Class Conclusions

After taking this class, I have a new appreciation for art. Whenever I see new paintings, I consider the artists themselves instead of just looking at the visual aspect. For example, I have always liked Vincent Van Gogh’s painting “Starry Night.” I did not know that Van Gogh suffered from a mental illness and eventually committed suicide. When I look at this painting now, it seems more depressing, instead of happy. Looking at a piece of artwork may be visually appealing, but it is even more appealing to me now that I take the time to research the artist. When I learn about the artists, I feel like I have more of an interest in and appreciation for their artwork, because I can understand it better. Before this class, I never would have considered architecture to be a form of art. Now I have learned that art exists in everything that I see daily, but I never took the time to think about it until now. I have realized that I can relate better to older artwork, mainly landscape paintings; I now hope to take a painting class sometime in the future. I am glad that I chose the Philadelphia Museum of Art for my research paper, because I got to see many paintings that I wouldn’t have. I would never have gone there if I didn’t have a reason, but now I am planning to go back since I did not get to see everything that I wanted to see. One thing that I learned in this class is the way that art is interpreted is different for everyone. Art can also inspire people in different ways. I had always been involved with art, through classes in school, but this class made me want to take even more art classes in the future. While I was not very interested in taking this class at first, I am glad that I did!