The Last Supper by Andy Warhol (1986)

Strange Fruit by Alison Saar (1995)

Man Pointing by Alberto Giacometti (1947)

This was probably my favorite piece of art from the museum on Thursday. This stood out to me because of how simple it was, yet how thin and difficult it must have been to make. The description here says, "Although his lean figure occupies very little space by itself, it successfully delineates and commands the surrounding area, directing the viewer's attention by means of outstretched arms and pointing finger." Like I mentioned above, it definitely commanded the surrounding area as this was the piece of art in the room that intrigued me (the viewer) the most. It really makes you wonder who or what this man is pointing at. It is thought that this piece of work traces all the way back to World War II.

Imagination and visualization are both very important components to art. The first thing Calvino brought up regarded some of Dante's work. It was also very interesting how he brought up St. Ignatius of Loyola because that is where we go to school. Calvino also questioned where these images and visions that we imagine come from? The answer I think to this relies heavenly on the person's past experiences and his or creativity. The more creative a person is, the better he or she probably is at visualizing future events. For example, when I played baseball from the age of 5 to 18, I would visualize hitting a double in the gap while on deck. This way I would actually believe I was going to get a hit when I stepped up to the plate. This is an interesting comparison between art and sports, because you better believe the artist has some sort of vision before he or she starts his or her work.

Art's Purpose

Art is very powerful in today's world and has been for quite a long time. Saltz makes it clear that it is not powerful enough to stop AIDS or global warming, but it has a different kind of power. Art can show emotion in any situation and it is beautiful because it is up to the eyes of the viewer to determine what the art really means. Oscar Wilde said that the moment you think you understand art, it is dead for you. That means that most of the true beauty in art is about deciphering what it is really about. Art also soothes. It has a miraculous way of healing pain and that is a power in itself. In each and every piece of art, you are seeing yourself, and questioning what YOU are viewing. Saltz even tells the story of how viewing art made a painter feel better after one of the darkest days in American history. One quote that stood out to me was, "Art is often political when it doesn't seem political and not political when that's all it seems to be." This intrigued me because it shows that art is often not what was meant to be.