Guggenheim Museum

“Art and China after 1989” explores the transitions in Chinese culture through exhibits of individualism, fact vs theory, and a general Chinese experience. The exhibition's six thematic parts express conservative eastern philosophies in nuanced ways while still exploring neoliberalism. The transition to modernism starts with the techniques used to portray imagery, such as videos and body art, as opposed to conventional forms such as drawing and calligraphy. Traditional philosophies are discussed by art pieces such as "Post Sense Sensibility: Alien Bodies & Delusion," which depicts a human defying government cleanliness regulations. Lu Jie’s “Harass the mind” exhibits the manner in which the Red Army traversed China between 1934 and 1935. “New Beijing is another art piece which delves into the Chinese history to exhibit traditional ideals. The art pieces which convey the history of China still focus on the communal value system as opposed to individualism. The section “Uncertain Pleasure: Acts of Sensation” shows the onset of the move to individualism which seeks to be separate from the east-west binary which is representative of the ideologies of the east and western blocks. However, the section “Whose Utopia: Activism and Alternatives circa 2008” concludes the exhibition with an individualistic feel. Cao Fei’s video which depicts individualism in light of industrialization shows the differences which have occurred throughout the history of China. Cao Fe’s “ A Second Life City Planning” espouses the ideals of modernization which is concerned with topics such as urbanization, urban crowding and pollution thereby showing a move towards globalization.

Josef Albers in Mexico is a collection of photographs and paintings which he took throughout his visits of Mexico. The juxtaposition of ancient art and in black and white; and the color and form of his art which he included in the pieces of art enables an analysis and contrast to be made between the monuments in Pro-Colombia and Josef Albers art. Visual perception becomes pertinent in the analysis of Josef’s squares which he exhibited repetitively and contrasted with the monuments in Mexico. The pieces of work enable an analysis of the manner in which art is seen. An example is the observation of the pyramid which caused me to perceive it in the next set of squares depicted by Josef. The monumental structures in Mexico can be observed differently after looking at the squares. The art by Albers shows the manner in which intersection of colors in art can create an entirely different picture. The use of bright and dark colors causes the observation of images differently. When the same principles are applied to the monumental architecture in Pre-Columbia, the result is phenomenal. The art takes a life of its own as one is able to observe the details in each picture and notice the life in each aspect.

The Expressionistic revolutionary movement of artistes such as Vassily Kandinsky differed from the impressionist movement in form, narrative context and the methods used by the artistes to paint on their canvases. The Impressionists such as Monet used quick brushstrokes while Expressionism preferred gestural brushstrokes. Whereas expressionist conveyed emotion through distortion of their subjects; impressionists utilized vibrant colors to articulate the same. Impressionism delineated from realism and opted to convey urban life at its best. Expressionists however showed the disillusionment caused by the effects of industrialization. Impressionists explored isolation as a theme. Expressionism used colors which did not correlate to their reality such as people having green faces.

Frank Lloyd Wright’s design of the Gugenheim Museum enhances the experience of any person who visits it. The magnificence of the building struck me because of the sense of space that I perceived even before observing any work of art. My experience of the artistic works within the building was magnified by my perception of the building. I felt that I was in the presence of greatness or an experience beyond the ordinary. The Gugenheim transforms the gallery experience not only because of its sheer magnitude and space but also the positioning of the artistic pieces with an entire section being observable from a single point. My presence within the museum was similar to traversing a spiritual space which was sacred. Compared to other works of Frank Wright such as the Wright’s Robie House, Wright was able to show his architectural design flexibility and experimentation with different styles, shapes and sizes.

The piece of art which elicited an immediate spontaneous reaction was “Dining Room on the Garden” by Pierre Bonnard. The vibrant colors used to draw attention to the sensuality of the dining room and the foods on the table was quite striking. The perfect dinner experience beckoned from the colors conveyed on the table: the flowers on the table were bright red, the meal consisting of different colors and the open window portraying the beauty of the night. The seats were unoccupied. The only human form in the picture is painted using flurried brushstrokes which draw attention to the woman arranging the flowers. The personal experience which made the work most appealing to me was a flashback to the days when I was young and my family ate meals together. I remember mother always taking keen interest to organize the dinner meals including having a fresh vase of flowers set up. The memory was nostalgic to me because I no longer experience family dinnertimes.



Works Cited

Berry, Chris. "Cao Fei's 'Magical Metropolises." 2017. 11 December 2017 .

Bonnard, Pierre. "Dining Room on the Garden." 2017. Guggenheim. 11 12 2017 .

Shamir, Lior, et al. "Impressionism, expressionism, surrealism: Automated recognition of painters and schools of art." ACM Transactions on Applied Perception (TAP) 7.2 (2010): 8.

Solomon R Guggenheim Museum. "Josef Alber in Mexico." 2017. New York. Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. 11 12 2017 .

Wright, Frank LLoyd, et al. Frank Lloyd Wright. Tokyo: ADA Edita Tokyo, 1991.