My kind of Town ( My Kind of Place )

For this curatorial project, we had to choose from four topics, thus picking the best one that we could use to represent ourselves through art works. I chose My Kind of Town (My kind of place) and chose pieces that best represent my ideal place that are also reflective of me. I looked on the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s website to find my art pieces however, when I visited the Museum I could not find the pieces I chose. The twelve works chosen illustrate a portrait of me because, they’re a group of places that I’d like to visit and they also represent my inner personality in a sense.

Majority of the works I chose are photographs of landscapes. After I decided which topic I wanted to do, I looked for pieces that could represent my theme. All my pieces are from the online collection of the museum. When choosing the pieces, I had to make sure I found it to be an ideal place and be able to reflect upon myself within the art work. I found a lot of pieces I liked but could not use them since I felt I couldn’t represent myself in the picture. In conclusion, my pieces are a mix of places I’d like to visit and a reflection of myself.

Anderson, Carlos. “A Man’s Castle” 1935-40. Color Lithograph.

This piece is a lithograph depicting a red house with a storm like background and a man walking up the hill to get to the house with his family waiting for his arrival. This piece reminds me of The Wizard of Oz because it looks like a storm is about to sweep away the house like in the movie. 

Rovner, Michael. “Border #8” 1997-98. Paint on canvas.

This is a picture of a person in the middle of what looks to be a street. This picture reminds me of the song “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” by Green Day; it pretty much is of a man walking this lonely road all by himself like the songs says. It also represents me because, there have been times where I have felt like I was all alone and had no one but myself. 

Callow, William. “Caesar’s Tower” 1850. Watercolor

This is a light colored piece that gives you a serene feel. There is as castle with a lake in front of it, it makes me wish I could have a picnic in front of the castle and stare at the clouds all day. 

Porter, Eliot. “Dark Rocks at Edge of River” 1967. Dye Transfer Print.

In this photograph you see a portion of the Grand Canyon. I chose this picture because; I want to see the Grand Canyon at least once in my life. I also like how the sun is hitting the water in the picture it gives it more of a warm tone. If there were a safe and quiet spot next to this portion of the Canyon I could imagine myself sitting there watching the sunset. 

Berenice, Abbot. “Exchange Place” 1933. Gelatin Silver Print.

 This is a photograph representing the financial district. This is an ideal place because the location is flowing with businessmen, entrepreneurs, and smart hard working people. It’s also a reflection of me because, in the picture the buildings are so close to each other portraying a tight squeeze, this for me is supposed to represent money being tight especially during these hard times. 

Cuvelier, Eugene. “Fontainebleau Forest” 1860. Salted Paper Print from Paper Negative.

This piece reminds me of life in a strange way. The forest doesn’t look like the safest place but the way it looks makes you want to walk a little bit further like life, you never know what’s going to happen if you take a risk or a gamble.

Margolies, Samuel. “Man’s Canyons” 1915-54. Etching and aquatint.

This shows five skyscrapers in a city like area with pedestrians and automobiles on the street. Seeing this picture reminds me of Manhattan -big buildings, traffic and lots of people. This is a reflective picture of me because, I was born in the city and I’ve been there so many times I can relate to what is going on in the picture.

Cross, Henri- Edmond. “Landscape with Stars” 1905-08. Watercolor.

This is a unique picture that differs from the other pieces I chose. The sky stands out to me the most; the artist used a special type of brush stroke and chose bright colors to make the sky pop out. To me, this symbolizes my creativity; it reminds me of letting my imagination go wild and I’m sure a lot of people can relate to this picture. Even someone on drugs can say they pictured something like this piece before but that of course would be due to them hallucinating.

Evans, Walker. “Grave” 1936. Film Negative.

This is surely not an ideal place for most but for me it is. I’ve always liked cemeteries; I’d find them peaceful in a bizarre way, I’m sort of attracted to this picture. I would not step foot in a cemetery by myself because I am far too scared, I’d prefer to look at pictures instead. 

Fohr, Carl Phillip. “Four Castles of Neckarsteinach” 1800-18. Watercolor.

In this piece you see castles with some wild life and people too. I’d like to visit a place like this because, it reminds me of the country which I love. The picture is also supposed to be taken in Germany which is one of the places I’d like to visit especially since I’m part German.

Evans, Walker. “Rocking Chair on Porch” July 4^th 1948. Film Negative.

 This photograph shows a rocking chair in a dark abandoned room. It symbolizes my inner loneliness confined to a dark room with nothing but a rocking chair and open door to society. 

Greco, El. “View of Toledo” 1540. Oil on canvas.

This is a phenomenal piece with a lot of darker colors used in the piece. This place looks dangerous especially with the eerie sky which is why I like it and find it to be an ideal place.