The architecture within the Brooklyn Museum is quite amazing. Many times, I found that the architecture of the building itself was more interesting than the actual pieces of art inside of the museum. If you get a chance, go to the Brooklyn Museum, so at the least you can see the exquisite architecture inside and outside this massive building.
Here is a video of what I consider to be highlights from the Brooklyn Museum. Enjoy!
This photograph, named Closing Up a Summer Cottage 1957, shows how a family is packing up is leaving their summer vacation home. This picture was taken in Long Island. A mount was used to take this picture.
The thing that probably caught my attention was the intensity of the color. Even during this time, color was this intense. In addition, it was taken in Long Island. I felt some sort of connection to this, since I lived in Long Island.
To me, this isn’t the closing of a cottage. It is instead the opening to their regular life. They had just spent a summer in the cottage, so they are returning back to life. If it was closing of summer, then it wouldn’t happen ever again, but since it’s a summer cottage, the family definitely visits it every year. Thus, the context should be opening.
This was probably one of the coolest exhibits. Listening to the ‘chanting’ was definitely a different experience, but one worthwhile. This picture along with the audio was made to remember Imam Husayn, who was the grandson of Mohammed the Prophet. This shows the battle where Imam Husayn was killed by the forces of the Umayyad. This picture also shows the battle between the Sunni and Shi’a, a conflict that still occurs now. I found that extremely interesting because of how long a conflict could last.
What I really liked about this this was just how much was going on in this picture. In one part of it, there is a whole group of people praying, while in another scene, an offering was taking place. To me, this represented how at this time, everything was in a chaos, and that you could not capture it all in one picture, rather with little bits of each event. In addition, having something visible while listening to it just made the feeling of fighting more intense, especially since it was a different language.
This was by far my most favorite work of art in the museum. The winter scene is beautifully constructed with clouds hovering above the snow covered roofs. As a Brooklynite myself, this canvas appealed to me. I would never even be able to imagine how Brooklyn looked like almost 200 hundred years ago during the winter, my favorite season. It’s very surprising to see houses, especially the yellowish beige one on the right, that look like something I could find in my neighborhood. It is truly a beautiful scene and sends of a holiday vibe for me.
My first impression of this photograph was the perceived notion of the American Dream that everyone strived for in the 1950s. I thought of that perfect family with the nice little suburban house, car, kids, and a of course the family dog. This made me think of the age of conformity during the 1950s and Levittown, Long Island. Thus, I wasn’t too surprised when I read that this was a picture of a family’s summer cottage in southern Long Island in 1957.
(Fred Tomaselli. Big Raven, 2008. Acrylic, photocollage, and resin on wood panel, 84 x 72 in.)
As I walked around the Brooklyn Museum, this unique painting by Fred Tomaselli caught my eye. It combines a bird with the universe to create highly stylized, eye-popping compositions. Big Raven is inspired by the American Gothic tradition and the poetry of Edgar Allan Poe according to the artist’s statement. It lo0ks like a picture in folk-tales or in front of the psychic center, imaginative and distinctive. The raven seems like it’s right in the middle of the universe. The background shines with the sun and the various types of stars, which eventually connects to the raven’s eye and body. Even though its components are all nature (bird, sun, rock, etc), its impression is rather scientific and reminds me of astronomy and astrology. It doesn’t have the usual calm and relaxed perception of nature. I think this painting eventually conveys the connection between an individual and the universe. However, the raven is holding tightly to the rock as if it wants to establish its identity as a bird, not as part of the universe, which shows the nature of human personality.
Everybody has a different preference in art. Here’s a few individuals in the Brooklyn Museum of Art discussing their own.
Even the bathrooms are nicely designed. They are very clean and have many luxurious conveniences.
