ART MUSEUM CRITIQUE

Use the following format for your museum critique; answers must be typed below the
questions and all questions must appear in full on your final copy. You can use this
document as your template. Pay careful attention to the required number of words for those
questions that have them. Failure to follow the instructions here and on your syllabus will
result in a substantially low grade. Minimal answers poorly written are a D grade or less.
Elaboration of points, excellent arguments, and good writing garner higher grades.
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Name:__Emily Siebach__ Class period/section:__TR 1430-1550__
1) Which museum did you visit? (check one) _X_ Univ. of Utah ___ BYU
2) Describe at least one of the permanent collection exhibits on a theme, period,
geographic region, or topic) within the museum. {150 words}
One of the permanent exhibits in the museum is the small Egypt room. I have always been
fascinated with ancient Egypt, so when I walked into the room, I immediately loved it. It had several
mummies, one of which the sarcophagus is slightly open and you can see inside to the wrappings. It
didnt say if the wrapping were original or not, but if they are not they sure did a good job making
them look old. There was a hands-on station where you can touch and read about different artifacts.
In the middle of the room is a sarcophagus of a wealthy individual. The colors of the paint are still
visible, and captions tell you where to look to see the name of the deceased written on the coffin
multiple time in different places. Small statues of gods line the walls and captions identify which god
and in what form they are in. jewelry and a hand mirror are included in the display of things the dead
took with them into the afterlife.
3) Give a brief, one paragraph description of a special, temporary exhibit (for help, ask
museum staff what these are; they are usually in one of the first rooms). {100 words}
There is a temporary exhibit called Moksha, with photography done by Fazal Sheikh. All of the
photographs in the exhibit are printed in black and white, and the photos are taken in northern India.
Black and white photography is a favorite of mine, but the subjects make this collection amazing to
see. They are people that live humbly, doing everyday chores that are now eternal chores because
they hang on museum walls. Some photos are only buildings, some are of baskets and everyday
objects. I think that is the point, real life- uncensored, undecorated, and yet beautiful in its own way.
4) What do you think the museum administration and/or exhibit curators want you to learn
or gain from the exhibits you viewed? {100 word minimum}
I think the museum administration want the public to wander on the first floor through rooms
until they are caught up in the stories the art tells. Enjoyment is a must. There are all types of art,
enough that something will stand out and you will love it, but also so that something will be
offensive or at least not in your taste enough for you to make a face before you can hide it. The
reason is that people will talk about their experience if they loved it but even more if they hated it,
talking about the exhibits will bring attention and patrons, and a museum needs patrons.

5) What kind of information is provided about the works? Where might you look for further
information if you were interested? (Name three possibilities)
Next to every piece of work there is a caption, this usually includes the artist and the title of
the piece. In this case to find more out about that work you could write it down and ask the museum
staff for information, or if they have pamphlets (often they do). I have taken an art class here at the
college campus and the teacher was really knowledgeable about a vast spectrum of artists, so I could
ask if they had any more information on a specific artist or piece. If the caption was vague as to the
artist, one could look on the internet at that timeframe and get an idea of the artists that were popular
then.
6) Choose several works that particularly appealed to you. Explain why you were drawn to
these works. Comment on the subject, style, medium, time period, etc. Who were the
artists? What message do you think the artists were trying to convey in the works you
chose to discuss? This question must be answered in its entirety. {This should be at
least 500 words}
In the Moksha collection, there is one portrait of an old woman, well to be honest there are
many of old women, but this one is special. She is looking directly at into the lens of the camera,
or if you stand in front of her long enough, shell look into your soul. She looks like a
grandmother, though no little children are in the photo with her. The grief lines around her mouth
tell of intense hardship, but she does not look bitter. Its as if she has some joy that keeps her
going. Of everyone photographed, sculpted or painted, I would want to meet this woman just to
hear her story.
Jules Pierre Roulleau sculpted Leda and the Swan out of marble. This is a representation of
the Greek myth that includes Zeus taking the form of a swan to seduce the queen of Sparta. The
product of this union was Helen of Troy. This fascinated me because of Helen. This may have
been a myth created after she was grown and beautiful, told to explain the face that launched a
thousand ships. In the sculpture, Leda is beautiful, and as feminine as one could get. The swan
is huge, Ive never thought of a swan as masculine but if one could be this one is. It is huge and
looks slightly aggressive in its body language. This aggressive stance follows the story that it is
Zeus and his goal is seduction.
Domenicus van Wijnen painted An Allegory of Amsterdam. This painting is so beautifully
done. The details are amazing. I enjoyed standing there reading the caption that explained what
the people and objects in the picture meant. The symbolism was so intricate, every single thing
had a meaning. If it was a person that was being explained, their body language was explained as
well as their position in the painting regarding the other people and their actual distance from the
top, bottom, or each side. If it was an object being explained, its position in the picture, what it
represented or what it was supposed to be used for were all important factors.
Jean-Leon Gerome painted what translates to The Christian Martyrs Last Prayer. This shows
a Roman coliseum from the point of view of someone standing in the arena. Across the arena are
a group of people huddled together, kneeling down around a man standing in the middle of the
group. His face is raised to heaven while all the other heads are bowed. In the foreground out of
a trap door, come lions. The first one out the door is a huge male, he is beautiful and looks wellfed. Another male, accompanied by a female can be seen on their way to join the first male. I was
surprised at how majestic the lions looked, I always imagined them as mangy and mindless, but
these ones look just the opposite. That is one reason I picked this painting, because I was

surprised at the civility the lions are displaying. I dont know if it makes their purpose better or
worse.
7) How did the artworks you looked at relate to material we have discussed in class?
(They do relate in many ways, you just need to look for those relationships). {Minimum
of 150 words}
The temporary exhibit I previously mentioned was photographed in India, and that is the
sight of the Hindi religion. This religion could be seen in some of the architecture. Sculptures of
their gods adorn doorways and passageways. The most significant place it could be seen was in
the actions of the people in the photos. Some are in a large place of worship together, other
photographs are on individuals sitting alone, possibly meditating. It is in their dress, the women
are sometimes all the way covered and always modest. The poverty speaks to a system that has a
place for everyone, even if not all of those slots are desirable they must be filled. This religion is
their life and their culture at the same time.
8) What was your personal reaction to this experience? Would you enjoy attending this
type of event again? Why or why not? {Minimum 100 words}
I enjoyed attending the museum, although I wish I was larger so that it could hold even more
works. I may attend a museum again if there was a specific exhibit I wanted to see. I mainly stay
with privately owned galleries for art. Often the art is displayed in a way that sells the pieces
which is more appealing to look at. Another advantage of galleries is the staff. They are looking
to make a sale, and because of this are usually more inclined to answer questions about a piece of
art or just be there to guide you through the gallery. The cincher for me when choosing a gallery
over a museum, is that galleries are for more likely to have the artists close by, and therefore you
have the chance to talk to them about their work.