Art History in Europe

 

The Van Gogh museum had to be my personal favorite out of all the museums I visited throughout Europe. This was one of the first I had been to that was dedicated to a single artist. The museum was organized in chronological order so you could walk through Van Gogh’s life step by step and see how different points of his life effected his paintings. His art was usually a mix of landscapes, self-portraits, and different scenes of moments, however; all of his work always featured large globs of texture filled paint that would bring the canvas to life. After about two to three hours of immersing myself in paintings, I walked out of there with a new-found desire to do some painting myself.

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Rome is home to the almighty Vatican Museum, which is also home to the legendary Sistine Chapel. I must start off by saying these pictures do not do Michelangelo any justice at all. This man was incredible and I never quite understood just how incredible he really was until I saw this masterpiece covering the ceiling of the chapel and was just amazed. It’s hard to imagine Michelangelo hand painting the entire piece over the span of four years, but in fact, that is exactly how it happened. While the painting was in progress, Michelangelo became so jealous of his work that he wouldn’t allow anyone to see it before it was completed! I think it’s fair to say it was well worth the wait. Even with all the crowds and long lines it was still an unforgettable experience. I would definitely say it is one of those things you truly need to see for yourself if you have the chance. Also pictured are some photos of David, another famous product of Michelangelo, and the Duomo.

Rome, Italy

Musée d’Orsay was a gem. To be completely honest, I chose to visit this museum over the Louvre, and it did not disappoint. It was nice change of pace to be able to explore different exhibits from various time periods and view everything without feeling rushed or crowded. Some of my favorite finds were the original statue of Liberty and this super crazy detailed sculpture of gladiators fighting (pictured below). The museum was inside of an old train station which complemented all the art very nicely.

Paris, France

Museum of Ice Cream

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Had the chance to check out LA's most hyped museum of the year and it did not disappoint.  After opening in late April, tickets have been selling out on every release date within hours. The Museum of Ice Cream has drawn a lot of popular names, from Jay-Z & Beyonce to David Beckham only adding more of a incentive to go. However tickets for the LA location are currently sold out for the year, but early September they will be opening up a new San Francisco location. If you are interested in attending which I highly recommend you can sign up for their newsletter here.

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Once you step foot into the museum you are greeted with vibrant "happy" colors...oh and treats! Every room has a specific theme, the picture above was apart of the hollywood set where I ran into Scoop Dogg's star before crossing Strawberry and Vine street. After seeing so many pictures on the internet of the MOIC I kind of envisioned how it would be in person, but it was still pretty amazing seeing hundreds of bananas hanging from as high as 15 feet in the air. If I had to choose, my favorite room would be the mint room for multiple reasons; it was the only room I had not seen pictures of, I was given a rare mint chip mochi and the simple yet resonating quote that read, " a fresh start is always an option this room is for you" made the room stand out from the others. Overall my time at the Museum of Ice Cream was entertaining. Below I have put together a gallery of each room in order, I hope you enjoy! 

GALLERY

Wonderspaces

So I am going to keep this "short & sweet", one because I know most people don't like to read extensive text and two because the Wonderspaces museum itself is fairly small. I was able to visit this pop-up museum twice, the first time I photographed my experience and the second time I tried to observe from a spectators perspective aka not through my viewfinder. I heard about this museum through a friend and once I looked into it I felt like I was seeing that #pulseportal figure everywhere...idk if I should blame cookies or the law of attraction. Once I arrived to Wonderspaces for the first time my exact thoughts were, "why is this museum a big tent" but that would really just set the tone for the array of art stored away behind those doors. The lineup consists of sixteen unique pieces, some you may even recognize from a local festival or fair. However this exhibition is worth a trip to San Diego, only available for viewing until the end of August and you may purchase tickets here. These are some of the installations that I found intriguing. Don't forget to like and comment; ENJOY!

LINEUP 

Marciano Art Foundation

The Marciano Art Foundation is one of LA's newest contemporary art spaces with a collection of over 1,000 artworks from well known artists. For those who are not familiar with the name, the founders Maurice and Paul Marciano are the creators of the brand GUESS? which grew into a iconic lifestyle apparel offering the expansion of new retail concepts "Marciano" and "G by Guess". The brothers are originally from South France, upon their arrival to America grew their new found appeal to contemporary art through visits to galleries and auctions. In 2006 they started collecting work and by 2012 the brothers reached a point to where it seemed imperative to share their collection and love of art publicly. May 25, 2017 would mark the day of opening for the museum, located in the heart of Los Angeles off Wilshire Boulevard. Open to the public Thursday-Saturday admission to the Marciano Art Foundation is free of charge, however tickets must be reserved online in advance which can be done here

Untitled #549-E by Cindy Sherman 

Untitled #549-E by Cindy Sherman 

So I was lucky enough to get 2 tickets for the first Saturday after being sold out for weeks in advance. With the museum having a fashion background it only made sense that I invited my fashionable older brother, who is a fan of the arts as well as an artist himself. We met at the museum around 10:30 and began our tour. After a few steps we were granted this view (above), a mural piece by Cindy Sherman a photographer and film director who gained exposure through her abstract portraits. Honestly a lot of the art presented here kind of took me by surprise, mainly the pieces by Jim Shaw whose exhibit took up the whole first level. With an array of artists ranging from ceramics to canvas prints I am sure there is a form of art that will spark interest. I was able to capture some of my favorites along with some thought provoking pieces. I hope you enjoy the gallery below!

Desert X

So I find myself traveling down the I-10 freeway in route of the desert...right, not the most ideal location to start spring break. In fact most people don't travel this way unless it's for Coachella or the Cabazon outlets. However I was headed there with one of my best friends Jamil in search of art. The weather for sure made the trip a little easier to manage seeing as how it's the desert. Aside from the gusty winds, it was a smooth 78 degrees with big puffy clouds that would later offer a beautiful sunset. My perspective on the desert has now changed, oh and shoutout to Marshall's for coming in clutch with the last minute suitcase! (off topic, but you'll see why soon lol).

Desert X is a desert exhibition located on various sites around Coachella Valley. Each project is site-specific and well worth the commute to view each one. Due to time and such short notice, I was only able to view and photograph 3 of the 16 pieces Desert X has to offer. Possibly a little bias but I think I picked the top 3 to check out, haha. If you find some time to travel, I would definitely recommend this location; it is FREE of charge and offers a variety of art that will help tap in to your creative side. I hope you enjoy the pictures and maybe want to take a visit to Coachella Valley, the exhibition is open until April 30th!

MIRAGE by DOUG AITKEN

CURVES AND ZIG ZAGS by CLAUDIA COMTE

HALLOW EARTH by GLENN KAINO