The experience at the Brooklyn Museum last Wednesday was truly amazing. From the moment of entry, you were given the opportunity to explore pieces of art which you found unique. Later on, when the groups were formed, not only were you led from one exhibit to another, but you were in a way forced to analyze the complexity of each piece of art. Instead of simply pointing out, “Oh that’s nice. That’s nice too,” like Professor Ugoretz showed in the Simpsons video, you dug deeper into the origins of that art, and what the artist felt when he was making the piece. If I had to choose specific works, I would say that the Faile and Bast exhibit, as well as the Egyptian exhibit were my favorites.

In the Faile and Bast exhibit, not only were you able to see the art, but you were also given an opportunity to interact with it. Unlike today, where there are barely any old fashion arcades around, this exhibit provided the opportunity to enter a world from the 1950’s. Despite the fact that most of the pinball machines were broken, the room with the illuminated posters was intriguing, in that it seemed like a mix between the modern and abstract art.

Nearby, was the Faile temple, or at least a replica of it. Although it wasn’t the original, you got to see the exact size of it. Unlike most temples, which are huge, the Faile temple was quite small. Yet, it managed to incorporate prayer wheels and various cultural imagery, both on the inside and outside walls. By seeing the iron, ceramic, and paint which went into building it, you got a sense of how much time and planning it took into building it.

Finally, the last exhibit which I most enjoyed was the Egyptian collection. Although mostly everyone saw mummies or other Egyptian artifacts in pictures beforehand, seeing it in person greatly extended my appreciation for this form of art. Only thinking about its age, showed how much effort was put into making it, so that it wouldn’t degrade. When taking a closer look at the manuscripts, you could see the precision that went into painting various drawings. Aside from this, you could also imagine the amount of time it took to complete these works of art.

Overall, the experience at the Brooklyn Museum was phenomenal. In the end, you realized that not enough time was given to appreciate the art to its fullest extent. If I was given the opportunity to stay longer, I would gladly take it.

 

– Ben Kimageimageimageimageimageimageimage