Art Works Analysis and Museum Experience

Art Works Analysis and museum experience

Among all the museums available in New York City, I chose the Metropolitan Museum of Art since I have been to MOMA and I want to experience something different. When I first entered the Metropolitan Museum of Art, I had a very different feeling comparing to the time I went to MOMA. MOMA has a relatively more modern design in the interior, including the structure and the overall design of the building. If MOMA is described to be a modern version of museum, Metropolitan Museum of Art is the one that is more serious and solemn. While MOMA has lots of modern art exhibits, Metropolitan Museum of Art has more art works that contain deep historical background. The exhibits in MOMA are more likely to be after the 1950s, while you can find exhibits all the way back to the 1600s from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. There are total of four floors in the Metropolitan Museum of Art including the ground floor. The area of the exhibition halls are huge, since the exhibits range from painting all the way to huge art pieces like armor, arms and status. The exhibition halls in Metropolitan Museum of Art are divided up into different themes or culture. For instance, it has a hall for Ancient Near Eastern Art on the second floor, an exhibition hall for Asian Art and one for Arms and Armor. Not only the amount of exhibits collections is way over than that at MOMA, the way it shows to visitors is also very different. When I walked into an exhibition hall in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, I was literally entered the world of that age or culture. The decoration and the interior of the exhibition halls are phenomenon.

The two pieces of art works I choose are Dish with a scene of tea cultivation (1971.32.1) and Plate with a vase of flowers (1995.268.77). Both artworks are from the same culture, background and time. Although they have differences in terms of value and production, they both indicate the China's attempt to foster trading and conduct transcultural activities with the western world. Both art works are origin from China, while the Dish with a scene of tea cultivation is dated from 1740-1745, the Plate with a vase of flowers is dated a bit earlier in 1700-1725.

Despite the time discrepancy, they are both originated from China during the Qing dynasty. The Dish with a scene of tea cultivation is easier to identify regarding the dynasty. The people pictured in the plate are half bolded with long tail, which is a regulated hairstyle during the Qing dynasty. Furthermore, tea is a very expensive type of commodity during the Song dynasty, and it wasn’t commonly planted until the Qing dynasty. Therefore, the scene of peasants planting and harvesting tea demonstrates the time of its origin. The dish also depicts the stages of tea production in China and this dish is a piece of artwork that exports to other countries, which is probably Europe. This is because during