On April 7, 2002, I visited the Menil Collection, the Cy Twombly Gallery, and Richmond Hall. I arrived at the Menil Collection at around 2:00pm and stayed until approximately 4:45pm visiting the three collections. As I drove to the museums, I was challenged with normal Houston traffic clutters, but nothing out of the ordinary. The weather was musty, full of humidity in the air with light sprinkling rain, and it seemed that it was about to start pouring outside but never did during my visit to the museum district. I was accompanied to the museum by a friend by the name of Jennifer, and I parked in the designated area for the Menil Collection behind the Menil Bookstore. The best part about the visit to the museums was that it gave me a chance to unwind. With a full time job and the tasks of a full time student on my back, it was enjoyable to be pulled away just to admire the beauty of the artworks free from everyday problems.
I chose a piece entitled “L’onde” or otherwise known as “The Wave” by Gustave Dore. Gustave Dore was a French painter who lived from 1832 to 1883. The date of the oil on canvas painting was unknown. “The Wave” is a permanent part of the Menil Collection painted on a rectangular canvas 58 1/4 in. by 46 1/8 in. in height. I chose this piece because it was one of the pieces that stayed on my mind through the entire visit throughout the museums even after seeing all of the other pieces at the other museums. I really enjoyed the way the piece responded to my emotional side and I really liked the piece’s aesthetic representation of the ocean. I love the ocean and this piece really seemed to sooth some of the stresses of everyday life. I would love to have this piece in my home.
Museum Collection Essay Museums Objects Collections
Collection remains the predominant reason for many a museum's existence. Most museums collect because they believe that objects are important and evocative survival of human civilization worthy of careful study and powerful educational impact. They carefully preserve their holdings as to transmit important information to the present generation and posterity. Art museums are said to concentrate on ...
“L’onde” was full of intense greens on top of browns to represent the moss and algae on the rocks and was glittering with the whites of the tide. The background was dark brown that seemed to fade into darkness as you looked to the top of the piece with a concentration of brightness on the whiteness of the tide crashing into the rocks. The oil on canvas painting was regular in its texture due to evenness of the surface of the piece. The concentration of the artist’s painting did not seem to be on the texture of the piece. The piece was evenly balanced with the majority of the rocks on the left and bottom of the piece and with the illumination coming from the white tide crashing from the right side of the piece into the rocks on the left. The piece appeared evenly balanced with the focal point of concentration directed towards the glow of the tide.
My visit to the museum was like a breath of fresh air. It has been some time since I have taken some personal time aside to do anything besides schoolwork and my job. This assignment was not like homework, but it almost seemed like a mini-break from the stresses of my everyday life. I thoroughly enjoyed the visit and I plan to visit the museum district more often when more free time becomes available.
