Baltimore Museum of Art

     One of my many reasons for choosing Loyola was all of the opportunities that Baltimore has to offer. I had heard many great things from friends who have visited the Baltimore Museum of Art, so I was very excited to hear that I would be going. When walking around the museum I noticed that I preferred paintings to sculptures. All of the pictures that I took were of framed paintings. The modern art exhibits were not as appealing to me, they were very simple and had little to examine further than at first glance. I felt like they were to simplistic and could have been created quickly with little thought. I often feel the need to be distracted and the paintings provide more to look at. Within the paintings there were lots of little details to notice, instead of staring a piece wood with a hole in it.  That being said,  I preferred the complexity of art from the 19th century.

Views of St. Lazare Railway Station, Paris by Norbert Goeneutte

     Pictured above is Norbert Goeneutte's painting "Views of St. Lazare Railway Station," my favorite part of this painting is the simple color palette. At first glance, the gray and brown colors reveal a dreary mood. The bridge in the middle provides a horizontal break in the painting, while the vertical clouds of smoke add a contrary smoke. When examining this painting I cannot help but wonder what is going on. I think that the smoke is from industrial Paris. I really like the way that this image shows another side to Paris. Traditionally when an image of Paris comes to mind I assume that it is infront of the Eiffel tower, however, this piece of work exposes an industrial side of Paris. 

Basket of Fruit by Pierre Bonnard

     The simplicity of "Basket of Fruit" by Pierre Bonnard is what makes the image beautiful. The horizontal line about two thirds down the page shows a plain gray space that could be a table. In the background is a centered vertical line that divides the background into two colors. Then there is the basket of fruit. The title is straightforward to the image revealing the importance and focus of the art. When standing there looking at it I thought about the significance of the basket being centered. I like the way that there are no distractions. In my house, baskets of fruit (occasionally baskets of candy)  are often a centerpiece to the bustling kitchen table. By seeing the basket in a plain background I was able to appreciate the beauty of the basket. The fruit are all different and unique, so it does not matter if they are perfect. Is there really a perfect fruit?? Each fruit is from nature and nature is unique. 

The Earth and the Air by Yves Tanguy

     "The Earth and the Air" by Yves Tanguy shows a lot of impressive technique. The seemingly random assortment of objects at the bottom encourages a lot of thought and it is also really representative of its time. The clouds at the top provide a sharp contrast to the bottom in both color and lines. The blending of the clouds evokes a very different feeling from the land at the bottom. It reminds me of the peace among chaos. 

     Overall, my visit to the Baltimore Museum of Art served as another opportunity to emerge myself in local culture. My favorite artist was Pierre Bonnard. When reading the description of his style I learned that he likes to leave empty spaces in the middle. I am curious how this would work in other paintings. It seems so natural in the fruit basket.