At the museum, the paintings that caught my eyes the most were the landscapes of the sea and the fantasized meadow scenes. The really dark paintings caught my eye; but I wouldn’t view them as beautiful. There was this one landscape that had a tornado in the background and it made me stop and really analyze the painting. Nevertheless, the painting that made me stare at its beauty for a while was Monet’s bridge landscape. His unique choice of colors blended all together to reveal interesting paint strokes. It didn’t exactly tell a story but I believe it allows viewers to translate those happy colors and evoke an emotion from the painting itself. Most of the landscapes I felt were either telling a story to their audience or their purpose was just something elegant to gaze upon. The ones that strike me the most are the ones that look like they haven’t been touched by human hands. It evokes this raw beauty and lets viewers look at these destinations that might not exist anymore. -Liz
After visiting the Minneapolis Institute of Art I must admit I am a little bit shocked. I was never a huge fan of art and I have never really been to a real art museum prior to this trip. Likewise, I expected nothing other than relentless paintings of images I cared little about. To my delight, the museum was an entirely different experience than I had anticipated. I really enjoyed the paintings, even if I did not understand exactly what the artist’s message was, many of the works still intrigued me. Many of the images made me feel like I was in the time period or especially the season portrayed. I particularly enjoyed the numerous fall paintings because they made me excited about the fall season and what is to come. I felt they gave a sort of warm feeling with the many warm colors and peaceful setting involved in the pieces. It really created an atmosphere that I was able to relate to and feel. -Derek
After visiting the Minneapolis Institute of Art I was very impressed. I thought that i would not enjoy myself at all, and i would just see pictures and leave. To my surprise, i very much so enjoyed it. I stayed for two hours, looking along all the interesting pieces in the museum. I first went to the floor with the Asian art. This attracted me immediately because I am studying Japanese. The ancient Japanese and Chinese scrolls were so beautiful, i spent around 30 minutes looking at all the different designs. As i turned around i saw a replica of a Japanese Tea room. This made me so happy, because this room looked very similar to the tea room in my house in Japan. I ventured upstairs and was instantly overwhelmed. I would travel from area to area, and see wonderful paintings. I was noticing the landscapes right away. I loved the landscapes that had a river a bluffs in the painting. I went to the European art and was amazed on the color and all the detail that they used. I felt that this experience, going to the Minneapolis Institute of art was worth wild. I will definitely be going again for my own pleasure.
After attending the Minneapolis Institute of Art today I am still in awe. Growing up here, in Minnesota, I have heard about the museum before, but I have never been. Walking up to the museum I knew I was in for something amazing. I walked in and was quit overwhelmed. I felt almost like a little kid in a candy store wanting to go everywhere and see everything. I was only there for about an hour but I think I could have stayed all day and still not have seen everything. All of the rooms just kept going on into different themes and always amazing me. One of my favorite pieces was the huge pieces of jade that had landscape carved into them. I also loved the old medieval swords and amour and dresses. I already plan to take the children I nanny back to the museum next summer because I would love to look more in to detail at all of the amazing art work there! Jenna
I haven't been to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts for several years so I did not recall how massive it truly is. The various exhibits within the museum were truly incredible. Jenna and I went into one room that was all artwork from an old church. The artwork was so old and I was just so in awe in the pristine condition that all the art was still in. Seeing the "nature landscape" paintings was really helpful to me as well and helped me pick which piece I will do my paper on. I saw this coffin in the museum as well that I believe dated back to 64. If that doesn't amaze someone I honestly don't know what would. I think that art museums play such a critical role in helping people to appreciate history and the stories told by various artists. I was at the museum for an hour, but could easily spend much more time in there. This is a fantastic location for a field trip. I also think that there is so much variety in the institute that truly anyone could find a piece that captivated their interest.
Visiting museums such as the Minneapolis Institute of Art always leave me at peace. The amount of history for you to witness is astounding. Being able to see something that was made more than 2,000 years ago humbles me greatly. There was so much masterful art, and the landscape pieces were no exception. I am always blown away by the way artists capture a scene. Some of my favorites were of giant canyons, and views of the ocean. Something about these certain places really resonates with me. I saw many of the pictures that you presented in class in real life, and this was also very cool to me. To actually stand in front of the painting lets you see it in a different perspective. You can see it for what it is. One of the ones you showed in class I thought was kind of unattractive, but when I saw it in real life it was a whole different story. It was much larger than I had expected, and much more vivid. To me, this is the essence of museums. I had a very good time on this trip to MIA. Scottie.
