The Enchanting East Side

            This week’s class was all about the “enchanting east side”.  This day started like the other Fridays; with the 7 train. Instead of meeting up with the group at the Metropolitan Museum, my fellow “Queens” comrades and I met up with the others at Penn Station. As it was previously stated, the first stop of the day landed at the Metropolitan Museum.

            According to the Blue Guide, “the Metropolitan Museum of Art of Art, generally called simply The Met, is the largest, most comprehensive art museum in the world.” (BG, 327). After walking through only a small portion of the museum, one can agree with that statement. The building itself is enormous with its neo-classic style of architecture. The one area that we spent the most time in was the modern art exhibit. Artists that we looked at included Jackson Pollock , Robert Rauschenberg and AndyWarhol. Jackson Pollock was most known for his “drip and splash” style. This style was completely different than any other style used by any other artist. Pollack would pain with his canvas on the floor or wall and let the paint pour from the cans. Pollock would then manipulate the paint using sticks, towels or knives instead of brushes. It was during this style of work where the artist truly expressed themselves. Although many of us argued than any regular person could produce these “masterpieces”, one art major defended the piece. She explained how one must look at the strokes and how the paint was manipulated. It was in those details that you could feel how the artist felt.

            The next artist was one that I really enjoyed. He went by the name of Robert Rauschenberg. The piece that I had the opportunity to see was entitled Canyon. Rauschenberg was famous for his “pop-art” style. First popular in Britain then the United States, pop art was the style of taking certain objects of the “pop” culture and putting them together in a type of collage. In the particular piece Canyon, Rauschenberg used everything from paint, photos, metal, wood and even a dead bald eagle. Although I do not know the real meaning of the artwork, I believe that the eagle represented the media and how its power. The media would be like a bald eagle looking down above everyone searching for a good story. The last artist was probably the most famous of all: Andy Warhol. He too was made famous through pop-art. The exhibit had many of his works but the one I liked was “silver clouds”. This was my favorite because it was interactive. To be able to touch and push the balloons into the sky was fun.

            There were 2 other pieces of art that were very appealing to me. There was a neon sign that that wrote out “DEATH”. While Death was lighted with blue, the word “EAT” was lighted in Orange. This piece had no artist listed but I believe that this was the most important piece of all because it relates to society today. Obesity continues to be a rising problem faced by all Americans including children. The food portions in this country are much larger than any other country. This also interested me because I am in my last semester in Nursing, and obesity is one of the biggest health concerns. The other piece of artwork was from the India exhibit; Architectural Ensemble from a Jain Meeting Hall, last quarter of 16th century. Walking through this structure, you could really see beautiful detailed work done in the wood. I appreciated this because it baffles me how even back in the ancient day with no technology the human brain can create something that intricate.

The next stop was the famous Central Park. Sometimes referred to as the heart of Manhattan, the legendary park was created by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux. Central Park is one of the most attractive parts of the city. It allows one to take a step back and appreciate nature. The city can be so busy and fast paced that one can forget about the beauty of New York. We learned that back in the 70’s Central Park was not a good place at all. The park was a very dangerous place compared to the peaceful family oriented park that we know today. Since the dark times, the park has been revitalized.

One of the highlights of Central Park came from Strawberry Field. It is here where we saw the John Lennon Memorial. This was the area where John Lennon was killed. The legendary member of the beetles is still remembered even today. There is always a man putting flowers on the memorial every day. Today However, we were able to witness something very special; a Japanese tea ceremony. What makes it so special is that it allows someone to connect with people in a tranquil setting while enjoying a shared experience in art. In this case, connecting with people through tea over the great musician who touched millions with his music. St. Patrick’s Cathedral was the next stop. I’ve been to this church before and every time I blown away by the structure and size.  Coming from a catholic household, I could feel a spiritual presence upon entering. I enjoyed it very much because I was able to give thanks for where I am in life.

The last stops were FAO Schwartz, Tiffany and Co, Grand Central Terminal and New York Library. Growing up FAO Schwartz was one of the greatest places to go. There was one in Roosevelt Field Mall but since they filed for bankruptcy, the one in the city is the last one. Whether you’re in college or retired, it’s always fun to be a kid once in a while. Tiffany and Co. and The Plaza Hotel were the two places were both intimidating. Grand Central Terminal was very interesting as well. One interesting fact was that while they were renovating it, the workers purposely left a spot untouched. They did this to show visitors how the terminal looked before and after the renovation. It shows how much hard work was put into it. The library though very beautiful in its design, we were not able to go inside.