Museum of Modern Art

Visited the Museum of Modern Art in New York recently. I deliberately went to Level 4 to take a closer look at specific artists like Pollock, Rothko and other influential artists to try to understand their works better, and why they are acknowledged to have made such an impact on the art scene.

Rothko's No.10 and No.3/No.13

While I didn't have the out-of-this-world experience that others talk about, it was quite thrilling to peer closely at each piece and see details that you wouldn't otherwise see in books or the internet. I could look at each piece from a side angle, close up, or from a distance, and it was fun to register the different effects with each view.

For example, a close-up of Rothko's famous piece below shows interesting variances in what might otherwise appear as a solid block of colour.

Close-Up of Rothko's famous piece

Another example below. This piece by Ad Reinhardt looks just like a black canvas. But when you look at it closely, you'll notice that it's really made up of blocks, creating a grid-like effect. According to the write-up, it's"intended to be neither symbolic nor referential but purely optical".

Abstract Painting by Ad Reinhardt

Here's a huge bright red piece by Barnett Newman, called Vir Heroicus Sublimis, Latin for "man, herioc and sublime". One's first instinct is to stand back to look at it, but his instruction was to do precisely the opposite.

Vir Heroicus Sublimis by Barnett Newman

Another Rothko, called Slow Swirls at the Edge of the Sea

I also had to see Jackson Pollock. Here are two of his works.

According to the write-up, Pollock painted this from above, with the canvas lying flat on the floor, because he felt more at ease on the floor. "I feel nearer, more a part of the painting since this way I can walk around it, work from the four sides and literally be in the painting."

Franz Kline, Chief

I liked this miniature reproduction from Marcel Duchamp's Boite en Valise (or Box in a Valise), each of which contained his works in miniature.  

Marcel Duchamp

And here's Woman, I, by Willem de Kooning. Read about it in Rudolf Arnheim's Art and Visual Perception, so it was nice to recognise it and see the real thing :-).

Willem de Kooning's Woman, I, and Painting 

Couldn't leave without taking a look at Andy Warhol. 

Andy Warhol's Campbell's Soup Cans

Andy Warhol's Gold Marilyn Monroe, silkscreen ink on synthetic polymer paint on canvas

By the way, MOMA's website is wonderful. If you key in the artist you're looking for, it'll show you the works they have, and if they're on display, what floor they're on. 

No collector tips, as it's THE Museum of Modern Art. All in all, a highly rewarding visit with loads to learn. Definitely worth multiple visits.