Roma afternoon

Every student is excited about a field work or a one-day trip with its mates for one major and colorful reason – discovery.

When I had to choose my courses, I chose the “Modern and Contemporary Art” one to fulfill my desire for art knowledge and learn by visual operas. I love to see art in every shape, imagined in many shades, seen from different angles!

To introduce you a bit in my subject, we went to Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna or National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art, pretty close to Vatican – and other museums like National Etruscan Museum of Villa Giulia or Museo Civico di Zoologia.

On the stairs, you can see a message whose title quotes a verse from William Shakespeare’s Hamlet—“The time is out of joint”. The exhibition with the same title, spread in many white and big rooms, delighted our eyes. So... Hurry up! The exhibition lasts until mid of April 2018.

At the end of the stairs, you're very welcomed by an impressive feline statue who's waiting for you patiently.

A thing to appreciate? - We learned about these works of art, we've seen almost all of these art expressions before, during the classes and we were introduced into this era of creating. But let me present some of the biggest names you'll meet when you'll decide to visit the museum:

• Vincent van Gogh – the Dutch visionary man who sees things different than us; who is transforming by passion the idea of impressionism. He works more with the visual details created in our minds.
• Paul Cézanne – in his paintings he translated the impressionism in a more structural way; all our reactions that follow the impressions from outside became emotions. He is a very philosophical painter.
• Giacomo Balla – used “pointed” technique (which is traditional but updated to modern style) and created visual collages. The frames in his paintings are a transitional way to introduce “me” as the onlooker of his works of art.
• Piet Mondrian – who discovered in a very interesting way the differences between colors and shades; our eyes are attracted by different colors situated in different positions – he was interested in philosophy/mystic philosophy transposed in art.
• Giorgio De Chirico –who mixed somehow the modernity and the past, and used our imagination to create perspectives in its deepness.
• Marcel Duchamp –who came with some unexpected works and raise an inner question in all of us “What make things to be considered art? ”
• Jannis Kounellis – whose works are based on conceptual art;
• The Italian Lucio Fontana and his unquestionable “scratched” works, the Post-War uncommon Italian painter and sculptor, Alberto Burri, a key figurein the well-known movement “Arte Povera” (and many others), and of course Gustav Klimt and his indubitable works – just remember The Kiss from you tea cup – who made him a prominent member of the Vienna Secession movement.

And this is Alberto Burri explained by one of my mates! This work is entitled "Rosso plastica". That was such a bloody red piece from late 90's...

Ok... So these are just a few examples of what is exposed there for you, visitor!

For example, I had to prepare a short material about Michelangelo Pistoletto, the Italian artist who has a collection based on mirror effects mixed with people, and by that, creating somehow a dual reality. His project is called Mirror Paintings, the technique used to create such works is based on photographic images, for the mirror, he used some aluminum sheets (in his first works), but he gradually changes his style by using a real mirror. It is written on his web page that "the essential characteristics the artist identifies with them are: the dimension of time, the inclusion in the work of the viewer and his or her surroundings, the interaction between the photographic image and what goes on in the virtual space generated by the reflecting surface [... ]" and so on...

I found it really interesting among all modern paintings and visions about art! - and also a very good frame for pictures, you became immediately a part of this work -

My suggestion is to take a look at some details (just google a bit) about the artists you'll gonna make a visit to, face their stories before going to the museum and don't just look at their paintings or works without knowing what the background is about!

As experience, it was enjoyable but not made for only one day trip. I advise you to book a room over night and visit it all day long and then rest a bit... It is indeed a full of meanings experience and the complexity of works is draining you emotionally - in a positive way!

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