Art Center (Images of Iowa)
What artwork means to me?
In visiting the Des Moines Art Center to view the different variety of art collections, I thought about Sontag’s article on Photography and using her definitions to help relate to the pieces of art I witnessed. I began searching around looking for unique pieces to write about when I came across Leslie Hall’s collection that consisted of disturbing and irritating photos of horrendous sweaters and annoying music videos. I thought to myself “ That art is more like garbage.”. I eventually found something that caught my eye. An intriguing art sculpture “Man and Pegasus” I was still a little confused on how this would relate to the idea of photography. As I looked the article, Sontag calls photographs “a grammar and, even more importantly, an ethics of seeing” (3). I realized that the interpretation didn’t necessary have to be from the artist and theire definition, but more importantly come from what I saw.
The “Man and Pegasus” by Carl Mills reminded me of something I would see in a movie or dream about. I imagined what it must feel like to fly alongside a winged horse with magical powers, which could be my best friend. The horse would not only protect me but transport me to wherever I needed to go. In this sculpture Mills uses a very powerful approach making the Man look strong and ready for combat, traveling like Superman. When observing the sculpture one gets a sense of the time and imagination that went into creating such an extraordinary and decorated piece. This piece provides us with great craftsmanship, with great detailed image of both the man and horse. Mills was inspired by the Bellerophon. (A hero of Greek mythology).
Understanding Sontag and her definitions allowed me to build a better relationship and appreciation for artwork. Sontag writes “even though a photo “seems to have a more innocent, and therefore more accurate relation to visible reality than do other mimetic objects”, it is an illusion.” (6) I believe this gives you a free rein of interpretation for example this sculpture could be from a children’s book like a Harry Potter, a Greek Mythology, or a little boys pet that he takes on walks, or seeing oneself as the Man and becoming a super hero fighting off crime with the winged horse.
By going to the Des Moines Art Center it gave me a chance to experience something that I might not otherwise do. I enjoyed getting a chance to roam and view different pieces. Though it is hard to understand just what the artist is thinking in his artwork, I enjoyed coming up with my own interpretation or even making up a fantasy.
By Cody
1 comment:
From Ralph -
For the most part, this post works well. The fact that you see the sculpture as something you could easily see in a dream shows a connection at some basic level, and that is a great way to experience art. And while the comment about the sweater display being garbage is harsh, it is at least honest! I do wish you had actually put the image in the post though, instead of just the url that had to be copied and pasted. Let me know if there are questions about including an image that I can answer.
Post a Comment