The High Museum of Art

The sculpture by Auguste Rodin located outside of the museum is called The Shade. It was sculpted in the year 1880 and given to the Robert W. Woodruff Arts Center, formerly known as the Atlanta Art Association, as a gift from the French Government. The sculpture was given in memory of the 122 members of the Art Association that lost their lives in a plane crash in the year 1962.

The High Museum of Art in Atlanta is a place full of amazing works of art from a variety of artists of different time periods. My favorite work would have to be The Sea from Capri painted by William Stanley Haseltine in 1875, located in the J.J. Haverty Memorial Gallery. This is a large painting of a beautiful landscape. It shows a small village on a cliff overlooking the sea. The mountains in the background are surrounded by a gorgeous sunset sky. Another work that I liked is a sculpture by Chauncey Bradley Ives, Flora. This sculpture, located on the second level of the museum (gallery not specified), is from 1852. Though I liked this piece of artwork, I would not take it home because it is of an unclothed woman. It is a beautiful statue, but I would feel uncomfortable having it in my home.
Several pieces of art were about events in history. A photograph, taken by Alfred Stieglitz in 1892, taught me what life was like in that time period. I could almost feel the desperation from the people traveling by wagon in the snow. The photograph, Winter-Fifth Avenue, is located in the Sara and O. Ray Moore Gallery. Another piece of artwork that identifies a historic moment is Il Baciccio’s Abraham’s Sacrifice of Isaac, painted in 1700. This painting, located in the Mrs. Ray Richard’s Gallery, shows Abraham looking up at an angel who is telling him to stop. He no longer has to sacrifice his son Isaac because he has passed the test. This painting brings life to a moment in history.
I think that a lot of times artists try to capture emotion in their work. They try to portray a certain emotion to the audience. Anne-Louis De Roussy Girodet-Trioson succeeded when she painted The Funeral of Atala in 1811. This painting, located in the Marilyn and Don Keough Gallery, made me feel incredibly sad. I could see the pain that Chactas was feeling as he clutched onto the deceases Atala. Another piece of artwork that had a great affect on me was Strung Out, created by Benny Andrews in 1971. This piece of art, located in the Tribute to Benny Andrews, shocked me because of its boldness. It was an abstract piece of art that looked as though it was supposed to be a bloody person with handcuffs on his wrists. I didn’t care for the goriness.
On gallery located in the museum was quite interesting. The Contemporary Gallery consisted of some good pieces of art, as well as some pieces that are questionable. I can’t seem to figure out what makes some of these paintings and sculptures so special. Some things were so simple that anyone could have done them and it wouldn’t have been considered good enough to be in a museum. However, there was one piece of contemporary art that made me think. Gerchard Richter’s Abstract Painting, painted in 1997 reminded me of my life. The entire painting is a blurry mixture of colors with a few very clear and defined spots throughout. This is how I feel about my life and the direction that I am headed. There are a few things that I am certain of, but then there are so many more things that are unclear I am unsure about.
Another gallery in the museum contained some interesting artwork. The Folk art gallery included several different types if art. These were made from common items found around the house. Unlike the rest of the museum, this gallery seemed to have a universal theme. Everything seemed to be about religion. These artists created pieces about what they know and believe. Several had written messages on them about following the Lord and needing Jesus.
Out of everything I saw at the museum, the pieces of artwork that meant the most to me was The Gates of Paradise, created by Lorenzo Ghiberti’s (gallery not specified). These pieces of art were made out of gold plates. There are three different pieces that show three different stories. These include Adam and Eve, David and Goliath, and Jacob and Esau. These meant the most to me because I have grown up reading these stories from the Bible. This artwork made these stories more real to me and gave them the importance that they deserve.