Amazing Art at the MOMA

Yesterday, I went to the MOMA and spent three hours observing the entire collection. Two exhibits stood out to me the most. One of them was Bruce Conner’s exhibit called “It’s all True.” It includes over 250 objects of Conner’s film, paintings, assemblages, drawings, prints, photography, photograms, and performance. His art focuses on themes of American postwar society, from the rising consumer culture to the foreboding and anxieties of a nuclear apocalypse. His work, though some of it is disturbing, is very evocative and relevant to modern times.

           One of Conner’s assemblages, “Cherub”  (1959) is similar to a scene in a horror film. In the upper right corner, is the bald cut off head from a doll and surrounding the doll’s head are gray Nylon wax. To me, this assemblage stands for the all the chaos in the world. When I look at it, I imagine I am walking in a dark spooky cave with cobwebs and a creepy doll. The cave makes me feel uneasy. Thus, I think that this piece is supposed to be apocalyptic and make viewers feel apprehensive about the future of society. Each piece in this exhibit makes you really think about its significance and what Conner is trying to say.

            Another exhibit I enjoyed at the MOMA was Edgar Degas’ “A Strange New Beauty.” Degas is known internationally for his paintings of the ballet. However, his work as a printmaker truly shows the lengths of his “restless experimentation. (www.moma.org) In the mid-1870s, Degas was shown the monotype process, which is drawing with ink on a metal plate that is run through a printing press, usually producing one print. By implementing the monotype in his paintings, Degas was unique in his artwork.

            One of my favorite paintings by Degas in the MOMA is “A Group of Dancers”. (1898) Degas used oil on paper mounted on canvas to make this painting. Like in many of Degas’ works, in this painting, he portrays ballet dancers. In this painting, the dancers wear what looks like blue and pink tutus. He paints the floor in a beautiful aqua color mixed with some reds and oranges. In the left corner of this piece is a mirror where you can see the reflection of one of the dancer’s tutus and the backs of the dancers. Degas paints the reflection with blacks, grays, blues, oranges, and whites. Perhaps, the blacks and grays are the dancers’ shadows. Degas’ works throughout this exhibit are exceptional and reflect the hard work he put into his pieces.

I highly recommend the Bruce Conner and Degas exhibit at the MOMA. But, if you have the time, I suggest you look through the entire museum. The MOMA has work of the most renowned artists with some of thier most famous paintings including “Starry Night” by Van Gogh.