The Museum of Modern Art

AP Art Studio, Portfolio Development and Drawing & Painting classes visit to

November 3, 2016

RHS at MoMAA message to art students from artist MaryBeth Thielhelm:

“When looking at art trust yourself in what you feel or don’t feel and don’t questionyour reaction. Absorb everything you see: the colors, the textures, the depth,the light, the shadows, the composition, the size… Get up close to the piece thenlook at it from the other side of the room. Spend some time in front of a piece thatdraws you in. What kind of presence does it evoke? Can you describe it inwords?”

Students commented on their experience at the Museum of Modern Art

Statement about my MoMA Experience: Sara Dischino

“Where do I even start? The MoMa is a place of peace and is sacredin many facets. It’s a place of refuge from day to day stressors and atime to be one with something greater than our own little bubbles. Arthas no schedule. Time is placed on everything but a painting has nosense of time. It flows and evolves and is its own entity. Overallthough, it feels like home. It was my 3rd time at the MoMa and alsomy favorite time. This is why: I evaluated art, I felt art, and I allowedmy intuition to bring me to the pieces that felt right. I stood very closeto some pieces and put myself in the artist’s shoes, imagining eachbrush stroke. I stood far away and looked at some works as a whole.The key component to it being an experience that will alter who I amas an artist though, was the realization that the only way to get betteris to not only challenge myself but to put a piece of myself intoeverything I create. Feelings and emotion poured into art createssomething endlessly meaningful.”

Andre Derain1908 “Bathing”

By: Sara Dischino

“This work inspired me! At first I walked by it, notreally giving it a second thought. But then I realizedhow colorful it was and how right up my alley it wasas well. Fauvism has always been my favorite. WhatI liked about this was that the colors weren’t toooutlandish but were still vibrant and alive. It hasmovement. This work of art had feeling and meaningbehind it. It truly depicts the beauty of the humanbody. It made me feel alive, in the here and now.And, overall, made me want to create!”

“I love the colors and the composition ofthis piece, so much that I could stare at itfor hours. The mark making shows themovement of everything so well that theviewer is transported into the painting. Thispiece inspires me because I hope to do thesame with my art some day.”

~ Tara Egan

A general statement about my museum experience...

“I always enjoy going to different museums to see the many variations of stylesartists have. This museum I liked because there were both complex and simplisticpieces that made me appreciate the different forms and styles in art. Seeingpieces from different artists makes me want to challenge myself and attemptdifferent forms of art and use new techniques that I have not tried before.”

~ Tara Egan

“This picture was a new one tome as I had never seen itbefore. Looking at it makes mea little dizzy, which is one of thereasons I chose it. It’s engagingto the eye because of itsangular turns and really givesthe feeling of vertigo. It reallyintrigued me.”

-Mackenzie Coakley

Robert Matta, Vertigo of Eros, 1944Oil on Canvas

Robert Matta Vertigo of Eros, 1944 Oil on Canvas

“To me, this painting is art. Art is expressionthrough media and imagery, somethingdefinitely present in this painting. Not onlydoes it tell a story (an art form on its own), itis also colorfully displayed. The painting pullsat emotion, which is one of the main goals ofevery art piece. A painting like this would beincluded in a museum because of its ability toreach a person so profoundly that it can befelt for ages.“

-Mackenzie Coakley

“Although this might not be considered(by some) as a work of art, I found this tobe thrilling yet so aesthetically pleasing. Itis simple yet it expresses such vibrantnature. Personally, this is something Iwant to achieve as an artist and whoeverthought of this caught that mainidea/style. This is so eye catching and Ijust enjoyed this so much. It really putsme at ease when I see this.”

~ Ivy Pajak

“I was really excited to see this piece.I’ve always seen pictures of it but neverin real life and to see it was justabsolutely phenomenal. It was really bigwhich surprised me a lot. I lovePicasso’s work and this is by far one ofmy favorites. To see it in the MoMAbasically made my day.”

~Meghan Spino

“I really liked this piecebecause it was just soimpressive. I feel like Icould stare at it for daysand still not seeeverything. The colors andthe composition are justabsolutely fantastic.”

~Meghan Spino

“I really liked the attentionto detail. Especially thesmoke and the shadows.The chosen colors go welltogether and the piece asa whole is very unique.”~ Gretchen Ruoff

I looked for “mistakes” and wanted to see how they made it work. I gained a lot ofinsight to how an artist thinks and proceeds. It was a much different experiencethis time compared to my first visit at the MoMa.” -Gretchen Ruoff

“I really liked having the freedom to goaround in the museum. It was nice tohave a list of specific works to look at,and even better that (artist) MaryBethwas there to chime in as I examinedsome of the prices. Personally I wentpretty slow, and spent a longer time withsome of the works. The ones thatcaptivated me I tried to imagine myselfpainting and tried to figure out where theystarted and the technique behind it.

“I like this painting because you can tell howmuch time the artist spent working on it. The waythey showed the glow from the light makes itreally detailed and colorful. I also like how theytook something as simple as a street light andturned it into something really creative and fun.”

~ Ishmael Ortiz

My Experience

At first I was very pleased and had fun at the museum. I did not realize how manydifferent kinds of artwork there were. It was very nice to see all the different stylesof art from different artists. It gave me inspiration to try some of the techniquesthey did. Another thing I did not realize is how big the museum is. I felt a bitrushed but I got to see a lot if not all of it. Overall it was a very enjoyable and funexperience.

- Ishmael Ortiz

“This piece really excited me because ofthe unique design of the foreground,(especially) the figure’s outfits as well asthe plants that run horizontally alongthe bottom of the painting”

-Alexander W. Baccaro

My Experience!“I love MoMA! I wasextremely excited bythe fact that i finally gotto see Warhol’s soupcans! I've been toMoMA before but atthe time the Warholexhibit was part of atraveling show. I’vealways loved his workand was filled with joywhen I finally sawthem!”

- Alexander W. Baccaro

Umberto Boccioni City risesOil paintCreated 1910

“I overall love this oilpainting, I really love thecontrast between colorsand the intricate line workBoccioni managed to getin this oil painting.”

- Evan V

My ExperienceI really loved the museum, it was amazing to see so many great works in person and to fully examine the amount of time and effort the artist put into their piece.

-Evan V

4th Floor Collections Galleries:James Rosenquist, F-111, 1964-65 Oil on Canvas with AluminumEva Hesse, Repetition Nineteen III, 1968 Fiberglass and Polyester Resin

5th Floor Collections Galleries:Vincent van Gogh, The Starry Night Saint Remy, June 1889 Oil on CanvasHenri Rousseau, The Dream, 1910 Oil on CanvasPablo Picasso, Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, Paris, 1907 Oil on CanvasHenri Matisse, Dance (1), Paris, Boulevard des Invalides, 1909 Oil on CanvasClaude Monet, Water Lilies, 1914-26 Oil on Canvas, three panelsJasper Johns, Flag, 1954-55 Encaustic, Oil and Collage on Fabric & PlywoodJackson Pollock, One: Number31, 1950 Oil and Enamel Paint on CanvasMark Rothko, No.3/No.13, 1949 Oil on CanvasAndrew Wyeth, Christina’s World, 1948 Tempera on PanelEdward Hopper, House by the Railroad, 1925 Oil on Canvas

Recommendations from the Artist

Paintings and Sculpture Not to be Missed: