The modern art museum lecture by Professor Schwartz was interesting because it was a cultural history, rather than a tour to analyze the formal composition of art.  This is important because we learned art is speaks to the moment in which it was created.  We learned about the Interwar Weimar Republic and its contribution to the creativity that the artist depicted.  We were surprised at how closely many of the artists during the Interwar period in Berlin were communicating, and inspiring each other’s work.  We talked to the need for artists to contribute to political dialogue.  Especially with regard to sculptural piece depicting the horrors of war, we, as a group talked about the importance of art as a way to communicate different the impact of different wars.  I thought that was especially important because, as Professor Schwarz stated, the art is understood through the frame that the folks who are viewing it see.  I was also impressed at the array of the Hudson River school artworks because I had already been introduced to many of those artists in an art history course that I had taken.  What I had failed to notice in my trips to the Johnson before was the number of Hudson River school artists on display.  I had simply walked right by them without stopping and really looking at them which is what Professor Schwartz had us do at our trip to the Johnson.