While viewing the Western Art exhibit at the museum on Wednesday I began thinking about the importance of the pieces. Although the collection displayed was not huge, I believe it was a great representation of the genre. I have seen American Western Art before and believe that it carries a great deal more than simply a piece of nice artwork. In some cases I believe that it contains a story, an event, a general mood of the times.
Those days were tough; it was all about the unknown and embarking upon great journeys in hopes of discovering a more lucrative life. The danger that these expeditions possessed were constantly present, yet, that didn’t keep people from packing up their lives and heading west. Many of the painting I viewed had glimpses of despair, the sky was dark, the subjects appeared to be worn, and in some cases it showed the out right violence that the pioneers had encountered. Many pictures depicted the initial encounters between the pioneers and the Native Americans, whom had occupied that land for generations.
I left the museum with my own ideas of what they went through during those days. Looking at those paintings was almost like reading a history book, but instead of taking the words I read and drawing my own conclusions, I was given a visual glimpse into the times. I feel that it took a great deal of bravery to attempt such a journey. There were the paintings that depicted the struggles and the journey then there were paintings that explained the sheer natural beauty the American West offers. It was as though those painting were showing the reward, a wide-open vast landscape full of promise.
In what ways did these paintings offer you a enlightened understanding of the American West, what stories did you take from the paintings, after viewing the paintings was there anything that intrigued you, perhaps something that you had never associated with the American West but it was displayed amongst the artwork? What was the general mood you took from the paintings, from what you had always thought of the American West before viewing the exhibit; do you feel as though it was an accurate display of the American West?
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Something I was thinking about at the museum, was how a bit of my interpretation of the American West had been shaped by old Western films. These films show the gun fights, old salons, and the gritty nature of the Old West. They fail to show what I gathered from the paintings, and that was the struggles and hardships people endured simply to make a better life for themselves. These paintings gave me a new outlook on some of the pivotal characteristics of the time period.
I always try to have an open mind about things, and to keep myself from having any expectations. However, in this case, after reading the Hassrick article before class, and having a few of my own preconceptions about a lot of "western" art I did have some expectations. I expected to see paintings of natural grandure: a sort of utopic view of the west as something larger than mankind. I also expected to see the stereotypic "savage" painting, and of course, the cowboy scene. All of these expectations were met, particularly in the piece: The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, which I chose as one of the pieces I described. Not to say that this painting is not close to many of the landscapes in Yellowstone, but there is definitely an exaggeration there. The painting is huge, possibly meant to make the observer feel small in comparison.
On the other hand, I was surprised and happy to see a few very unique pieces that I did not expect to see placed in this exhibit. For example, the Georgia O'Keefe piece: Cow. As a western artist, it made sense to place it here, but it was very separate from all the other pieces, and a bit out of place: hard to notice. I was drawn to it because of this. A small painting only depicting the head of a cow, reaching towards a barely visible plant with its tongue.
So, my expectations were both met and shattered a bit. Overall, I was pleased with the experience.
The main feeling I got from the paintings was a feeling of mystery and uncertainty. There seemed to always be a twist or something markedly unique to each piece that had a certain association. One piece I remember was that of a ceremony in which Native American men were tied up and hung from hooks in their bodies. It was considered one of the most controversial paintings in the museum and had received many complaints. I found this piece fascinating, as I had never thought before how such a ceremony would be perceived from a conservative, white pioneers view. This outright violence was shocking but also very enlightening. Its graphic nature was so explicit that I had little trouble finding the controversy. It also made me think about how I would perceive such a ceremony in modern times. If I was a pioneer and saw such a sight I would immediately label it as an act of savagery.
I really found the pieces featuring Native Americans fascinating as well. I have never really been involved in much cultural learning of this people so it was interesting to get a look into their past. I feel a lot can be learned about a people from their past experiences. I found that the paintings either featured a ceremony or was just a portrait. This made me feel as if I had access into a view of a culture I had never before been given an opportunity to see.
The general mood that I perceived from the exhibit was desperation.