After visiting the Minneapolis Institute of Art museum I was somewhat amazed by the amount of art it contained. I spent most of the time just looking at art on the third floor and probably missed some. It is amazing to see how old some of the art is. Even though I didn't really care for some of the Chinese sculptures i thought they were very well done and the amount of detail that went into carving the stone was amazing. For me, the most interesting works were the ones from America and Europe from the 19th and early 20th century. This is probably because they are more relevant and relatable than some of the ancient art. I really liked the landscapes and photographs that depicted reality and the appeal of nature. I think sometimes people get so wrapped up in creating beauty that they fail to see the beauty of nature. I think when artist are able to depict natural scenes and real life occurrences, there is a sense of peace and tranquility. I also think the old photographs of people suffering from hard times as in the great depression interesting because they can make us stop and think about how blessed we are to have what we have. Most of us have never suffered from starvation or contagious diseases because those generations, that knew what that pain and suffering was like, worked hard to improve life for their children and grandchildren. The pictures are a link to an eras in history, but those shades of grey leave us with many un answered questions which I think is what art is supposed to do. Justin
I believe it has been quite a few years since I have visited the Minneapolis Institute of Art, so having to take a little bit of time out of my day to visit the museum was actually unbelievable. Like many of the others have said, walking into the museum and seeing all of the art is just amazing. It totally blows your mind. Most of my time was spent looking at the landscape paintings and all of them totally left me speechless. The colors and the techniques that the artists use to make their artwork is unbelievable. I am just jealous because I know I would never be able to capture the beauty of our world through a painting. I just do not have that talent. So being able to go to MIA and see first hand millions of pieces of artwork is truly a blessing on our part.
Going to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts was one of my favorite trips this year, besides the zoo of course. I really appreciate the work they put into collecting fine art and showing it.
I definitely gravitate towards certain pieces or sections of the museum when I am there. The modern art gallery very fascinating to me, I love the use of lines and shapes to create crisp designs, and in the case of Frank Lloyd Wright, the designs are not only contemporary but natural. His architecture subtly incorporates lines and patterns found in the natural world, which peaks my curiosity in the thought and focus to detail in modern art.
I also enjoy the photography gallery and the oriental works. However I did not spend much time in either during the trip. I went to the older oil paintings which focused on landscapes, like we focused on in class. I was very impressed by the sheer size and detail of the oil paintings and the ability to capture a location with only simple brush strokes. I found that I spent more time observing the paintings that, from afar, looked very real but as you got closer they seemed to transform into an array of abstract colors and shapes. Those are the paintings I find the most mesmerizing.
Emily
After visiting the Minneapolis Institute of Arts I was truly overwhelmed, in a very good way though. The museum was incredibly massive and seemed to keep going on forever when I was walking through it. The museum contains literally everything a person could be looking for with art. I enjoyed how it flowed from one era to another era and from style to style. They also have all of the art set up in a way that makes each piece stand out so that it can be properly recognized. My favorite section of the museum is most likely a tie between the full room displays and the paintings from the high renaissance paintings and tapestries. I love looking at all of the details involved in every inch of all the work and the hidden messages that are planted throughout. It is mesmerizing how different the ideal life seemed to be then and what was considered to be beautiful. The rooms caught my attention because the rooms also had a crazy amount of detail and work put into them. Every piece in a room belonged to the correct era or place that the room would have been originally involved in, making it seem as though the person living there could walk into the door at any moment and just sit down at the table to read or the start ballroom dancing.
As far as the landscape art I most enjoyed the modern American pieces. The paintings that were set in industrializing America and set in the wild plains both held my attention. It was really interesting to observe how the artist put light on a scene or how they interpreted a situation. The painting that stood out to me the most in that section was one that had a scene depicting a violent war crew of Indians that had called an attack upon some settlers. The artist put the settlers as completely useless, innocent and unable to defend themselves. At the same time the Indians had blood on their spears and extreme anger in their eyes. All of the landscape pieces had so many things to look at in each that it was hard to just walk past them without actually spending some time at each one.
