The MET

Our visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to see the exhibit of Abstract Expressionism and other Modern Works truly inspired me in terms of my studies. This is my first semester at Gallatin, so attending a class in which I can visit various sites around the city will allow me to take full advantage of my new surroundings. This visit in particular held great importance to me because I am studying the business side of the art industry. 

Visiting museums is nothing new to me, having had an interest in art history for many years now. However, this tour in particular gave me a different perspective to paintings that I had previously studied in numerous classes. Artists such as Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning are familiar as well as their corresponding works, but the way in which they are all brought together is a new experience for me.

Learning about these artists' lives, beyond what is written in Art History textbooks, gave a new perspective of what life as an artist is like. This tour, informing us about specific places these artists worked and lived, as well as the way in which they influenced each other, was very effective. I am interested in further researching this "club" formed by the group of artists living and working in New York City in the 1950's. I believe I can learn a lot from the way in which these successful artists lived their lives right here in the same area we are living and studying today. 

These artists' success is undeniable in the art world. Their incredible works of art automatically spark an interest in their personal lives. Now, with the insight I acquired through the tour at the MET, I would like to further study the lives of artists from the past as well as artists today. I feel as if a lot could be learned from the way these struggling artists achieved their success, and could be applied to or compared with artists living in the city today.