Wallace Collection

1. Labels. Wallace Collection

Share your thoughts on the identification of paintings within the Wallace Collection. Do the titles and artist names feel more integrated with the art when engraved/painted upon frames? Do you prefer object labels (separate labels outside of frames)? What feels appropriate for this collection?

While I can understand them wanting to create a sense of integration and old world style by incorporating the names and artists in the frames themselves I found this to be distracting and more then that to be difficult to read. Also, this kind of labeling was inconsistent through out the gallery as some paintings were named on the frame while other had labels outside the frame. At the very least they should keep using the same system through out. I personally definitely prefer separate labels outside the frames. I can enjoy the painting then examine the clearly legible label with the artist's name, the title and the year. One thing I loved was in the National Portrait gallery not only did the labels provide that information but they also gave some background description of what was going on the painting or who the person was. This helped me appreciate the pieces a more. With all that being said I understand that this is a private collection and it was meant to be kept close to how it was originally displayed. It would be strange for a collector to label their paintings like they do in museums. This kind of labeling on the frames fit well with the Wallace Gallery and the old style of the paintings that are housed there.

2. Object of Appreciation. Wallace Collection

What object captivates your attention and why?

Although this wasn't my favorite museums overall, I really enjoyed Mrs Mary Robinson by Thomas Gainsborough (1781); he became one of London's most fashionable portrait painters. Although it is a beautiful painting, what interested me was the scandalous story behind how it came about. Interestingly, Mrs Robinson, famous for her beauty, was an actress who caught the eyes of a prince regent during a performance and she briefly became his mistress. The Prince Regent went from mistress to mistress and Robinson was his first famous one. He saw her on stage and sent her a miniature of himself - the one she is holding in her right hand in the picture - it had a paper heart inside swearing his love forever. By the time he had commissioned Gainsborough for the painting, he had left Robinson.

3. Object of Excessive details/ornamentation Wallace Collection

What object either intrigues or disgusts you based upon ornamentation (ornate or lavish detailing)

Walking around the gallery there were so many clocks, chests, candelabras, etc that were gold plated, elaborate, gaudy and over the top. I didn't even consider them to be pretty or hold aesthetic value my only interest in them came from their age and I wrote the gaudiness off to the time period. This table on the other hand, although it has a lot of intricate detail I think it is tasteful and downright beautiful. The inlaid shells or whatever creates that incandescent color is absolutely beautiful. The detail of the houses is really nice and I could imagine this in a modern home.

4. Favorite Museum

Please tell me your favorite Museum experience and why?

It is really tough to pick just one museum experience as a favorite, they were all so different and I enjoyed certain things about each one. The Tate Modern, Tate Britain, Portrait Gallery, and Saatchi were all incredible but if I had to pick it would be a tie between the Saachi Gallery and Tate Modern. I even went back to the Tate two more times. The Tate Modern was one of the first modern art museums we went to and it really introduced me and gave me my first taste of what modern art was all about. I feel like the Saatchi Gallery took this kind of art multiple steps forward and continued my education of what art could be outside of the Renaissance paintings I had always seen. At the Tate I experienced a Jackson Pollock, Picasso, and fell in love with the surrealist/dream room. I was completely lost in the shapes, colors and imagination of these artists. At the Saatchi Gallery I felt like I was experiencing something that I never knew existed. This art was innovative and exciting. Some of it was terrible but in a great way that made me want to keep looking at it.

5. Museum Interest

Do you have a greater interest in visiting Museums after taking this course? Were you previously intimidated by art? Do you have a greater interest in museum branding / design (logos, labels, mapping, graphics)?

I always liked museums but this course has boosted that ten fold. I used to feel intimidated by the art and even more by going into a museum or gallery because there was so much to see and I felt like I didn't have the knowledge to appreciate the art. I will be spending the summer in the New York City so I plan on visiting many more museums there. This course has definitely boosted my confidence and inspired a sense of curiosity, I even bought an art book for beginners. I had never payed much attention to the design logos and branding but after this I've started to notice logos and branding all over the city not just in museums. It is a new perspective that I feel will come in handy no matter what field I go into. These are important elements which influence a publics perception and reading of an object or company.

