Critical Review of Art Exhibition & Art Museum

A creative piece of art displayed in an exhibition can take your mind to an advance level. World believe in the beauty and powerful meaning of the art. Most of us are quite attached to the beauty of art and creative minds behind the attractive pieces of art. In fact, it is truly acknowledged by the whole universe that the beauty of art appeals to our mind. Looking for a creative work I have visited local and international level art exhibitions several times in different local and foreign museums. Somehow, it would not be wrong if I say most of the time I found that the displayed arts were just the combination of some colours and objects. Artwork without clear meaning never appeals to my mind.  

In our society, painters and artists have the responsibility to present admirable and innovative crafted objects and paintings. However, many of them are not even familiar with the true meanings of art. This is disappointing. Although, still we can find some quality art exhibition after some struggle. Take the example of an art exhibition that I visited in just a few months ago in Orange County Museum. The exhibition was organized in the Orange County Museum (OCM) for public visits. In this art exhibition, different kinds of art work were presented based on some specific themes.

  The art exhibition was based on photography and paintings related to the artwork. Orange County Museum had many art exhibitions worth escaping to the holiday seasons and national events. However, in my review, I would critically evaluate the art exhibition organized in Orange County Museum just a few months back on November 3, 2018. The art exhibition was focused on some themes and sub-themes concerning tensions between individuals and community. The theme was clearly projected and painted by artists with the right selection of colours and objects. In the photography section, the art work presented by the photographer Rodrigo Valenzuela was the most influencing and creative. Rodrigo Valenzuela used the camera to take amazing shots of individuals, community, and objects to translate the basic theme of tensions.

 In my views, Rodrigo Valenzuela art should be appreciated for the appropriate use of camera techniques in photography. His art was clearly projecting his expertise towards the used camera and supporting devices to translate people, objects and spaces into the art images with the most suitable position for each object and person. By the use of several objects, he indicated towards the displacement and alienation regarding American culture, labor and immigration.

In my perception, immigration and culture are the subjective topics which are highly important but really difficult to be addressed by art and photography. Evaluating his work displayed in this art exhibition I would say that Rodrigo Valenzuela art work was standing as an example work to display subjective values and norms in just a few glimpses of photos. The abstract meaning behind each object of art was entirely clear and understandable for the audience.

Excluding all these qualities, there were still some areas of improvement. In my views, Rodrigo Valenzuela over emphasis on emotions and mood. While emotions are not the only thing to be considered and displayed by an artist while following a theme of culture and tensions between individual and communal experiences. Opposite to the sadness and emotions, there are happiness and motivation, and hope. But in my perception, the art presented by Rodrigo Valenzuela was only projecting feelings of dismal, grief, tensions, stress, and social complexities. Above all, his art was a combination of dark colours only. As an artist, I would say art should be a projection of reality as well as a source of motivation for someone. Apart from presenting the sad realities of this world artists should also display some objects which can show hope for a better life.  Bright sunlight's are better than dark nights. Artists should work on positive and supportive projects for our society rather than increasing tensions and disappointment in the community.

Excluding this, I also visited and reviewed artwork of other painters and artists. A painting of different students sitting in the ground was projecting immigration related issues. While an artwork was displayed with gray lines on white background with some abstract and fully complex meanings that I discussed with painter.    

In my views, all artists who displayed their work in the exhibition did their best to meet the requirement of the theme behind this exhibition. They displayed and painted social issues associated with culture for individual and community. Most of the artworks presented in the exhibition were relevant to the global sound bite culture and realities of our societies. But these were far away from the comparison between sadness and happiness, hope and disappointment, satisfaction and dissatisfaction. However, only a single one was based on the comparison. The art work was equally divided into two parts. One was displaying the situation of happy life before world war. Artist painted green crops, children going to school in a happy mood, and shopping malls. In short, the first half was projecting a normal life in which people were happy and satisfied. And the second part was presenting the situation of tension and stress after the world war. In this part, after war effects such as destroyed homes, homeless injured people, starving and crying children, and burnt crops were painted on the left side of the artwork. I would consider this artwork as the most appealing artwork as it was projecting that most of the sadness and tensions in human life are manmade. World wars and human brutality always create a negative impact on our life.

However, conclusively I would say that art exhibition was a great event to promote art and project problems of our society. Such exhibitions should be organized on social issues and problems as well as the vision for future advancement. Science related topics and technological innovation themes should be also selected for students to bring creativity in their personalities. Although, artists need to bring more refinement in their work to project attractive art and paintings.