Response on a Museum Visit: The Ringling Museum of Art

The name of the museum that I decided to visit is The Ringling Museum of Art. The location of this museum is in Sarasota, Florida and the date of my visit was October 12th, 2019 at 12:00 pm. My visit to this beautiful museum was a date with my girlfriend. The museum was quite the spectacle; it consisted of a wonderfully designed a U-shape building and a Renaissance-inspired appearance. In my opinion, one of the most stunning things at the museum was the property’s courtyard and gardens. This area of the museum features statues, flowers, fountains, and an amazing view of the Sarasota Bay. There were many styles present within the museum itself, these include many Spanish and Baroque works, and a vast collection of Peter Paul Rubens canvases who was a proponent of cheerful style placed an emphasis on color, movement and even sensuality.

Overall, I truly enjoyed my experience at the jaw dropping displays of art present at the Ringling Museum. The atmosphere present within the museum was so welcoming and it makes one admire the creativity and innovation of these artists within their respective time periods. Perhaps, the reason that I enjoyed this experience so much is that it was my first time at this museum, and being immersed in such a wonderful collection of art work that included breathtaking sculptures and paintings was even mind blowing at times. One thing that may have improved my experience at the Ringling Museum of Art is going with more time. This museum truly has so much to offer that being there for three or four hours does not do it justice. With over 28,00 awe-inspiring works it would be ideal to dedicate a day to each section of the museum to admire the art the way which it deserves to be admired. Seeing artwork in person is a completely different experience than seeing artwork online. When viewing artwork online or through textbook, I can never truly feel the presence of the pieces and because of this often time I am not able to give artwork the admiration that it truly deserves. Seeing art in person allows one to truly get feel the presence of the artwork being displayed and admire the tiniest textural details within the artwork that wouldn’t be able to be seen if one was observing it secondhand.

A work of art that truly caught my eye at this museum is titles, Annunciation by Benedetto Gennari II, 1686. This is a beautiful oil canvas painting that was done by the Italian painter during the Baroque period. According to the Ringling Museum, “Annunciation represents the announcement by the angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary that she would conceive and bear the Son of God, to be named ‘Jesus’ (Luke 1:25-38)”. Much like many of the paintings during the Baroque period, this painting is characterized by exaggerated motion, exuberance, and clear detail that was used to create a dramatic effect on the viewer. Overall, this was an amazing experience and I truly hope to return soon.