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 :)