FIELD TRIP ASSIGNMENT #1

PHILADELPHIA MUSEUM OF ART (PHILADELPHIA)

CANDYCE MUSINSKI

Visiting the Philadelphia Museum of Art was such an exhilarating experience. It was probably one of the largest museums I’ve ever been to and it sucked me in. As soon as I entered the building, I was overwhelmed with excitement. The space was huge with high ceilings and detailed structures. The atmosphere was electrifying, but comfortable at the same time. I was anxious to see what this inviting establishment had to display.

When I first entered, I was drawn to a sectioned room devoted to the guest artist, Michelangelo Pistoletto. This artist was really inspiring to me. He painted large images of people doing various activities on darkened mirrors. The paintings created an eerie mood and the detailed images against the mirrors felt isolated. I really enjoyed these images, but his works continued to become more interesting as I walked farther into the gallery. In one room, there were white ceramic manikins searching through huge piles of clothes. It was like a beautiful mess. The colored articles against the pure white statues were pleasing to the eye. It was pretty lovely.

In the center room, Pistoletto had various different sculptures, paintings, lights, and woodworks that had no definite theme. One piece was a huge rose blooming out of the wall and it was made out of cardboard. Another piece was a wooden bench in a sunken wooden box. Another piece was a large photograph of a man yelling with a large green lamp illuminating it. When observing these pieces, I was drawn to them but was uncertain of how they were supposed to make me feel. I overheard a tour guide of a group explaining that Pistoletto was attempting to create a random atmosphere. He explained that Pistoletto did not want to be confined to one style or theme because to him, the world is so diverse it needed to be unsystematic. I appreciated that concept.

Though Pistoletto was quite enjoyable, the one thing that I truly enjoyed about the Philadelphia Museum of Art was the amount of art they had displayed. Of course, this is one of the largest museums in America, but I could not believe that they displayed so many really famous, original pieces. Artists from Pablo Picasso to Salvador Dali had original pieces displayed throughout the museum. It was so exciting to see pieces that I have studied placed right in front of me. Seeing the original pieces in front of me was such an invigorating experience. I actually couldn’t believe that they were originals sitting in front of me, so I had to ask a staff member to make sure they really were. It was pretty remarkable.

Overall, my experience at the Philadelphia Museum of Art was perfect. Everything from the structure of the building to the pieces of art presented impressed me. The atmosphere was welcoming and the guest artist, Michelangelo Pistoletto was an unplanned pleasure. I loved every minute in this grand museum. I hope to visit this museum again shortly!