The museum has over the years claimed the glory as the most important building that holds the treasure of various works of art. While the widely acknowledged perception about the experience of visiting a museum is in regards to the aesthetic value the visitor receives, Duncan and Wallach (1980) sought to provide a different approach. The authors argue that the experience of visiting a museum cannot be solely described on the aesthetic contemplation of the displayed works of art (448). Instead, they argue that beyond the said experience, museums communicate different values and beliefs that include the social experience. The current paper seeks to analyze the Art Gallery of Ontario using the perspectives presented by Duncan and Wallach.
Duncan and Wallach (449) argue that museums fulfill the primary ideological function by communicating the beliefs and values of a society to the visitors. The extent of the resources devoted to building, renovating and maintaining the museums of art further helps explain the importance attached to these buildings. Such efforts are likened to those that were made in constructing temples and cathedrals in past societies (449). Huge resources are dedicated to ensure that the building realize monumental and prominent status within a city or even an entire region. To further highlight the idea that the modern survey of museum architecture and design heavily borrows from the ancient practices, the authors compare the display of war trophies by the Romans. Rome paraded the loot from triumph and conquest including the arms of the captured enemies. Similarly, the authors contend that most of the art forms (African, Native American, Oriental and Asian) in display in most European and American museums can be described as triumphal possessions showing supremacy and domination (Duncan and Wallach 449).
Another critical aspect that supports the ideological role of museums relates to the architecture and design of the various components of the museums. The manner in which museums are designed reflects the desire of ancient ceremonial monuments to communicate state authority (Duncan and Wallach 450). A majority of museums borrow from the political and ideological practices of imperial Rome to erect such structures as the coffered ceilings, temple fronts, and domes. Many museums are built in such a way that they leave the visitor entering through the doors performing some form of a ‘ritual’. By ritual, the authors point to the sophistication of museums in selecting and arranging of the art works in carefully designed spaces. The combined effect of the art forms and the architectural designs influences the experience of the visitors (Duncan and Wallach 450). However, the ritual process is not related to the experience of the visitors, but to the installations of the museum, layout and spaces that create a sequence. These ideologies among others will be discussed in relation to the Art Gallery of Ontario (GAO) in the following paragraphs.
The GAO
Prior to visiting the GAO, I conducted a review of various galleries to establish any relationship with what I had studied regarding the ideology presented in study materials that were provided. Evidently, the GAO is one outstanding museum that offers a perfect blend between architecture and the displayed works of art. Upon admission, it was evident that the gallery is open in all days expect during selected public and national holidays. Children aged below 7 years are granted free entry. During the visit, I particularly noticed the overall organization and set-up of the gallery with the various props displaying carefully laid out works of art. While I was in the museum, there were more than 200 people, in my estimation, with a majority being children accompanied with their parents. The GAO further demonstrates the ideological view of a classless society since it is accessible to all. However, in the same breadth, feelings of exclusion may be apparent among the less educated and elite majority while fostering a sense of belonging in the minority elite who have the ability to share in the possession of the wealth of art displayed in the museum.
In many ways, the GAO fits the description of a universal survey museum. Dancun and Wallachi (454) consider the universal survey museums as those that not only present a huge art history, but also form essential ornaments of a city. These are the first types of museums to emerge in history and are related to the concept of public art museum. The museums evolved in the 18th century from the princely and royal collections gallery into public collections (Arnold 2004). The GAO is the biggest museum in Canada and arguably in North America and hence fits the description of being the pride of the city of Ontario and Canada at large. Besides, the museum is home to various art works from the Rennaisance and Baroque periods, African and Oceanic, European, contemporary and modern art. The museum further houses the biggest Canadian art collection with other sections including photography and prints and drawing collections. The Canadian art ranging from pre-Confederation to the modern times is evident in the galleries. Indeed, the tour guides revealed to us that close to half of the museum’s collections reflect the different eras of Canadian art including the works of Group of Seven, Cornellius Krieghoff and Emily Carr. Included in this Canadian art are the indigenous and Inuit art represented by the works of such artists as Jackson Beardy, and Norval Morrisseau. The gallery also contains crucial European art including sculptures, miniatures, decorative arts from the Renaissance and Medieval eras.