Rachael
Visiting the Minneapolis Institute of Art was a truly invigorating experience for me, as I have only studied Spanish art extensively. I took a course in high school which primarily focused on the artists in Spanish and Mexican cultures so for me to observe the different styles of art from around the world with this prior knowledge was astounding. The brush strokes and consistencies of all of the more European paintings were very different from those of many of the Spanish and Mexican artists. I really appreciated the Western artists’ interpretations of acts in nature and history and how they portrayed them. Spanish artists are much more graphic and hold nothing back when it comes to depictions of war or birth and such. Also, in general the Spanish artists chose much more graphic subjects of which to paint about. Therefore, seeing the Western works of art which included more neutral paintings including many more depictions of landscaping through art was very interesting and turned me back on to art studies whereas the Spanish artists had turned me off to this point. Braden
I cannot remember the last time I was at the Minnesota Institute of Art, it seems like it was forever ago. I don’t remember it being as big as it was. MIA has so many different works of art there that it would have taken me more than a day to walk through the whole thing. The first place that I went was to the landscaping art work since that is what we have to write our papers on. Looking at all the beautiful works of art that was there was fun and interesting. I wanted to learn more about all of them and it took me a while to choose which art work I was going to pick for my paper. I love looking at cool paintings and pictures of landscape; it makes me feel so little in the world. As I was going through the gallery of art work, I was taking notes of which art works I liked the best and which one would be best to write a paper about. After I went through, I looked over my notes carefully and choose the painting that I liked the most and did more research on the artist and artwork. Now I am in the process of creating the paper. This trip really helped me on deciding which piece of work I was going to choose. --Nick
My trip to the Art Museum was actually much better than I had anticipated. I think I remember taking a trip there a long time ago while I was only just a child and didn’t really understand the significance of the art there. Art has never really been something that has intrigued me too much, and I have a hard time really understanding the meaning behind works of art. I think that sometimes you have to give art its own meaning instead of trying so hard to understand what the artist was attempting to portray though. When you look at something and it truly inspires you and makes you realize something you never have before that is true art. Even though I couldn’t fully understand all of the artwork, it was still very interesting to look at.- Kayla
I was amazed by the Minnesota Institute or Art. It was fantastic. First off, the immensity of the place was astounding. The way that the place was arranged I felt as though I was walking through a maze of time lines or periods of life. I never could have imagined being about to look at a pristine German car during the same stroll that allowed me to witness an authentic African fertility statue. My mind was blown. I felt as though I did not do the Institute justice by simply walking through and admiring these pieces all in one hour. I wish I could spend multiple days in that building learning the background of each art piece. What was the artist feeling during the making of this? What interesting facts come along with this piece? Information like that would keep me coming back to that place for weeks and months and years. Yet, looking past the glamour of the museum, I looked for the landscapes that were in the museum. I came across many that we had been shown during class. I was perplexed at how much better the paintings are when you are able to smell the canvas and see each brush stroke right in front of you. Though I could not decide which artwork to write on while looking at them, I enjoyed the experience! -Tate
I really enjoyed my visit to the Minneapolis Institute of Art although it was quite the journey to get there. I was fortunate enough to have a friend that frequents the MIA serve as my personal tour guide to the museum. I was really impressed with the selection and variety of pieces within the Institute. It ranged from portraits to landscapes to sculptures and even to weapons and armor. I was most surprised by the wide collection of weapons, guns, and armor. I didn’t expect to see those things in an art museum. I saw some really amazing landscapes and some sculptures that I thought were really cool. My favorite sculpture was the man fighting the centaur because it was just so interesting and detailed. I also really liked the photo realistic drawing of Chuck Close. I couldn’t believe how realistic and detailed it was. In retrospect, I enjoyed the floor featuring the American and European art more than the floor with African and Asian art. I would really like to visit the museum again sometime and explore some of the artwork I didn’t get around to. Ryan
I have never actually been to an art museum in my life and getting to go the Minneapolis Institute of Art was an entirely new experience to me. I expected there to be maybe a few hundred pieces of art and most of them large paintings. In reality I soon learned that the Minneapolis Institute of Art is home to almost every genre of art imaginable. I really enjoyed some of the Asian art with much of it being three dimensional. There were carved statues and intricately painted pitchers and plates and all of this was not what I expected to be seeing when I came to the MIA. While the three dimensional art was fascinating I was also very drawn by the paintings and how every painting differed in how it was constructed. Whether it was made from long intricate brush strokes or more of a shading effect, these different techniques helped shape each painting into the piece of art it is today. The visit was very altering on how I look at art and it was an impressive first time experience for me. --Devon