6. Any additional comments

I have definitely enjoyed this class. When my boyfriend came to visit I made sure to take him to the Tate Modern and show him around because I was so excited by the whole museum. On my own I doubt I ever would have visited all these places or experienced them in such an in depth way. London can be a large and intimidating city and this class gave me an incredible opportunity to see so many museums and travel around the city in a manageable way. I can't wait for this summer when I can explore even more museums in the City and see what they have to offer.

Design Museum

Brit Insurance Design Awards: Your Vote

Which design would you honor for innovation in the following categories:

(list the object title and provide a two sentence response for the innovative selection)

Architecture: Ladakh Commonwealth Peace Pavilion and Classroom Initiative

I really enjoyed this innovative tent design which is used as an outdoor classroom space in Tibet. It provides sanctuary from the intense sun and harsh elements while providing a space for people to learn and exchange ideas under harsh conditions. I really liked that it was constructed using parachutes from the war.

Furniture: Endless

Endless is impressively created using recycled refrigerators for the fibers. I can't imagine how someone came up with the idea to use refrigerators but not only is it an attractive modern looking chair but it is also environmentally conscious. I could imagine this is anyones home.

Transport: EN-V

For transportation this seemed perfect. It is an interesting, quirky looking car that is one-third the size of cars we have now. I believe this is the car design of the future and could really help improve the environment by reducing gas emissions and also make the roads a safer place. It is impressive that they have the technology which allows the cars to use social networking to converse with other cars to reduce accidents and help with parking.

Graphics: A Love Letter For You

This is definitely the best example of graffiti I observed. Ever since watching Exit Through the Gift Shop I've become much more aware of innovative street art. The colors are really eye catching and when I read the text it made me smile. This graffiti really contributes to and beautifies the area and carries a positive message.

Wim Crouwel: A Graphic Odyssey

Describe your impressions of the exhibition. Is the work of Wim Crouwel too minimal? Do you prefer graphics with more visual elements? What adjectives describe the exhibition?

I really enjoyed Crouwel's exhibition. I definitely did not think that it was too minimalist - it effectively utilized different shapes and colors against solid backgrounds. I really liked the simplicity of his work. Sometimes graphics can help convey a message or add to the poster but in this case I think his designs were more then sufficient on their own without graphics. It really didn't need any to be eye catching or interesting. I would describe his exhibit as complex and eye catching without being overdone or distracting. He uses shapes and colors to effectively make the graphics pop.

When I look at his work I see, most strongly, a combination of Mark Rothko and Donald Judd. Color wise, Rothko's palette is well organized and patterned just like Crouwel's are. Rothko's colors are more blended and bleed into one another but in essence they share fundamental similarities. But more closely he seems to resemble Judd's sculptures. Judd's well defined shapes, patterns, and contrasting colors look very similar to Crouwel's posters and art.

The Three Dancers: In Depth

Picassos painting are extremely personal and full of symbolism. Many people have tried to inpret his work and understand this very private and enigmatic painter. The Three Dancers (1925) is one of his most famous paintings, and was influnced by the surrealist movement. It is often interpreted that this violent, sexual painting depicts a deadly love triangle between his close friends. The dancer on the right is possibly Picasso's close friend Ramon Pichot, who died while Picassso was painting this. On the left is Pinchot's wife Germaine Gargallo and the center is Gargallo's boyfriend and Picasso's friend Carlos Casagermas. Apparently Casagermas was in love with Gargallo and I guess when it was unrequited he tried to shoot her. When he missed Casagermas took his own life. 25 years later Pichot died and critics believe that Pichot's death combined with the anniversary of his other friend Casagermas's death inspired him to paint this.

There are some critics who believe that because Picasso was so secretive he might have spread or encouraged the rumor that the dancer on the right is Ramon Pichot to throw people off. Some critics believe this is actually Picassos wife Olga Khokhlova. The figure on the right does not have the characteristic beard that Pichot always had (pictured below).

