Grafitti

1. Mary Poppins

This picture is truly beautiful.  Notice how the red dress she is wearing corresponds to the red dumpster on the left, allowing Poppins to successfully blend with the environment.  Above all, however, is the beauty of the idea itself.  Notice how grimy and blackened the rest of the parking area is.  The presence of Mary Poppins indicates a wish to simply pick up an umbrella and rise above all of it, above all the nastiness of the world.  In this piece, that wish is granted, which makes it not only beautiful, but also a celebration of the human spirit.

2.  After Lives

Here we have another thoughtful piece.  What the artist did well here was complement the term "After Lives" with a series of pictures that evoke mystery and a sense of barriers.  The after life of anyone cannot be understood or truly known while we are here on earth, thus we see in this piece a jungle which shrouds our ability to see beyond in, while the black and white checkered pattern suggests a wall which cannot be  seen past while we are living.  Also, notice how perfectly the location fits in.  The wall faces westward, so as the sun sets we see the orange glow which complements the orange coloring at the top, evoking more thoughts of the great beyond.

3. Bad #1

Possibly the only compliment I can give to this piece is that the artist had some skill when it came to forming his letters so they looked dynamic and textured using some shadow techniques.  This can especially be observed in the letter B.  However, besides that, I don't see the piece making any sort of statement.  It does not touch me on an emotional level or engage me intellectually.  Ugliness can be beautiful when used wisely, but this is just ugly.  The only reason it fits in with the area is because all of the work around it is just as wasteful.

4.  Type

This is just horrible.  The word "type", written in this way, inspires absolutely zero thought.  It is a lone word with little graffitti around it, meaning that it fits in horribly.  Even the type font of the type doesn't inspire any thought.  Just worthless.

When I first walked in to Sir John Soane's museum (formerly his house), I was immediately surprised by the breadth of paintings, sculptures, and architectural models that seemed to inhabit every inch of every room.  I walked through the tightly packed space, each beautiful room leading into another, and eventually found a staircase leading down into the dark interior of the building.

"There's a whole lot more down there," said a museum employee.  "Plenty of sculptures."

I looked down again into the dark, cramped space, contemplating whether or not the room would be big enough to store even a wheelbarrow, much less an entire collection of art.  I looked at the employee, who smiled.  So I smiled back and began the descent.

Downstairs, I found that the employee's tip was spot on.  The landing completely opened up into another  set of rooms.  I passed rows upon rows of artwork, walking quietly, pausing every now and then to consider the facial creatures of a Roman sculpture, or the intricacies of one of Sir John Soane's various architectural drawings.

Suddenly, however, I realized that I wasn't alone.  To my right, a young woman was also browsing the shelves.  She was dressed fashionably, and had a bright mane of blonde curls that circled her face and gathered up under her black scarf.  She was very beautiful, and I naturally began to feel quite awkward standing so close to her in an empty room.

I turned forward and began to study the painting in front of me, which portrayed a port where a white palace stood off to one side, nudging up against the water.  Ships were streaming in and out of the port, and behind the palace the sun was fading, rendering the sky a collage of pinks and yellows.  I wondered why, among other things, was Sir John Soane such an avid fan of art, why he dedicated so much of his time to beauty, to collecting paintings such as these over and over again.

As I stood there, I could feel the girl on my right moving closer to me, taking her time as she pondered each piece.  My hands began to sweat, as they often do in situations such as these.  My breathing became shallow as I tried to make myself as small as possible, as I attempted to hide among the beautiful works of art that surrounded us.

And then, suddenly, she stopped beside me.

"Amazing, isn't it?" she said.  I turned to her, and she laughed a bit.  "I mean, all of this."

"Yeah.  It is."  This was all I said.  We looked at one another for a few more moments and then she moved on.  In reality, it was nothing, but I left the museum that day feeling lifted, as if I had truly met a stranger for the first time in my life.  And that is what art can do.  It has the power to connect people, to join two strangers in mutual admiration of the work.  It was one of the best lessons I've learned yet on this trip.

National Portrait Gallery

Henry VIII

-For this portrait of King Henry the VIII, I decided to insert John McGuire.  I chose this because they are both big powerful men, and are basically bosses.  John also has a natural ability to grow glorious facial hair.  This, in combination with his size, induces fear in his enemies and respect amongst friends, much the same as Henry did.  Thus, they are a perfect match.

George Washington

-(This, as you will see, is clearly my object of desire).  I chose to match myself with George Washington.  My reasoning is simple.  We share much of the same qualities including a love of America, a love of freedom, and a love for being the best country on this earth.  Also, my skills at Risk (the boardgame) are pretty good, so we share a natural ability to command armies.  This all, of course, is in addition to the fact that both George and I have a natural, unbeatable charisma.  God bless you George, and God bless America!

John Donne

-For this portrait of John Donne, I chose my buddy Karl Iglesias.  I did this because they both are artists and poets.  Also, they are always looking very fresh.  Notice the chest hair I have included to illustrate the amount pure game that Karl exudes, much the same as the smooth talking writer of metaphysical love poems, John Donne. 

Bernard Montgomery, 1st Viscount of Montgomery

-For this portrait of Bernard Montgomery I chose my friend Matt Apel.  As I found out, Bernard Montgomery was a soldier in the first world war, and even after being left for dead in battle, he kept on fighting.  This fighting spirit and tactical mind is exactly what I see in Matt Apel.  I witness it in both his dedication to fitness and the pure tactical genius he displays when we play Risk.  Fight on, Apel, fight on.

Harold Wilson

-This I felt was an interesting choice.  Harold Wilson led a political career and eventually ended up as Prime Minister.  I therefore matched him with Max Florian.  This summer, Max will begin his political career with an internship at Parliament.  Another uncommon talent they share is the ability to smoke copious amounts of tobacco, indicated by the smoke surrounding the face in the portrait.  Incredibly important men, these two.