I decided that the Guggenheim Museum in Manhattan would be the best choice to go to for this particular assignment. Not only because it has a wide variety of modern artist's paintings but also for its fabulous architectural structure, though that is not what I was there for. So I"ll get to the point here.
Pablo Picasso painted the first two works of art that I liked. The first to catch my eye was Woman Ironing. The woman is portrayed very simply, a woman of survival. Picasso expresses and symbolizes the image of a lower class woman with a melancholy palette of blues. What intrigued me about this painting is that unlike most of Picasso's other paintings this one is not an abstract view of expression, although he uses many angular shapes and lines to contour the woman. I feel that when I look at this painting it is automatically seemed to be sad, but I cannot say that for myself. Picasso has embodied his subject so much and has created so much strong emotion that it makes her seem poetic, almost spiritual.
The second painting of Picasso's that I admired was the Lobster and Cat. Unlike the woman ironing this obviously wasn't painted during the same period, but for some reason it caught my eye just as much as any other Picasso. Although this painting doesn't necessarily replicate most of his works it does have a feel of his style. What I like most about this is the humor that was installed not only through the shapes and images, but the texture that pulls it together. What draws me in is the sharp geometric shapes on the lobster which creates a fierce image compared to the much more organic shapes on the cat. This painting combines humor and fear of the two animals duel with contrasts of texture, shapes, and colors.
Vincent Van Gogh did the third work of art that I liked. The painting is entitled Mountains on Saint-Remy. This particular painting was done when Van Gogh was in mental distress period.
