Hey Everyone,
So we just got back from Spring Break! A most celebrated time of year when exhausted college students take a week-long break, plan to do lots of work to get caught up, and generally get very little of it done. While I did find myself being somewhat productive this past week, I still managed to squeeze in plenty of time to hangout with my family and friends in my home town.
I think it should be written into law that all spring breaks occur on one specific week, but since that’s not the case, a few of my friends were not able to come home till the weekend right before break was over. My friend Sarah, goes to school up in New York City, so a few friends and I road-tripped up for the day to see her and visit the city. New York is one of my favorite places to visit because it is literally never boring. There’s always like 12,000 different things to do at one time, and the hardest part is just picking where you want to go. For this trip, we decided to keep it classy and visit a museum during our trip.
Now, this is where things can get expensive for students on a budget. NYC is a pretty pricey place to visit as is, but with all the schools in the area there are a ton of student discounts all students can use. Even though myself and my friends did not attend an NYC school, we still got the student discount and decided to visit the MoMA! I had never been to the Museum of Modern Art before, but I was excited to visit a NYC cultural landmark and see another aspect of the city.
There is one thing I should tell you before you continue reading this blog: I know nothing about art and even less about modern art. Sure, I can appreciate art and the fact it probably took the artist a lot of time to create and what not, but when it comes down to it, I just don’t “get it” sometimes. Because of my total lack of art knowledge, I basically decided that if I could make it, it didn’t count as art. Not the most intellectual way to view artwork, but hey it worked for me!
The museum had a lot of weird pieces on display, but there were also a lot of famous ones too! Here are some of the pieces I got to see and my analysis on it being art. Feel free to comment and critique, these are not professional opinions by any stretch of the imagination! So lets play “Is it Art?”
So, this is a Picasso piece and he’s pretty well-respected in the Art community. Even with my limited art knowledge, I think this counts!
- Ok, seriously torn on this one. It’s a Pollock piece and while its super inventive, I have tried it before and can def be done by someone with the most limited artistic skills. With all that said, he was the first to try it so its Art!
- This is the famous Warhol can painting. I always thought it was the same print, so it didn’t really count, but actually each of the cans have a different name which is kinda cool… He’s a cultural icon so I’ll give it to him.
- Normally, I totally wouldn’t count it, but taking pics in front of it are super fun so I’m just gonna count it!
These are a lot of light bulbs hanging from the ceiling. While this would be a super cool way to light your bedroom, it’s not art.
Is this not the coolest hammock ever?!? So totally counts just because I would totally have lounged in it if there wasn’t an angry security guard next to it.
Ok, its Starry Night people. Clearly one of the most famous pieces ever and its beautiful in real life. ART!
and my final piece to analyze…
A half-unpacked cardboard box. At first, I thought the display wasn’t completed or someone forgot to take out the trash. Then my friend Brandon pointed out, that it had a plaque on the wall and someone had actually claimed it as their own artwork. Well, I almost tripped over it and, seriously, it’s a box! I’ve officially decided this is not art.
So there you have it. Even on a student budget, you can still be super classy and make your own decisions about modern art. Well, that’s all from me for now. Till next time everyone,
-Taylor