To further illustrate the significance of art history and its relationship universal survey museum in the AGO, the gallery has elaborate exhibition rooms that are dedicated to the modern and contemporary Canadian, American and European art that demonstrate how the modern art movements have evolved. Works of art from such artists as David Smith, Franz Kline, Henri Matisse, Salvador Dali, and Georgia O’Keeffe are included in this critical section of the gallery. The chronology of display then extends to graphic art, photography and installations.
The arrangement of the various works of arts reveals the sensitivity of the curators and art historians to keep critical elements and art pieces from the various historical perspectives and periods. Indeed, as Arnold (2004) points out, the museums play an essential role in storing crucial art history of the time and the school of thought when a piece of work was produced. Such an evolution, as Duncan and Wallach (455) argue, resulted in the democratizing of artistic experience as it allowed almost anyone to learn the classification system and the attributes of the different schools and masters. Indeed, the more than 95,000 permanent collections drawn from different eras are crucial in describing the evolution of art history. Keeping an historical view, art history, can be considered as a significant component of the universal survey museum and the GAO demonstrates this perspective.
Main Entrance
An ideal visitor, according to the ritual script, is one who does not define the experience purely on the aesthetic nature of the display, but also the role of the spaces and sequences of the architectural elements as they complement the works of art. Leading to the main entry of the museum is a 200 m fronting of the GAO on Dundas Street with the Galleria Italia projecting. The soffit is made from wood panels that provide a contrast to the glass façade and concrete passage. Immediately one enters the building, the visitor is welcomed by a glulam-framed wall and wooden colors of the information desk. Once one enters the building, a warm and welcoming feel greets them despite the feeling of a low height in the ceiling. The huge spaces makes one anticipate the artwork and architectural mastery that lie beyond the entrance. Essentially, this entry way marks the beginning of the ritual.
Walker Court
Entry into the gallery is made possible by way of stairway or a curved ramp clad with wood. The Walker Court performs various functions to the overall experience of the museum. Its central placement with a high ceiling, large walk halls communicate the idea of community. The halls with wooden clad walls welcome the visitors and allow them to take the procession of the ritual. As the first exhibition hall after entry, the court provides huge paintings and sculptures that are covered in glass cases. The roof of the Walker Court provides a huge area of open skylight that allows for maximum entry of light to brighten the court and make it more welcoming. Besides, the light allows the community to enjoy perhaps the most magnificent architectural component o the museum, the Spiral Stair. As Duncan and Wallach (458) argue in the universal survey museum, the staircase is one of the significant aspects that provide the most ideologically filled moment in the entire ritual. To signify how important the stair was to the museum experience, during the renovation of the grand staircase of the Louvre, the architect provided more than 8 plans to the Emperor before the current stairway was approved. The architect later revealed that the previous plans had not met the many roles that the stairway was to perform. In the GAO, the spiral stairway does not only provide access to other levels of the museum, but also act as the embodiment of the ritual as it winds into the various exhibition spaces.
Gallery 121
The gallery comprises of European sculptures and paintings that were completed in the Middle Ages through Renaissance. The most significant collections are the small sculptures and ivory works completed in France in the 13 and 15th century. Incorporated in the section are Italian art works including the work of Giovanni del Biondo and Nino Pisano. The GAO further houses Gian Lorenzo’s sculptures including the Corpus. The ideological concept shown over the different eras of European art is the relationship between museum art and art history. The museology of the collections further indicates that art history is a crucial component of universal survey museum.
Bibliography
Arnold, Dana. Art history: A very short introduction. OUP Oxford, 2004.
Duncan, Carol, and Alan Wallach. "The universal survey museum." Art history 3, no. 4 (1980): 448-469.
