Before Our Eyes: The Collections of The Minneapolis Institute of Art

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The Minneapolis Institute of Art has many beautiful collections. The evening class that we art students attended proved to be informative as well as relaxing. The class covered looking at what we had recently studied in the first section. The ancient near east, Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Etruscan and Aegean art were the subjects of our evening. Everyone was able to see the Doryphorus, which was accented by decorative streamers hanging from the ceiling. We were also able to observe pieces that were similar to ones studied. It was a change to go on a class trip to the Institute, because compared to sitting walking around while looking at art is always pleasant. When ambling through the rooms of art, I had a variety of favorites. It is always hard to pick and single out a specific piece. It is quite exciting reflecting on all the pieces that have been learned about. The Doryphoros (Room 203), sculpted by the Roman Polykleitos around 450-440 B.C., is amazing because of the life put into the marble. As there are only four of these in the world, it is wonderful that the MIA contains one of them in their collections. Birds with Foliage (Room 240), is a Syrian mosaic by an unknown artist. It is a beautiful piece of work created the about same time of the Doryphoros. The colors remind make one think of autumn, and the birds are graceful and comely. The Crouching Lion (Room 240), sculpted by an unknown Greek artist in 400 B.C., is quite impressive. Later, when I stopped to look at some “miscellaneous items” a small, hematite Frog (Room 203), stood out to me. The hematite frog was made in Sumeria around 3,000 B.C. A chalice of sorts bearing the name Ibex (Room 236), was a fascinating Persian/Iranian piece o... ... middle of paper ... ...itute on many occasions. Each experience is varied, and I learn something new every time I visit. Because I have been able to study art this semester, I was able to look at the pieces we visited in a new way. They are not merely “pieces of art,” but creations. When we study the background and history of a subject or piece of art it makes a difference in what is learned, especially when we know about what is put right before our eyes. Works Cited Kleiner, Fred. Gardner's Art through the Ages Wadsworth: Cengage Learning, 2009 “Minneapolis Institute of Arts” www.artsmia.org October 28th, 2011 “The Amica Library” www.amica.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/view/search? October 28th, 2011 “The Amica Library” www.davidrumsey.com/amica/amico1280240-99030.html October 28th, 2011 “The Science Museum of Minnesota” http://www.smm.org/ October 28th, 2011

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