Art Museum Critique

1. University of Utah Museum, Utah Museum of Fine Arts.

2. The collection that stood out to me the most was the British passion
landscape, masterpieces from the Wales collection. This was probably
because it had the largest collection of artwork and I admired most of the
pieces that were in this particular collection. The theme was British landscape
so there were a lot of landscape pieces which is probably why I admired this
collaboration of work the most. Landscape artwork is my favorite. They had
pictures that followed the story of the industrial revolution, the Waterloo
Bridge, landscapes with cottages, fields, rivers, castles, and distant ruins. The
era of the pieces range from the industrial revolution to the romantic era, the
romantic era, impressionist era, postmodern, and postindustrial era. (UMFA,
exhibitions). I also took a particular interest in the Mexican collections, I
noticed that a lot of the art work from Mexico were sculptures, and figurines. I
also noticed that there were a lot of them that had religious and spiritual
meanings. The era from this collection ranges from 500 b.c. to present day. I
think I enjoyed the older artwork from this collection the best.
3. One of the special exhibits they had on display was titled, They arrived
yesterday, dusty and weary from the journey but in good spirits. The artist is
Tony Feher. This exhibit was the first room you walk into so it is hard to miss.
When I first walked in I was unsure what to think about the piece. It seemed
to be just some bright pink painters tape hanging from the ceiling and some
bright blue painters tape taped to a glass door, however the more I looked at
it and read about it the more I liked it. When I read the information on the
wall it said that Feher looks beyond ordinary everyday items and sees color,
line, shape, texture, and ext. So he takes ordinary things and turns them into

something poetic. It said the artwork was supposed to represent bodies

moving through large open space. After looking at it for a bit I felt peaceful
and happy, I began to enjoy looking up and seeing the bright streaming color
of pink and I found the bright blue doorway to be uniquely awesome.
4. There was information posted on the walls next to the works with the name of
the artist, the year or date range, the title of the artwork if there was one,
where the artist was from, a little about the piece and sometimes about the
artist. You can also find more information about the artwork and exhibits from
the downtown library, the University library, and most importantly the Utah
Museum of Fine Arts database located on their website.
5. The first piece I was drawn to was, Dinas Bran Castle, near Llangollen. This
piece was a part of the British Passion Landscape collection. The artists name
was Richard Wilson who is from Welsh and he lived during 1714 - 1782 and
this piece was completed during the 1770s. This was an oil canvas piece and
I was drawn to it because it was a picture of a beautiful landscape. This piece
was and Itailian Welsh hybrid including the Dinas Bran Castle with the
landscape of Tivoli and the Roman Campagna. I was probably drawn to this
piece because of the castle and the ruins in the distance and because of the
detail of the landscape including the people sitting by the stream. The next
piece that I was drawn to was titled Rising Skylark, painted by Samuel
Palmer. This was also an oil on canvas. This one was a part of the British
Passion Landscape collection as well. Samuel Palmer lived from 1805-1881
and this specific piece was painted in 1845. Samuel was a key figure in the
British romantic era. This is a dark painting of the English Mills, there is a
skylark flying over the mills and mill workers staring up at the bird. I was
drawn to this piece because I found it interesting. When I first looked at it I

found it quite depressing but when I studied the mill workers looking up at
the skylark it gave me the feeling that they might be looking up hoping for
more, staring at the bird close to the heavens and wishing for something
better. The information they provided about the piece said that the painting is
based on a passage from the John Milton poem, LAllergo: To hear the lark
begin his flight, and singing startle the dull night, from his watch-towre in the
skies, Till the dappled dawn doth rise (UMFA). The next piece of artwork that
I was drawn to was Welsh Landscape. The artist was John Minton who was
also English, he lived from 1917-1957. The Welsh Landscape was completed
in 1943. The style of the work is pen and ink on paper. I instantly found this
piece intriguing, it was a work that definitely can make a person pause for a
minute. It is a picture of a dark hillside with gnarled trees, steep clefts, a
winding road, and twisted drawings of naked people. When I first looked at
this piece it made me think of depression and emotional turmoil, it actually
reminded me of how I felt when I myself was in the throes of depression. And
when I looked at the information provided about the piece it said it reflects
the emotional turmoil Minton endured. It said that in 1943 the year the piece
was completed he suffered a nervous breakdown after his homosexuality was
exposed. The next piece I was drawn to is titled the kite. It is an oil on canvas
and was painted by Charles Sims. Charles Sims was from London and lived
from 1873-1928. The painting was completed in 1910. I was drawn to this
piece first of all because it was a beautiful work of art filled with vibrant
colors. The other reason I was drawn to this piece was because it is a picture
of a small boy flying a kite on the beach while his mother looks on him with
adoration in her eyes. I loved this because I am a mother of two boys and my

favorite thing in the world is watching them play and discover the world
happily. And although the information given said that the Kite is supposed to
explore the world through a childs perspective I saw it through a mothers
perspective instead. There were a couple others that caught my eye as well
but did not have as much information about them. One was titled Apple
Blossom by George Clausen, painted in 1885. This was a simple painting of
an apple blossom tree but I was drawn to it because it of the soft colors, and
apple blossom trees remind me of my Grandmothers house. Another one
was a sculpture of a bat head from the Mexican collection, titled bat effigy.
This was really the only sculpture I was drawn to and probably because I
found it to be quite funny. The time period of the bat ranges from 300-600
C.E. In the information given it said that Bats played a big role in religious
belief, symbolizing winter and darkness.
6. I think the artworks that I was the most interested in probably relate the most
to the section on happiness and the good life. There were several pieces that
were on display that were symbolic of depression and were the result of a
suffering and tormented artists. I think John Mintons drawing of the Welsh
Landscape was the most symbolic of inner turmoil. However as I was walking
through the Museum I realized that a lot of the works gave me a feeling of
hope or of finding the silver lining. I especially felt that way when looking at
the Samuel Palmers piece The Rising Skylark and Charles Sims piece the
Kite. I think that the Rising Skylark made me feel that way because it is
actually a dark and slightly depressing piece. However, the exhausted Mill
workers looking up towards the heavens at the skylark made me feel as if
they were feeling a sense of hope in the bird. And I felt the sense of
happiness and hope with the Kite because even when life gets hard to handle

watching my children participate in a freeing activities such as flying a kite or

the simple act of playing, always lifts my spirits and fills me with hope.
7. I honestly have to admit that my initial reaction to this experience was
frustration, because it took up quite a bit of time and as I walked through
museum I felt really inept because I have very little experience when it
comes to art. Although I do enjoy art, I lack artistic talent so it makes it
harder for me to understand sometimes. However, after writing up this art
critique I came to realize I was very appreciative of this experience. It not
only opened my eyes to different types of art and what the artists were
feeling while completing their work, but it also helped me realize that even
though I lack artistic experience I can form my own opinion and appreciation
for the artwork.