Brooklyn Museum of Art

Last Friday, I took a little trip Brooklyn Museum of Art. When I got out of the subway, I was amazed by the size of the museum. It is pretty big. It was a gloomy day with a temperature around 53 degrees. Thank God it did not rain that day. Or least I don't think it did because I was inside the museum the whole day. The Brooklyn Museum is one of the largest art museum in the U.S. They have a vast collections from different cultures that are presented on floors in a 562,000 sq ft building. I was glad that photography is allowed in the museum but only at certain exhibits without the flash. I used my camera on my blackberry at first because I didn't wanna use up the battery on my camera. Silly me forgot to bring a notebook and pen to take notes. So I had to take all of my notes on my blackberry. Thank God for technologies nowadays huh? I kinda got lost getting around but the map they gave at the visitor center was very helpful. But I mostly got lost in different art pieces that just took my breath away.

Outside the Brooklyn Museum of Art

On the first floor was the Arts of Africa. There were collections of tribal masks and different artifacts from various parts of Africa. I honestly was not all excited by this exhibit I didn't feel that "Oh my God this is so cool" feeling. So I moved on to the second floor which had collections from Asia.

This is was the first exhibit where I kind of lost myself. The collections from Japan was full exquisite beauty that I cannot even put to words.

This is sand glaze vase from Japan. I thought the texture of the vase was beautiful. The texture on the vase is representing the rippling waves of the oceans which is suppose to represent the entire universe (which is told on the description above).

This bust of The Head of a Guardian, I thought was freaky looking but still pretty cool.

The figure didn't creep me out. It was the description "The Judge of Hell." Emma-O, a deity of buddhism and his Ten Court of judges were the ones who condemned the evildoers to hell. So be good people, cause I don't think you'd want to meet him.

Next stop: China

A daybed from the 18th century. If you actually saw the size of this daybed, you would be surprise of how small it is. Being the small person that I am, I don't think I could even fit into that.

This was the biggest cabinet I have ever seen. From the size of this cabinet, I don't you would be able to fill it up with Imelda Marcos' many shoes, jewelry, and clothes. 

After I finished on the second floor with all the Asian collections, I moved on to the 3rd floor where European paintings are and my favorite part of my visit at the museum, the Egypt exhibit. Although, photography on the European paintings is not allowed so I had to type up notes into my blackberry google it all up the paintings. There were various paintings from a few of the most famous painters in Art History from Paul Cezanne to Henri Matisse and Edgar Degas. Although the paintings displayed by those artists were not my favorite on this exhibit because the ones I like by those artists are in different museums and art galleries. However these ones were my favorite.

Pseudo - Jacopino di Francesco - Last Supper

As we all know in one of the greatest stories ever told, Judas betrayed Jesus Christ with a kiss for silver coins. Judas is the only disciple in this painting without a halo. 

Samuel Colman - The Edge of Doom

Somehow, most stories that relate to the end of the world or apocalypses have always interested and scared me. This particular painting shows historic buildings crumbling down into what seems in the center is a pathway through the fires of hell. The sky, I'm not quite sure how to describe is either the sky is falling down or God has become angry with his children.

After the European paintings, I moved onto the next best thing, the Egyptian exhibit. From what I saw, I added to visit Egypt on my list of goals. I could not the words to describe it. It was absolutely mind blowing. Since the 6th grade, I've always wanted to see an Egyptian exhibit. Before I knew it, artifacts that date back before the time of Christ was right there in front of me. 

First room of the Egyptian Exhibit

One of the first pieces I saw on this exhibit

"Looking at the paintings and carvings of goddesses, of wildflowers, or powerful and playful animals, flocks of birds like those still migrating over the Nile - all the scenes of the sanctity of everyday- left a feeling of peace and empowerment that caught me unaware." -Gloria Steinem- (American activist, writer 1934)

Before the best part of the exhibit, a sarcophagus where mummies are placed.

And here it is. I never thought I would be standing in a room with mummies that are centuries old. 

This was the first mummy I saw. It's weird standing in a room with a dead person who lived in a civilization 600 years before Christ.

The outer coffin of Kamwese. 

One of the greatest books ever written, the Book of the Dead. Which contained magic spells to help the decease get through the afterlife. 

They also mummified animals because animals represented certain gods and goddesses.

If you follow Ancient Egypt history, you would know that human internal organs are placed in these jars during the mummification process

On to the next one! After the Egypt exhibit, I moved up to the floor to the Center of Feminist Art. In this exhibit, there was art pieces that were done by amazing female artists. I had to google these pictures.

Joyce Wieland - Young Woman's Blues

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Sam Taylor-Wood - Ghosts

When I first saw these photographs, the first thing that comes to mind is loneliness. There's a bit of sunshine but they're al really gloomy.  As I was staring at these pictures for about I think nearly an hour. It's a really cold gut wrenching feeling. I thought about that feeling that most people feel of a heart break after a failed relationship and my first night in New York how I cried because I'm far away from everybody I love.

The last exhibit of my visit

Albert Bierstadt - A storm in the Rocky Mountains

You would be surprise of how big this painting this. When I look at this painting, it kind of annoys me of those days when you see a dark cloud coming you say to yourself "Great it looks like it's gonna rain today."

 Georgia O'Keeffe -Ram's Head

One of the greatest artists of the 20th century. To me this painting, I really don't know how to describe except it's like a sign saying there's a bright side of death. Weird description I know.

Francis Guy - Winter Scene in Brooklyn

So like this is what I'm gonna be dealing with for next 3 years of my residency in New York. >_<. But nice painting though!

Mark Rothko - Subway

Life a New Yorker. How I get to and from school. Point A to Point B. I do honestly miss Baby Day (Yes I named my car =P) back home.

Louis Remy Mignot - Niagara 

I saved the best for last. This has to be most beautiful painting I've ever seen. I stared at this painting for I don't know long but it was a pretty long amount of time. I don't know what it is about ocean water that makes  me feel at peace. Maybe it comes with growing up in Southern California but there's just something about ocean water that gives me peace.

So yes, this has ended up being a long blog lol. I marked too many art pieces that I had to pick out my favorite ones otherwise it would have been a very long and boring blog.I loved the experience and I wanted to stay longer at the museum but the battery on my phone was dying and I was getting hungry for dinner. Haha. I definitely found a lot of inspirations that I could interpret into fashion design. Throughout my visit to the Brooklyn Museum of Art, I felt incredibly at peace. I think a part of me got left behind somewhere. 

Where shall I go next? We shall see.

References

www.google.com

www.brooklynmuseum.org