture of a cat.  I wondered if this was done intentionally to create a different meaning.