Some people believe that this painting is more influenced by the dissolving marriage between Picasso and his wife, Olga. Either of these theories make sense considering how love, sex, and death are linked in this painting and in both of these stories.

Saatchi

Sightlines

Does this gallery enable various sightlines (lack of interruption or multiple vantage points) to engage new methods for viewing objects? Does this depart from other museum visits?

The Saachi gallery was very different from many other places we have been; the art in this gallery was all set against white, plain backgrounds and often very well spaced out from other pieces. There was plenty of room to allow the viewer to take in all aspects of an object and the white backdrop really allowed for color to pop and for one to focus all their attention on it without being distracted. This was very different from the colored walls in the national gallery and close style hanging and elaborate frames that adorned many of those pieces. I feel like in the Saachi gallery where the art is supposed to be up for interpretation, is modern, and very different from other galleries it is important to not have anything distracting or cluttering your field of view. This is especially true with the instillation art we looked at as well at the free standing pieces. The free standing pieces were standing alone and the viewers were able to walk around and get a 360 degree view of it. This allowed everyone to see the indent from the feet and hands and really get a feel for what makes up the piece.

Although this gallery was reminiscent of the Tate Modern in terms of the white walls and spacing, an important aspect of this gallery that I liked was that there were no ropes or barriers between you and the art work. In every other gallery we looked at there was something between the two. I found this really interesting because I thought not having this created an atmosphere that was much freer, informal and more conducive for a viewer to connect with the art. It blurred the lines between artist and viewer and allowed people to interact in a way that was discouraged and stifled in other galleries. This could be because many of the artists are lesser known and art students so there is a desire to create a youthful and informal environment.

Didactics

The galleries present minimal text in relation to the art. Is the text adequate? Do you desire more information –and if so –what information would you appreciate?

I understand the desire for people interpret the art and come up with their own conclusions but I thought the text was inadequate. When I first saw a piece I liked to guess what it meant and what I was looking at, but after that I wanted more of an explanation, and some I literally had no idea what it was supposed to be and needed a hint. I bought the booklet they offered and found it very helpful. Although sometimes it gave a little too much information I could appreciate the art more when I understood what they were trying to get across. This was the same way when we got the tour. The first piece we saw "down" I didn't understand or appreciate until she explained the process of how it was made. This didn't stop me from forming my own opinion on the piece but actually helped my understanding on another level.

I think it would be helpful to provide key information like what it was inspired by and just a few words from the artist with what they were trying to express or say with the piece. Also for a piece like "down" it was key to understand how it was made so that would be a great things to add.

Collection

Do you find the works on view more adventurous than museums? Or is some of the work questionable in craft, subject matter, and composition?

Some of the work is definitely questionable in craft, subject matter and composition but I think that is what makes it adventurous and being questionable isn't a bad thing. Without risks and adventure no innovations would ever be made and no new kinds of art would be created. Although I didn't love everything I saw I could appreciate that it was trying to convey an idea or feeling in a new way. The artists do not ask the viewer to like the work, but they ask the viewer to think, feel, and react to the pieces, which I believe is the point of art in the first place. If someone does not want to think or just wants to look at pretty pictures of fields and flowers there are galleries which can provide that, but the Saachi isn't one of them.

Graffiti

I took this picture when we were wandering around London when we first got here. This is the first example of bad street art that I saw. This tagging is more vandalism then anything else. It doesn't contribute anything aesthetically significant, make any social commentary, or beautify the street in any way. This is just a rude way of getting your name out there and is just very unnecessary and shows that someone doesn't have much pride in where they live. There is graffiti covering both of the mailboxes clearly from different times and no one has done anything to clean off the tagging that was already there.

This is another example of bad street art. This occurred in Trafalgar Square because of protests on Saturday. You can clearly see "Fight Back" written on the lion, and there is more graffiti with similar sentiments covering other parts of the square. Although I consider this graffiti to be vandalism at least it is social commentary and definitely gets a point across. Unfortunately this sentiment was achieved by destroying an important monument and takes away from people's enjoyment of the square.

