The Trip

       First, I just want to say that I had a great experience at the Queens Museum of Art. It was the first time I went to that museum. It had a lot of interesting art pieces from paintings to sculptures. My favorite display was the scale of New York City. It was amazing and I loved how they had a plane connected to strings flying above the display. Besides the scale of New York City, two pieces caught my eye. One was a photograph by Leo Matiz (Colombia, 1917-1988) called Pavo real del mar (Peacock from the sea), 1939. The other was a painting by Los Carpinteros (Marco Castillo and Dagoberto Rodriguez, Cuba) called Faro Tumbado (Fallen Lighthouse). Both are beautiful pieces in their own right.

       The Pavo real del mar is a photograph of what I can portray as two guys on a row boat, one rowing in the back of the boat and the other guy is standing in the front of the boat. It looks like they are fishing. Leo Matiz was able to catch the Harmonious movement of the fisherman throwing the net into the ocean. The photograph is in black and white. Even though this is not a painting or a drawing, the artist captured many visual/formal elements. The horizontal line that separates the ocean from the sky and how the ocean looks so peaceful makes this photo appear calm. In my opinion, the photo has unity. Everything in this photo from the two individuals, the ocean, the boat and the fishing net fit perfectly together. The fishing net is the focal point of the photo. Also Leo Matiz perfect timing of catching the fisherman twirling the fishing net is what makes this photo magical.

       The Faro Tumbado painting is a watercolor painting of a lighthouse. The tower in Faro Tumbado hovers diagonally over the picture plane. The realistic representations as well as the subtle transparencies of watercolor accentuate the improbability of the fallen lighthouse. The artists used the rule of odds to make the picture more interesting which adds emphasis to the focal point of the painting which is the lighthouse. The texture of the painting looks smooth. The colors used are warm and cool and the use of negative and positive space makes the painting pop out. They also used the formal element of light which in the painting, looks like there is some type of light coming from the west side of the painting.

       Even though one artwork is a painting and one is a photo, both pieces are great. Pavo real del mar is in black and white and Faro Tumbado is in watercolor paint and yet they bring the same quality of balance. This is definitely not the last time I will go the Queens Museum of Art.