I have never been to the MIA before, so I was unsure what to expect. I thoroughly enjoyed it. There was so much to look at. I was expecting mostly paintings, but MIA had sculptures photos and every type of artwork you could imagine. There were some really striking statues and 3D art but surprisingly I was much more impressed by the paintings. The paintings of landscapes i enjoyed the most were the ones that included bodies of water. These paintings made me wish and think that I was at the place the artist was capturing. I tended to sit and stare at these paintings for much longer than the other ones. I also enjoyed the paintings of people. The portraits were so life like and realistic. its incredible that someone can capture that much detail using paint. It seems so difficult to me, mostly because I am a terrible artist, but these artists are incredible. Overall I was very impressed by the MIA! -sydney
At the museum, the paintings that caught my eyes the most were the landscapes of the sea and the fantasized meadow scenes. The really dark paintings caught my eye; but I wouldn’t view them as beautiful. There was this one landscape that had a tornado in the background and it made me stop and really analyze the painting. Nevertheless, the painting that made me stare at its beauty for a while was Monet’s bridge landscape. His unique choice of colors blended all together to reveal interesting paint strokes. It didn’t exactly tell a story but I believe it allows viewers to translate those happy colors and evoke an emotion from the painting itself. Most of the landscapes I felt were either telling a story to their audience or their purpose was just something elegant to gaze upon. The ones that strike me the most are the ones that look like they haven’t been touched by human hands. It evokes this raw beauty and lets viewers look at these destinations that might not exist anymore. -Liz
After visiting the Minneapolis Institute of Art I must admit I am a little bit shocked. I was never a huge fan of art and I have never really been to a real art museum prior to this trip. Likewise, I expected nothing other than relentless paintings of images I cared little about. To my delight, the museum was an entirely different experience than I had anticipated. I really enjoyed the paintings, even if I did not understand exactly what the artist’s message was, many of the works still intrigued me. Many of the images made me feel like I was in the time period or especially the season portrayed. I particularly enjoyed the numerous fall paintings because they made me excited about the fall season and what is to come. I felt they gave a sort of warm feeling with the many warm colors and peaceful setting involved in the pieces. It really created an atmosphere that I was able to relate to and feel. -Derek
After visiting the Minneapolis Institute of Art I was very impressed. I thought that i would not enjoy myself at all, and i would just see pictures and leave. To my surprise, i very much so enjoyed it. I stayed for two hours, looking along all the interesting pieces in the museum. I first went to the floor with the Asian art. This attracted me immediately because I am studying Japanese. The ancient Japanese and Chinese scrolls were so beautiful, i spent around 30 minutes looking at all the different designs. As i turned around i saw a replica of a Japanese Tea room. This made me so happy, because this room looked very similar to the tea room in my house in Japan. I ventured upstairs and was instantly overwhelmed. I would travel from area to area, and see wonderful paintings. I was noticing the landscapes right away. I loved the landscapes that had a river a bluffs in the painting. I went to the European art and was amazed on the color and all the detail that they used. I felt that this experience, going to the Minneapolis Institute of art was worth wild. I will definitely be going again for my own pleasure.
After attending the Minneapolis Institute of Art today I am still in awe. Growing up here, in Minnesota, I have heard about the museum before, but I have never been. Walking up to the museum I knew I was in for something amazing. I walked in and was quit overwhelmed. I felt almost like a little kid in a candy store wanting to go everywhere and see everything. I was only there for about an hour but I think I could have stayed all day and still not have seen everything. All of the rooms just kept going on into different themes and always amazing me. One of my favorite pieces was the huge pieces of jade that had landscape carved into them. I also loved the old medieval swords and amour and dresses. I already plan to take the children I nanny back to the museum next summer because I would love to look more in to detail at all of the amazing art work there! Jenna
I haven't been to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts for several years so I did not recall how massive it truly is. The various exhibits within the museum were truly incredible. Jenna and I went into one room that was all artwork from an old church. The artwork was so old and I was just so in awe in the pristine condition that all the art was still in. Seeing the "nature landscape" paintings was really helpful to me as well and helped me pick which piece I will do my paper on. I saw this coffin in the museum as well that I believe dated back to 64. If that doesn't amaze someone I honestly don't know what would. I think that art museums play such a critical role in helping people to appreciate history and the stories told by various artists. I was at the museum for an hour, but could easily spend much more time in there. This is a fantastic location for a field trip. I also think that there is so much variety in the institute that truly anyone could find a piece that captivated their interest.
