Understanding Art

Visiting a Museums can be confusing if you do not have a basic understanding of the periods, and culture. Many times, art experts seem to be snobbish, well dressed speaking with an English accent. They feel that only educated and socially acceptable people enjoy art and not the common individual.  The world of fine art has its share of snobs. Museums can be confusing.  Art language can be incomprehensible. Art dealers can be con artists.  So read on and we will tell you how to visit a Museum the way the pros do and how to choose art to fit your homes style.

For those of us who are not professional curators, it pays to go with someone that can help you along the fist time while visiting a art Museum.  If you do not have that option, go to the museums post card first. Even in a tiny out of the way museums there will be a postcard shop.  So in an instant, you can assess the strengths of the place without getting embroiled in what can be frustrating uninformative conversations. Every museum in the world publishes a color postcard of the hottest material in the museum. Catalogs may also be available. 

View and study the art you like and don't waist your time on the pieces if they are not interesting to you. If visiting another country, never hire a guide, chances are, you want understand them.  When I was visiting one of the castles in Germany, I was told the guide spoke English. His English was so broken, I could not even understand him. I resorted back to the tape recorder and felt as if I had waisted my money.

When touring a museum by yourself, you may even want to even bring your own classical music.  If you are new to the classics,

Match the Music to the Art:

• 17^th Century- Beethoven
• 18^th Century- Mozart
• Impressionism- Saint Seans
• Italian Renaissance ââ?¬â?? Puccini, Verdi
• 19^th Century- Telemann
• Classical Art- Albinoni
• Medieval Art- Bach, Chant Hildegard.

Dress practical. Comfortable walking shoes. If in Italy its best to wear a top, or dress with sleeve, no shorts.  I was in Rome last summer and at the entrance to St Peters in the Vatican people were turn away or provided covers before entering. The same goes for most churches in Europe. It is best to wear a knee length dress with sleeves to show respect for all European churches. If visiting Islamic sites, wear discreet respectful clothing.  In the United States, most anything goes, however I feel that I am respecting the museum if I dress in nice pants, or knee length dress.

Now that you no some of the basics, this is the way I introduced my children to Art. I started visiting our local city museum at least twice a year. When vacationing, we would always visit at least one museums. City museums are usually crying out for visitors. Children are most always welcome.  By visiting a smaller museums, you will get comfortable with visits and get more experience.

While viewing art, you may ask yourself how do you know if the art is good? Ask your self a few questions while viewing the piece. Does it express successfully what it is intending to express?  Does it amaze you in a different way each time you look at it?  Does it visual impact of mysterious, pure power increase every day? Can it be unforgettable. If the answers are yes especially to the last question, then there is a chance it is great art.  All great art will affect the viewer is someway. 

Art dates from the prehistoric to present. Prehistoric art is the most fascinating.   The Greatest works of of Western Civilization are

• King Tuts Golden Mask
• The Sculptures of the Parthenon
• The Scythian Gold Pectoral
• Nicholas of Verdun's Enameled Altar
• Giotto's Arena Chapel
• The Ghent Altarpiece by Van Eyck
• Leonardo Mona Lisa
• Michelangelo David
• The Isenheim Altarpiece by Grunewald
• El  Greco' s Burial of Count Orgaz
• Velazquez Las Meninas
• Rembrandt Return of the Prodigal Son
• Goya's The Third of May, 1808
• Renoir's Luncheon of the boating party
• Picasso's Les Demoiselles d' Avignon

The United States has as much wealth of art as Europe if you know where to look. Below is a list of states that have art that is worth a denture off the main path when your in the area.

Arizona-

• Heard Museum, Phoenix,

Arkansas-

• The Arkansas Art Center, Little Rock

California-

• Los Angeles, J Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Center
•  Los Angeles County Museum of Art
•  Los Angeles - The Museum of Contemporary Art
•  Orange County Museum of Art
•  Museum of Art, Santa Barbara
•  Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena
•  Huntington Library, Art Collections (San Marino)
•  San Diego Area - Timken Museum of Art
•  Museum of Contemporary Art (La Jolla)
•  San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
•  Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, the Avery Brundage Collection

Colorado-   

•  Denver Art Museum

Connecticut-

• Hartfords Wadswarth Atheneum

District of Columbia (Washington DC) I have only highlighted a few. There are many, many other great Museums.

•    The National Gallery of Art
•     Hishhorn Museum
•     Freer Gallery 

Illinois            

• Art Institute of Chicago
• Terra Museum
• Oriental Institute Museum

Indiana     

•  Indianapolis Museum of Art

Maryland-      

•   Baltimore Museum of Art
•   The Walters Art Gallery

Massachusetts-

• Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
• Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
• Fogg Museum
• The Arthur M Sackler Museum
• The Busch Reisinger Museum at Harvard University
•  Museum of Bad Art

Michigan-

• Detroit Institute of Arts

Minnesota-

• The Minneapolis Institute of Arts
• The Walker Art Center

Missouri-     

•  Kansas City Nelson-Atkins
•  Saint Louis Art Museum

New York-

• Buffalo Albright Knox Art Gallery
• Corning Museum of Glass- Corning, NY
• New York- The American Museum of Natural History
• The Brooklyn Museum
• The Frick Collection
• Guggenheim Museum
• The Hispanic Society
• The Metropolitan Museum of Art

North Carolina-

• The Museum of Fine Arts, Raleigh North Carolina

Ohio- 

• The Museum of Art,  Cleveland
• Oberlin College Allen Memorial Art Museum
• Toledo Art Museum

Oklahoma- 

• Thomas Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa
• Philadelphia- The Philadelphia Museum of Art
• University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archeology and Anthropology
• Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts

Texas-          

• Blanton Museum, Austin
• Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas
• The AMon Carter Museum, Fort Worth
• Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth
• Menil Collection, Houston

Virginia-        

• The Virginia Museum of Fine Art

Wyoming-     

• The Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Cody Wyoming

After you finish the United States, your ready to travel to Europe, Egypt, and beyond! 

While study art, you will find that you seem to aggravate to particular pieces. Take this as a hint of what you really like. You may want to look into incororporating it into your home or office. Take time to think about colors, style and period. These are key items that can you can take a clue from. You can find inexpensive copies at some art galleries. Have them framed and your ready to hang!