Attending the Johnson museum was an interesting experience. I have gone to a couple museums throughout my life, but I never had a “tour guide” to explain the intricate details of art and different ways to look at art. The professor was very helpful in trying to look at art analytically rather than just looking at the aesthetics. For example, one of the first sculptures we looked at was an emaciated figure that was very lengthy and tall. If the professor was not there to guide us, I definitely would have looked at the piece of art and be confused as to why it was displayed in the museum. There was no flamboyant color or detailed carvings. It looked like a blob of clay that has been molded into a human shape. However, thanks to the professor, he was able to make us think critically and gave us hints like the year the sculpture was made and refer back to history and deduce that it was portraying a human figure from World War II.

I actually had an assignment for my Greek Mythology class where I had to go to the Johnson museum and look at pieces of art that pertained to Greek mythology. Fortunately, right after the event was over, I was able to find a painted plate that depicted Menelaus and Helen and analyze it the way the professor taught us moments ago. Completing the assignment was so much easier because of it and I definitely am able to look at art more critically than before.