Two years ago, when I was working in Maryland near the border of Pennsylvania, I took a weekend trip to Pittsburg, Pennsylvania with two destinations in mind: Allegheny Cemetery and the Andy Warhol Museum. My first stop was the cemetery where I walked around and took in all the beautiful old mausoleums and towering marble monuments that loomed over the final resting place of the many people who were buried there. It was a cold day and seeking warmth, I went back to my car and made my way to the museum.
I walked in, shivering slightly, but quickly relieved by the warm air flowing from the vents. I was instantly greeted with works of art from different artists. I made my way to the main Warhol exhibit and took in all of the bright colors that are a trademark of his work. I walked slowly and read each panel carefully. Learning as I walked about the childhood of Andy Warhol and his eventual leap to an art icon.
As I made my way up the floors of the museum, I took in the different exhibits from many artists until finally I stepped onto the floor of the Shepard Fairey exhibit. I was first struck by the sterility of the floor. Stark white walls thirty or more feet high were all around me. As I went around the corner, I was stopped dead in my tracks. There were uncountable numbers of red and black pictures hung on the white walls. The contrasting colors were mesmerizing and the content of the pictures were thought provoking. I walked around trying to take everything in, not wanting to overlook anything. I found myself losing track of time sitting on benches in front of some of my favorite pictures.
I eventually saw a picture that was very familiar. The picture that graced the cover of Time Magazine during the 2008 election. I had not thought much about this picture before and would have never thought in was a small piece in such an expansive work of art. There are not enough words to describe the beauty of this exhibit, but if you ever find yourself in Pittsburg, you will not regret experiencing it.
Visit his website for a peak at his work, but nothing can replace seeing it displayed in person.
I absolutely love contemporary art and that website looks amazing. I've seen some really great stuff in Houston and up in Boston (the architecture near MIT is great), but I've never had the privilege of visiting Pittsburgh.
ReplyDeleteThank you for linking to that site. My friend lives up in Philadelphia. Next time I'm in Philly, I'll have to convince my friend to drive to Pittsburgh.
I'm currently taking an Art Appreciation class at Lonestar and I have learned a lot about Andy Warhol and his pop art. He was an amazing artist that many people loved, he is currently one of the most famous artists that we know of today.
ReplyDeleteSounded like an interesting place to visit, I would love to go visit
Pittsburgh and go see those museums.
Tony Miliziano
Just like Tony, I too have taken the Art Appreciation class and have had the chance to learn about Andy Warhol. He does have some really nice pieces of art. During that class it was a required trip that we go to the museum on our own and view an art exhibit and I remember how upset I was I was forced to view art but will never forget the blissful experience I had
ReplyDeleteMahogany
Im next to take Art Appreciation and this exhibit sounds really exciting and is totally an Appreciation to Art. I love the picture that you used in your blog it always catches my attention, even with it being such a simple work of art. I've always seen the picture online, and never in person, but I hope I get to see it one day.
ReplyDeleteEboni Johnson
I will be taking Art Appreciation shortly so I am excited to open this new door to learn about. I view myself as uneducated in art and think that I would like to explore more about it. The website was interesting.
ReplyDeleteMelissa Ellerbe
When I got my bachelor's degree, my minor was art however I never really learned much about this kind of stuff, it was more hands on. This piece was interesting to me because I do have a love for art. The website looks cool too.
ReplyDeleteLinnzi Wimberley
I never really liked art until I had a chance to visit some museum in Memphis, TN with some friend and the history really brung about the hunger to learn and appreciate more. The president is very knowledgable and enlighting the make a person want to learn more.
ReplyDeleteMonique P
I don't know too much about art or studied much into it. However, I did look into the webisites and was very impressed and pleased with what I saw. It really peaks my interest to look more into this sort of thing and I thank you for sharing your passion and this website.
ReplyDelete