Both the above and below photos were taken of street art graffiti in Soho. I would even love to have the one below on my wall, I've always loved this photo of Albert Einstein and I like it even better since its been adapted to this format. It put a huge smile on my face when I saw this. This is the kind of street art that I really like and can actually contribute to the surrounding area. It isn't just someone tagging their name or vandalizing a billboard, it is actually creative and pleasant to look at. The size of the art is even more impressive and the way it is laid out on the booth couldn't have been easy. You could say the same thing about the street art above. I'm still not completely sure what it is a portrait of but if I had to guess I think it might be DeNiro from Taxi Driver. This one really makes an impact and an impression. It is a powerful image and it is so cool seeing pop art taken and adapted in this way.

National Portrait Gallery

1. Critique the logo
Does the logo relate to the architecture, galleries, and collections?
Do you have any suggestions based upon a collection surrounding portraits?

The logo is boring and has no distingising features. It is easily forgotten and maks no impact what so ever. It consists of a very average, plain font, with the three words stacked on top of one another, and has black lettering against a white background. Considering the interesting and unique portraits inside the gallery including colorful Andy Warhol and other famous portraits, the logo does not reflect anything within the museum. I would suggest that if they're really committed to keeping the font they could copy andy warhol's style and have the logo multiple times in all different colors. Or even use someone's face from the gallery to replace a few of the letters. There needs to be something that pops and reflects the varied collection.

I chose Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley for myself. She wrote Frankenstein at the age of 21 and was a really interesting person. I saw myself in her mostly because I recently got really into the book Frankenstein and I love scary horror stories. She was the original scary monster writer and started the genre. I loved that she was a young writer and I really enjoy writing fiction, especially scary stories as well. Also, if I lived in the 180s I would definitely steal that off the shoulder dress from her!

This portrait of Paul Merton made me smile as soon as I saw it. It is just so silly and ridiculous and completely different then any other portrait in the whole Museum. This portrait reminded me of Max Florian. He is the goofiest person I've ever met and does anything for a laugh. If he was to create his own portrait I bet anything that he would do something ridiculous like this.

As soon as saw this portrait of Joan Collins I immediately thought of Ally Stavis. The sunglasses were the major reason. I don't think I ever see Ally without her signature sunglasses. Joan Collins is also an actress and I could see Ally having some of those characteristics and running off to Hollywood.

This painting of the dancer Darcey Andrew Bussell reminded me of Stephanie Tucker. She is such a happy person all the time and always wears such colorful outfits that I feel like the vibrant multicolors in this painting definitely relate to her. Also, she was a skater for a long time and dancing is very similar in style, grace, movement, and music. I thought this ballerina could absolutely be Stephanie if you just added skates.

This last portrait of John Maynard Keynes (a Baron) and Lydia Lopokova (Lady Keynes) reminded me of Abby Siwak. I mostly focused on drawing Lydia since she was the one who interested me the most. To be painted smoking in the 1920s indicated that you were liberal and had a very free kind of life, living outside the social restraints of society. Abby is very unique and definitely lives to the beat of her own drummer. Like Lady Keynes I doubt Abby lets society dictate what she does or cares what people think of her.

The National Gallery

1. Critique the logo

Is this just a typeface? After viewing the collection, would you propose a different typeface or a symbol?

When I see the logo for the National Gallery it really does just seem like a type face. It is simple sans serif black font that really doesn't make much of an impression. Despite its lack of originality, the typeface does fit in with the older, distinguished collection in the museum. If they are going to go with this simple font then I think it would have been better to make National larger then Gallery in this stacking format. Considering this is the national museum that seems like a much more important quality to emphasize. Not only is the museum located in such an amazing, historically important square but it also houses some of the most famous paintings and artists. It is unfortunate that they don't take advantage of these qualities when designing the logo.

