Research

Getting to understand an artist- what time period they lived in, what they went through, and their own personal beliefs- can have a effect on the meaning behind certain pieces. Doing research allows you to connect better, almost as if on a personal level. We know all about Picasso, we know about his taste in abstract art and unique pieces without even having to know much else about him. He was also alive until the 1970's, which is not well known information, and also show why his art style has had an effect on modern art. By just doing a bit of research, our perception of the art can change immensity.

Johan Idema talked about how museums often give very minimal information about the artist, only really talking about them if it effects the piece, (when it was made, the general background), and not much more (27). Getting a better understanding about what the artist was going through also has an effect, and is something that you often have to research on your own. Van Gogh had depression, and learning that small, tiny detail, can actually have a big impact on his art. Before he committed suicide, his art wast perceived or as glorified as it is today, because not understanding his struggle, not adding a tragedy to his story, made his art less then what it actually is. "Getting familiar with [they're] ideas, hesitations, presumptions, private philosophies and life story is essential to comprehending the work" (Idema 27). 

Gathering additional information is very interesting as well, since you get to understand the person more and connect to them better, as well as understanding their piece more. In fact, just learning about a piece can allow you to understand the artist more, as the meaning of it reflects off of their character. Zhi Lin made an entire exhibit dedicated to Chinese migrants to help build railroad systems across America, who were taken out of history. They wrote the names of the know migrants on rocks, (both in Chinese and English), and stacked them all in front of a video recreating a picture taken to celebrate the final product that was the railroad system, and how all of the Chinese workers had been taken out. 

I was able to learn more information about the artist and the exhibit itself simply by reading a blurb that plastered against the wall. Zhi Lin thinks that its important to tell the stories of the forgotten, and the stories of those who's lives were purposely removed from out history books to give America a better name. They made a memorial of sorts, dedicated to all of the underappreciated and forgotten workers who helped set up a railroad system that connected the majority of the country together. 

It allowed me to connect to the artist and the art more, as understanding what it was about, and the historical importance of the piece had a strong impact on my view of it.

Do you like to research about certain topics to understand them better?

Idema, Johan. How to Visit an Art Museum: Tips for a Truly Rewarding Visit. BIS Publishers, 2014

Landscapes

Art comes in many different forms, often accompanied by people, but there are some art forms that are not. Landscapes and still lifes are more complex, as when there are people in painting, its easier to see the story that the art trying to tell. Landscapes are made to be interpretative by the viewer, but understanding the artists point of view when the piece was created can also be helpful. It may allow for more emotions to be provoked, as well as just add another level of understanding.

"Panoramas are almost always idealized... or even entirely imaginary. It's all about what the author wants you to see" (Idema 3). Landscape painting are not simply that- they are expressions of creativity and imagination. The point of art has always been about how an artist can express themselves, and about how the people looking at them interpret the art. Being able to see how someone could come up with an entire piece of scenery is very important to understanding the purpose and meaning behind it.

The time period also has an effect on what a landscape can stand for. Johan Idema wrote about how landscapes developed, starting with precision, but moved closer to impressionism as time went on (3). Art is something that is constantly developing and changing, so the art style used can easily have an effect on your interpretation of the piece.

Trying to put myself in the artists place, and playing closer attention to details helped me understand the landscapes better. Learning about the time period that it was made, while also noticing those small, little additions made me also appreciate it more. I often felt nostalgic while looking at the art, which was surprising, as I never found myself to be drawn towards nature, but also felt natural. Using different point of views helped me understand it more as well.

What is your favorite landscape painting?

Idema, Johan. How to Visit an Art Museum: Tips for a Truly Rewarding Visit. BIS Publishers, 2014.

Security

We often ignore security officers in our day to day lives. We try our best not to interact, intimated by their stature and their uniforms, but, in the world of museums they can often be quite helpful. Johan Idema talks about how security guard are not seen as people full of knowledge, but simply people who are meant to protect and prevent items being stolen, while they normally have inside information about the topics of certain exhibits (1).

