Eighth Blog

           This past week my peer and I took a trip to the National Museum of Women in the Arts.  I found it really interesting to experience going to a museum, rather than viewing artwork in the classroom.  I liked being able to go with a peer so I could discuss each painting we viewed.  Before going to the museum, I thought that the paintings I was going to be viewing would be very feminine, just like the pictures we viewed in class the week prior by feminist artists such as Judy Chicago.

            As we made our way through the museum, we passed artworks that are considered the permanent exhibit.  One particular painting caught my attention right away.  It’s called “Portrait of a Young Boy” by Elisabeth Louise Vigée-Lebrun and was painted in 1817.  It was a very simple painting, yet it seemed to have a lot of meaning behind it.  Im this painting, there is a picture of a very young looking boy who is holding a big gun.  As soon as I spotted this painting, I was instantly reminded of the article we read a few weeks ago called, “Why Won’t We Talk About Violence and Masculinity in America?” by Soraya Chemaly.  In this article, the author discusses how tragic uses of guns here in the United States are by unstable males.  Soraya Chemaly says, “There is, sadly, nothing unique about men with guns in this country killing people everyday.” (Chemaly)  This is a sad thought because it means our society, as a whole, associates males with acts of violence and hate.

            The next piece of artwork I viewed was a piece by Anna Ancher that was apart of the A World Apart exhibit.  In the painting, "Women Plucking Chickens" Anna Ancher incorporates women in her painting.  The title of the painting pretty much describes the scenario of the three women in the painting.  This is not the only painting that incorporates women doing labor.  “Harvesters” also by Anna Ancher relates to “Women Plucking Chickens.”  The difference is that in "Harvesters" the women are being led by a man in the field.  In "Women Plucking Chickens" females are the only gender represented in the painting and are the ones doing the labor.  I enjoyed analyzing both of these paintings.  Each painting in this exhibit seem to reflect the lives of both Anna and Michael Ancher.

            The wall plaques next to each painting and the brochures I was given before my tour of the museum definitely changed my initial interpretation of each piece of art.  For example, "A-E-I-O-U (and Sometimes Y) by Mickalene Thomas caught my attention because it was hot pink and sparkling.  When I read the description, the artist was into exploring traditional notions of female identity and beauty through African American women.  This piece of art recalls Andy Warhol's photobooth portraits.  In addition, according to the museum's wall plaque description, the title plays homage to a dance club and MTV hit in 1983.

            I haven’t been to many art museums in my life.  My overall experience at this museum was very pleasant and I would recommend it to anyone who was interested.