2. Van Gogh

In your opinion, do the van Gogh paintings live up to their position in art history? Feel free to discuss: line quality, gestural brushwork, color, mood, subject matter, etc. You may also feel free to compare and contrast two van Gogh paintings (to elaborate on your level of engagement).

I wasn't sure how I would feel about van Gogh's paintings, when I initially saw them I wasn't all that impressed to be honest. They had wonderful color but I saw similar beauty in Monet's paintings and others. But the more I observed the more I began to understand and enjoy his work. The colors in sunflowers was really beautiful and the texture on the flowers was really interesting and unique. I really liked that they had all this paintings together so the viewers are able to compare his changing styles as he is influenced by Impressionism and post-impressionism.

This change, especially in the brushstrokes and overall look was evident when we looked at Sunflowers compared to A Wheatfield with Cypresses. The brushstrokes and images are a lot more fluid then in Sunflowers which tended to be more exact and pinpointed, focused on the exaggerated texture.

3. Object of Desire

What object from the collection would be suitable for your future home? Describe the characteristics that make this both a desirable work of art –and suitable for your future penthouse, cottage, log cabin, trailer… Please provide artist name and title.

My object of desire is a painting called La Ferte by Richard Parkes Bonington (1825). It is a sketch done of the Picardy Coast in France and painted by Bonington who did a lot of work on coast scenes. I love that this was painted on the spot. It makes it even more interesting how spontaneous it was and it really feels like the painting captured a moment. Looking at it iI feel serene and calm. I can almost smell the salty air, feel the breeze and the sand under my toes. The painting is well balanced with the boats on both sides and the similar coloring of the clouds and the water create a soothing harmony.

4. Gallery / Display

The National Gallery has the brightest palette of wall color thus far from our museum visits. Do these colors enhance or interfere from the displays? Do you prefer the minimal palette of the Tate Modern in comparison?

I personally prefer the white washed wall and minimalist style of the Tate Modern and other museums we have visited. Although I did enjoy the ornate frames that many of the pieces were held in. I thought they really maintained and enhanced the beauty and often gold colors of the paintings. On that note although I did not like the bright colors of the walls they did, on occasion, bring out the colors in the paintings. For example most of the paintings hanging in the purple room had accents of purple in them and colors which go along well with purple such as deep greens. Overall, and especially for the simpler paintings or ones of scenery white walls would have been a better choice and allowed more appreciation and less distraction.

5. Exploitation / Merchandising?

Does the use of objects from the collection to create merchandise such as handbags, umbrellas, and t-shirts diminish the original work of art? Are certain forms of merchandising more acceptable –and if so what are those forms –postcards and posters?

I don't think using objects from the collection to create merchandise diminishes the art. Being able to buy a print of the paintings or even seeing it on a shirt makes the art more accessible for everyone. Seeing them on postcards and posters is no different then looking it up on the internet, which is available to almost everyone.People should be able to enjoy art without being in the museum and it even brings awareness to the artists and painting that people might not even know exist. Plus, like a play or a movie nothing takes away from the unique experience of seeing the object or going to the play in person. You can see artwork on an umbrella but you have to go to the museum to actually get the full effect. I did not personally like the little dolls of the artists, I thought that could be a little disrespectful and overall just creepy. I think posters and postcards can be a better way of recreating the art because it shows it fully which maintains the characteristics and integrity of original piece of art.

6. Object of appreciation

Provide a short description of your favorite object from the collections? Please provide label information such as name, date, origin, etc. Why would you return to this object for greater contemplation?

My object of appreciation is The Virgin and Child with St Anne and St John the Baptist by Leonardo da Vinci created around 1499-1500. It was created with charcoal, and black and white chalk on a few pieces of paper all glued together. It is believed that is it a cartoon for a painting. I didn't understand this idea but its interesting because as much as I walk around and admire the art work I don't always reflect on how it was drawn in the first place. I did not realize there was such detailed sketching before hand. I love looking at leonardo da Vinci's work, especially his drawings on human anatomy. This seemed similar because it is a sketch. I think I even like his sketches more then his paintings because of the shading, and softness of the drawing.