Impressions of Museum Or Gallery Exhibit

The first work of art that I saw was The Jackson Pollock One: Number 31, painted in 1950. Jackson Pollock was an American painter that known for his incredible artistic skills using oil and enamel on a 8ft 10inch in height and 17ft 6inch wide. Jackson Pollock’s paintings housed colors of blue, grey, black, grey and white on an off-white canvas. Pollock designed this unique abstract painting by placing the canvas on the floor as he walked around the canvas dripping paint on it. Drip style painting is a unique style of painting that Jackson Pollock is known for. There are a variety of lines ranging from long, short, thin, and thick within Pollock’s paintings that are literally all over the place. Only when the canvas is out of the frame that it is housed in one can see the masterpiece entirely. You can also see the canvas within the painting because the lines do have spaces in between them. I Chose this painting because of the endless possibilities of where the lines start and end, it’s like the endless journeys that life must offer. Although I have not had the pleasure of standing in front of the painting but looking at the picture you can get lost in it. I find myself tracing the lines to see where they lead me. This painting gives me a feeling of freedom in the middle of chaos.

The second piece that I have chosen is the Woman 1 by Willem de Kooning painted from 1950-52. The Woman 1 is also an abstract oil painting created by an American painter during the early 1930’s and 1940’s. This is one of six paintings of women that de Kooning painted. The Woman in the painting is not your typical seductive women, she is very chesty with wide and broad shoulders. Her teeth overpower her smile and her eyes are big her lips are very thin with big long feet. I chose this painting because it gives me a feeling of a strong women with internal conflict. The colors in her skirt to say that although in conflict there is still some light shining.

The final piece that I chose is Three Musicians by Pablo Picasso in the summer of 1921. Picasso is a Spanish painter; the size of this painting is equivalent to the size of a door. This was part of the Cubism era. This Picasso showed his confidence in this piece of three musicians that take up most of the canvas. There is a singing monk with sheet music who represents one of his friends that joined a monastery, the masked hero that represented a friend of his that was a poet, and a harlequin that represents Picasso, and finally a dog under the piano. I chose this painting because of the jazzy feel it gives. The abstracted figures in the painting gave me a feel of what a jazz bar in New Orleans would have. The dog in the picture is what makes you think where did he come from.

The three paintings I chose caught my eye and made it easy for me to sit and study the painting. It woke up feelings for me that I can describe to the best of my abilities. Abstract art speaks to the imagination of a person and enjoyable feelings at least they did for me. Each painting that I chose gave me a feel of adventure. Pollocks painting is endless possibilities of different ways a situation could go. The Woman put me in the mind of the inside of me when I am conflicted about something, normally life changing events in my life. De Kooning showed his internal confliction through the background of the painting and the masculine feel of the woman in the panting.

Picasso’s painting talked to my musical side, but when hearing the purpose behind his painting was very interesting to me. That the musicians in the painting were representations of himself and two of his friends. Picasso this piece was personal but he portrade the upbeat side of his friendships.