Going into the museum i had some preconceived ideas of what i'd be going through. Many of the paintings were of just earth and the paintings centered around people were still very brown and green (there was some out of place pieces of art). Release your plans was an vividly abstract view of a room and the only reason it was in the american west section, was because the artist was from the springs. Still a powerful piece of art, but there was no place to put it so it was shoved into a corner. An understanding of the harsh, unyielding land that the pioneers had to endure was the main thing i took away from this trip. To be a pioneer is to be brave and tough. They were responsible for finding their own food, shelter and clothing, which is more than I can say for americans today.
Among all the pieces I have viewed in the Denver Art Museum, my personal favorite is the piece of work called “ the Necessity for Ruins” by Don Stinson. Unlike all the other major art works display in the museum, Stinson’s work does not necessary tell the viewer what is the actual storyline behind the painting such as the Native Indian culture, or the journey of pioneers coming to west looking for the opportunity. Stinson’s work does not put any judgmental stuffs or any kind of its own personal prospective towards his work. Most of all, his work is more kind of philosophical way of questioning the world or today’s society by putting the odd objects in to the landscape: Is change good?
The only way I have ever learned about the old American West was through text books in school; second hand accounts of what was took place. Textbooks only provided facts and details about what happened. The paintings and sculptures in the exhibit display pictoral interpretations of what happened, some were even firsthand accounts of what the artist experienced. The paintings bring you into the scene and let you see its and wealth in such a way that words could never do justice.
Coming to the museum, I expected to see Native Americans in many of the paintings as well as images depicting the pivotal moment when the natives crossed paths with the westerners for the first time. I didn’t expect the image of the cow, or the landscapes of the modern West (the one with the huge sky or the old drive in theater) to contrast images of the past.
I've never really thought about western art before and until reading the assigned article before class I had no idea what to expect. I've thought a lot over the last several years about how adventurous the pioneers must have been to leave everything familiar behind and put their health and safety at risk, but I'd never seen so many images depicting what it was like to do that. I was intrigued by the paintings of Native Americans and especially the ones with both Native Americans and pioneers. But honestly I found it a little hard to cope with. I think it's incredibly important to learn the truest history possible and to learn from the mistakes made around the world, but it makes me so sad to think about the way people react when they encounter people who are different from themselves. I found myself not wanting to write about any of the paintings that had people in them because I have such a cynical view on human interaction and it's too draining to pour that out on paper or even sometimes to talk about it. I left the museum feeling inspired by the nature scenes which were mostly so beautiful and expansive, but also reminded of a small piece of the painful history of our country. I was relieved however to see many paintings that were sympathetic to the Native Americans.
This art display conveyed some of the traditional thoughts of the American West that I had been taught in school. Whereas, some of them were more progressive and modern than I was expecting to see. I felt like a lot of the paintings that were displayed in the collection had a dark, depressed, solemn connotation associated with them. These were the paintings that displayed all of the trials and tribulations that the westward expansionists had to deal with. Most of these were images of cowboys on horses or Native Americans. However, not all of the paintings were like this. Some of them were uplifting and bright and offered a glimpse at the positives of the American West. Some of these were beautiful landscapes that you can only find in the American West, like the Grand Canyon in Yellowstone National Park. Others were just simple landscapes like a field going through Nebraska. These images seemed like the light at the end of the tunnel for the westward expansionists.
What intrigues me most about the art displayed at the museum was the natural element. In my view, the American West is a very yellow and flat area (at least in the areas in which there are no mountains) and the land then plays an important role, overtaking many man-made items. The vastness of the space along with the history behind it further deepens the sense of openness.
The pieces that displayed people seemed to be either almost grandiose or quite small in focus, providing an insight to what may have been the case at the time. Many unsmiling faces, however, tell a somewhat downtrodden story of the west. The visit did not necessarily tell a new story so much as reconfirm previous notions.
I agree with Huston that the art exhibit almost provided the viewers with a historical survey of the American west. I was actually surprised to see the variety of art styles represented in the exhibit. Whenever I thought of "Western Art," I had a preconception of somewhat cheesy cowboy images that I often associated with cities like Santa Fe. I found it very enlightening to see everything form abstract representations to realistic classical portrayals of the western experience ranging in time from the earliest colonial explorers searching for the northwest passage to modern representations of what has become of ranches and homesteads that blazed the way for the rest of American society.
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