New York: MOMA

While in New York we visited The Museum of Modern Art which had some amazing well known artists. With only a short visit we concentrated on the permeant levels.

Jackson Pollock, Stenographic Figure is a different side of Pollock’s work I haven’t seen before, with the use of human forms with brighter and airy patterns.

Jackson Pollock, One: Number 31, one of his many dip paintings. He would lay the canvas on the floor so he was closer to it, as he could walk around it.

Maria Martins, The Impossible III has a striking form, a female and male in violent opposition, showing how impossible it is to make people understand each other.

Richard Tuttle, Letters (The Twenty-Six Series), an abstract take on the alphabet. The shapes seem familiar even though they are made up.

Andy Warhol, Campbell’s Soup Cans was a brilliant piece of work to see. Thirty-two canvases like groceries in a store, showing the varieties of soup sold. As each was completed Warhol ticked them off a product list supplied by the company, which is a lovely little touch.

Andy Warhol, Gold Marilyn Monroe was made the year she committed suicide. Silkscreening the face on a gold canvas. Using a publicity still to present the subject as an infinite reproduced image rather that the unique person behind it.

Anselm Kiefer, Wooden Room created amazingly lifelike wood grain, up close the oil paint and charcoal used for the effect can be really seen.

Georges-Pierre Seurat, Evening Honfleur. He painted twenty-five colours in the form of thousands of dots carefully placed. It has incredible depth which looks beautiful up close. It’s so interesting to see how the the colours blend together when you step back. He continued the dotes onto the frame taking the image past its boundaries.

Vincent van Gogh, The Starry Night. A beautiful painting that I didn’t expect to see and was amazing to see! It shows an expressive response to nature with thick, sweeping brushstrokes.

Gerald Murphy, Wasp and Pear combined stylised wasp, pear, leaf and honeycomb, which I love! He took the inspiration from a technical drawn chart in a classroom. He has only painted fourteen known works.

Salvador Dali, The Persistence of Memory another amazing piece to see. A lot smaller than I thought it would be, but really detailed and perfect.

Rene Magritte, The Empire of Light II a wonderful look into light. With a night scene on the streets contrasting against the day sky. It expresses the effects and emotions from day to night.

Claude Monet, Water Lilies a huge mural giving the illusion of endless water. A pond and the sky used as the subject. A abstract image trying to convey the ever changing nature of water.

It was a wonderful gallery with so many surprises! It was brilliant getting to see so many well known pieces up close!