Wallace Collection

1. I liked the fact that the artist and titles were engraved or painted on the frames of the art rather than on small labels beside the work.  It really worked in terms of keeping the labels consistent with the feel of the house.  As the intention of the designers was to make viewers feel as if they were viewing the piece in it's original place, having small labels beside the works would "kill the mood" so to speak.  Having the artist and/or title on the work made it look as if it were really located in someone's home.  Not all font sizes and types were the same throughout the museum, and I thought this was also beneficial to the houses' design for the same reason.

2. My favorite object in this museum wasn't any one particular piece of art (though I enjoyed a lot of them, and a lot of the furniture as well).  My favorite object was the grand staircase that is encountered upon first entering the museum.  I feel it set the tone for the entire visit perfectly, the red carpet and railings were picturesque for a Victorian home-style setting.  The two portraits at the top of the stairs were grand and beautiful, and were a good representation of the rest of the collection.  The staircase was a wonderful introduction to the home.

3. I didn't feel intregued or disgusted by any one particular object in the museum as much as I did about the overall layout of the collection.  I really enjoyed the classical Victorian feel of the house, and the elegant display rooms for the pieces.  The color theme in each room was selected to compliment the pieces within the room- and really drew your attention to the focal point of each piece.  The large chandaliers, brightly colored wallpapers, and classy window shades really made the collection seem like it was in it's original placement.  I think this adds a great deal of awe when viewing the collection.  The curators did a fantastic job with the design and refurbishment of the house.

4. My favorite museum was the Saatchi gallery.  I really enjoyed being forced to try and figure out what each piece of art meant by myself, while having some of the more ornate, complicated ones explained to me.  I like the idea that the owner of the museum collects the art for himself, and actually goes out and actively collects it rather than waiting for it to be brought to him.  I liked the set-up of the museum: how there was plenty of room to enjoy each piece from all angles, and how there was adequate room for larger pieces to be displayed.  I have often had difficulties interpreting modern art, but this museum chose pieces that I could understand and relate to, which made viewing them much more interesting.

5. I enjoyed all the museums we visited in this class, as I knew most of them were not places I would have taken the initiative to visit by myself. However, I most enjoyed the more obscure, less visited museums.  I feel they were more unique and there were not as many people/distractions around which led to me having more time to actually appreciate the art.  I feel each of the museums from later in the course had something different and creative to offer.  I am definitely less intimidated by art than I was at the beginning of the semester, more or less because I have been forced to face the fact that there is no right or wrong answer; this fact was hard for my science-orientated self to accept at first :)  It makes viewing art much more enjoyable, as it is merely an interpretation of feelings.  I also notice the logos of museums to a much greater extent now, as I am able to evaluate type face, legibility, color palettes, etc.  I am very happy that I took this class and I feel viewing things in a different way than I am used to is something I will be able to do more successfully now; it is a skill that I will be able to use in many areas of my life upon returning home to the States.

6.  Thanks for such a fun and interesting semester, Steven!  It was really fun getting to know you and explore London with you.  Not to be cheesy, but our class really couldn't have asked for a better professor to share this experience with :)

Design Museum

1. Architecture: I really enjoyed the image of the Void House in Brussels, Belgium:  it is open, appealing, and allows for a lot of color and light in through the main windows.  The staircases present outside and inside the house provide a sense of flow throughout the house, and allow for easy movement throughout; the design has a modern feel without taking away the sense of character.  The lack of a ground floor provides for easy access to the street and makes the house appear almost as if it were floating. 

 

Furniture: My favorite display of furniture in the gallery was the black iron chair, which contained a design solely composed of "thin black lines".  The caption talked about the black lines merely being an outline, and causes the piece to be a mixture of 2 and 3 dimensions.  I enjoy the simplistic color and style of the chair, and the fact that it is completely basic in it's function was what drew my attention the most. 

 

 

Transport: Following with the theme of simplicity, for transportation I most  enjoyed the VANMOOF no 5 bike.  It is a practical, lightweight bike designed for use in the city;  this bike would be convenient for travel as well as attracting the eye with its rust free aluminum frame.  It also contains a lock and headlights, which are hidden within the thick tubing of the bicycle.  This bike is ideal for someone who uses biking as their most prominent form of transportation.

 

Graphics:  For my graphics award, I definitely give that out to the designers of these advertisements for IKEA.  They were displayed on a TV screen, but were all patterned and parallel and created a very pleasing scene.  They were made from all foods and drinks, which was original and the colors worked together very well.

 

2.  I enjoyed the work of Wim Crouwel.  I think many of his works could be seen as minimal, but as a designer knowing when to be minimal and basic should been seen as a strength.  Many of his works were eye-catching and tasteful, and I enjoyed many of the architectural designs he did as well as some advertisements.  He uses type faces and colors to his advantage, and creates an overall pleasing design that incorporates some of the main aspects of the building, company, etc. into his work.  To describe Wim Crouwel's work I would say it is uncomplicated, indispensable, and innovative. 

 

I definitely wouldn't relate what how I viewed Wim Crouwel's work to Jackson Pollock's.  Crouwel's work is much more simplistic, basic, and organized.  The lines are parallel and complementary much more than Pollock's random abstractness.  I found his work to be much more similar to that of Mark Rothko.  Not only are the colors more similar to that of Crouwel's, but the basic design and flow of lines/creation of space throughout the works are much more similar.  The basic, engaging draw of Crouwel's work is mirrored in Rothko's.  The symmetry and simplicity of Donald Judd's designs I can also relate to Crouwel's.  Though no font or wording is used in either of these last two artist's works, the basic themes and principles of art are the same.  Crouwel just uses a new dimension in his artwork, and this dimesion is known as text.

 

When I looked into artists I thought to be similar to Crouwel, I realized matching styles of topography is a very difficult thing to do.  I finally reached a conclusion, however, when I spotted the work of Neville Brody.  He has a similarly simple style, yet appealing because of the type face and color usage.  He is a little more bold with his works than Crouwel but I enjoyed them all the same.