I was able to talk to a security guard at a museum during my most recent visit, and I got a lot of additional background information about it. Idema stated, "many guards would speak with great passion, if only we asked them" (1), which I found to be the case when I talked to one.

While at the Bellevue Art Museum, there was an exhibit open called "Searching Home". While talking to the security guard working at the museum, I was able to obtain additional information about the piece. The entire exhibit was carved out of wood. Suitcases, bar link fences, everything. The artist behind it, Humaria Abid, was told when she was young that she would never be able to work with wood, as in her country, carpentry was seen as a mans profession. Abid was able to over come those stereotypes, and built this exhibit to represent immigrants and immigration. With out talking to the guard, I would have never learned this information, and would have just simply thought it was cool, but never be able to understand the deeper meaning.

What kind of information did you obtain from an unlikely place/person?

Idema, Johan. How to Visit an Art Museum: Tips for a Truly Rewarding Visit. BIS Publishers, 2014.

Music & Art

Music and art are two things that often go hand in hand- listening to music while creating art often allows for people to focus more- so its no wounder that listening to music helps you enjoy art more while looking at it. Johan Idema talked about this, saying,"Music can articulate or enhance the emotion, thematic or dramatic aspects of art,"(32). Music allows us to tie emotion to other things, and in a place full of art, music will help bring out even more emotions, which is very beneficial when looking at or creating art. Idema also talked about how music helps us understand and see color and shapes better, saying that it helps widen our understanding of abstract art (32).

Some types of music can effect mood better then others. When thinking of music that could match with art to enhance our experiences, our first thoughts turns to classical, because of the simple elegance and calming of the music, that also fits with the time period of a lot of the pieces. I found this to be untrue.

In my experience, switching through different musical genres while walking through the museum, looking at art, I personally liked listening to R&B out of all of them. It had a similar type of mood to classical, but was ultimately more modern, and allowed me to slip into the world of art easily.

Rock also, surprisingly worked well. Even though the music became more intense compared to R&B and classical, it made it a little bit more exciting. It was also interesting how the music made the art feel more alive, and also filled the silence that the museum was encompassed in.

Listening to music did changed the way I looked at certain art pieces, and the diversity of the pieces influenced the type of music I listened to.

What does listening to music help you accomplish through out your daily life?

Idema, Johan. How to Visit an Art Museum: Tips for a Truly Rewarding Visit. BIS Publishers, 2014.

Don't Wander- Observe

Museums hold the greatest pieces of art known to man. The art ranges from different values and different styles, and each piece has its own unique connotation and creative outlook on the world. The museums in themselves that holds these masterpieces, how ever, only seem to have one purpose and one activity- a place where we can wander around looking at art. Johan Idema stated, "We turn into better observers when sitting down" (23). sitting down simply allows us to focus more, as our brain isn't focused on standing, but rather on the things happening in the world around us.

Museums are often seen as boring, as you simply feel like the only thing to do is to walk around and look, but you can always do more then that. Scattered through out museums are benches and places to sit, not simply for you to have a place to relax if you get tired of walking, but to give you the opportunity to slow down, and look. Idema explains how having benches and furniture around the museums makes us feel like we are at home and rather than a museum, and slows us down to process the art that we are looking at, and allows us to try and come up with what the art means to us.

When applying this technique, I felt as if I wasn't being as rushed, and I had more time to absorb the art and take in the details of the pieces. It made me appreciate the pieces of art more. I found it much easier to pinpoint what I exactly liked about a certain art piece. Combining this with walking up closer to the paintings afterward, it also allowed me to enjoy the art more, as it gave me a different point of view while looking at the art.

How do you feel like this could be applied to your everyday life, and not just a museum?

Idema, Johan. How to Visit an Art Museum: Tips for a Truly Rewarding Visit. BIS Publishers, 2014