Blog 8

Our assignment for the class this week was to take a trip to the Women’s National Museum of Art in Washington, DC. This was a very intriguing experience for me and I enjoyed seeing many different pieces of artwork made my various artists come together to create an entire exhibit. This was not my first time going to this museum but each time I went I felt that I learned something knew and saw each piece of art in a different way.

            There were various pieces of art that stuck out to me while looking at the permanent exhibit but one in particular really caught my eye. This painting was A stroll on the beach by Michael Ancher in 1896. This painting seemed very simple to me as it used light pastel colors and the artist used shadows in the sand. It was not until I read the wall plaque that I discovered that this painting was made to perpetuate the new view of Skagen life by showing middle-class women enjoying the bucolic scenery.

            The current exhibit on display at the museum is A World Apard: Anna Ancher and the Skagen Art Colony, which is on display from February 15- May 12, 2013. While reading the brochure I learned that this exhibit was influences by the European art movements of Impressionism, Realism, Naturalism, and symbolism. They portrayed the lives of the people around them. One painting that I particularly noticed was A Field Sermon, 1903 by Anna Ancher. This picture in particular seemed to have darker colors than most painting which caught my attention. I originally thought that this painting depicted a religious ceremony and the facial expressions on the people seemed sad. My first interpretation was off and I learned that this painting was a depiction of a meeting of the Home Mission, a Lutheran evangelical movement that had many followers in Skagen, including the artist’s mother and sisters. Also while reading the wall plaque I learned that this was her largest painting and was awarded a silver medal from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in 1904. I also found it interesting that previously Ancher was not allowed to attend the Academy as a student because she was a woman.

            A third piece I found interesting was A-E-I-O-U and Sometimes Y by Mickalene Thomas. This piece was different than the ones featured in the exhibit because it was not done on an oil canvas. The artist of this painting used rhinestones in order to create an image to portray female beauty. The rhinestones help to draw attention to the features of the woman being portrayed. The pink background of the painting also reiterates the femininity of the piece. The artist of the piece liked to portray the identity of African American Women. Andy Warhol’s photo booth portraits also inspired this piece.

            Overall I had a very positive experience at the museum and I truly enjoyed interpreting and discovering the stories behind each piece of art work.