Painful walk and suggestive geese?

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Out of the events I attended this semester as a Rose Scholar, this was one of the ones I learned the most in. I had been to the Johnson Museum before, but didn’t understand most of the artwork. So, having a passionate and helpful professor and understudy was really helpful. Some of their interpretations of art really resonated with me, such as how a statue of a walking man represented pain and strife in the time period around WWII, while other interpretations were surprising and still don’t make no sense to me, such as how a painting of a young girl with geese can be suggestive and sexual. I wish I could say I came out of this event with a newfound ability to understand artwork, but I still lack the experience and the historical knowledge. However, I definitely feel more confident in my ability to appreciate artwork if there’s an expert there to explain the art and artist’s context to me!

3 thoughts on “Painful walk and suggestive geese?”

  1. This event sounds so interesting! As someone who has only been to the Johnson casually, I think it would be fascinating to go with someone so knowledgable about the art. I really enjoy art, but it can difficult to understand the artist’s intentions and the historical context of the piece. I’m glad you were able to gain new insight after this event, and I wish I would have been able to attend. Next time I go to the Johnson, I will be sure to ask more questions about the meanings of different pieces.

  2. I definitely think a lot of the insights just come from the professor having such a broader understanding of history and the context that the painting was written in. Even if it doesn’t make much sense to us that the bare feet of a young girl could be used as a sign of her sexuality, it could make sense with that greater perspective.

  3. I find that having a guide when looking at artwork to learn about the interpretation and history behind a piece always makes it so much more interesting. Sometimes I wonder though, if certain interpretations of symbolism are going beyond the artist’s original intent–maybe he or she had no concrete reason to create what they did. I think it’s interesting to think about different interpretations, but to keep a open and critical mind to new ideas.