Alex
Visiting museums such as the Minneapolis Institute of Art always leave me at peace. The amount of history for you to witness is astounding. Being able to see something that was made more than 2,000 years ago humbles me greatly. There was so much masterful art, and the landscape pieces were no exception. I am always blown away by the way artists capture a scene. Some of my favorites were of giant canyons, and views of the ocean. Something about these certain places really resonates with me. I saw many of the pictures that you presented in class in real life, and this was also very cool to me. To actually stand in front of the painting lets you see it in a different perspective. You can see it for what it is. One of the ones you showed in class I thought was kind of unattractive, but when I saw it in real life it was a whole different story. It was much larger than I had expected, and much more vivid. To me, this is the essence of museums. I had a very good time on this trip to MIA. Scottie.
After visiting the Minneapolis Institute of Art museum I was somewhat amazed by the amount of art it contained. I spent most of the time just looking at art on the third floor and probably missed some. It is amazing to see how old some of the art is. Even though I didn't really care for some of the Chinese sculptures i thought they were very well done and the amount of detail that went into carving the stone was amazing. For me, the most interesting works were the ones from America and Europe from the 19th and early 20th century. This is probably because they are more relevant and relatable than some of the ancient art. I really liked the landscapes and photographs that depicted reality and the appeal of nature. I think sometimes people get so wrapped up in creating beauty that they fail to see the beauty of nature. I think when artist are able to depict natural scenes and real life occurrences, there is a sense of peace and tranquility. I also think the old photographs of people suffering from hard times as in the great depression interesting because they can make us stop and think about how blessed we are to have what we have. Most of us have never suffered from starvation or contagious diseases because those generations, that knew what that pain and suffering was like, worked hard to improve life for their children and grandchildren. The pictures are a link to an eras in history, but those shades of grey leave us with many un answered questions which I think is what art is supposed to do. Justin
I believe it has been quite a few years since I have visited the Minneapolis Institute of Art, so having to take a little bit of time out of my day to visit the museum was actually unbelievable. Like many of the others have said, walking into the museum and seeing all of the art is just amazing. It totally blows your mind. Most of my time was spent looking at the landscape paintings and all of them totally left me speechless. The colors and the techniques that the artists use to make their artwork is unbelievable. I am just jealous because I know I would never be able to capture the beauty of our world through a painting. I just do not have that talent. So being able to go to MIA and see first hand millions of pieces of artwork is truly a blessing on our part.
Going to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts was one of my favorite trips this year, besides the zoo of course. I really appreciate the work they put into collecting fine art and showing it.
I definitely gravitate towards certain pieces or sections of the museum when I am there. The modern art gallery very fascinating to me, I love the use of lines and shapes to create crisp designs, and in the case of Frank Lloyd Wright, the designs are not only contemporary but natural. His architecture subtly incorporates lines and patterns found in the natural world, which peaks my curiosity in the thought and focus to detail in modern art.
I also enjoy the photography gallery and the oriental works. However I did not spend much time in either during the trip. I went to the older oil paintings which focused on landscapes, like we focused on in class. I was very impressed by the sheer size and detail of the oil paintings and the ability to capture a location with only simple brush strokes. I found that I spent more time observing the paintings that, from afar, looked very real but as you got closer they seemed to transform into an array of abstract colors and shapes. Those are the paintings I find the most mesmerizing.
Emily
After visiting the Minneapolis Institute of Arts I was truly overwhelmed, in a very good way though. The museum was incredibly massive and seemed to keep going on forever when I was walking through it. The museum contains literally everything a person could be looking for with art. I enjoyed how it flowed from one era to another era and from style to style. They also have all of the art set up in a way that makes each piece stand out so that it can be properly recognized. My favorite section of the museum is most likely a tie between the full room displays and the paintings from the high renaissance paintings and tapestries. I love looking at all of the details involved in every inch of all the work and the hidden messages that are planted throughout. It is mesmerizing how different the ideal life seemed to be then and what was considered to be beautiful. The rooms caught my attention because the rooms also had a crazy amount of detail and work put into them. Every piece in a room belonged to the correct era or place that the room would have been originally involved in, making it seem as though the person living there could walk into the door at any moment and just sit down at the table to read or the start ballroom dancing.
As far as the landscape art I most enjoyed the modern American pieces. The paintings that were set in industrializing America and set in the wild plains both held my attention. It was really interesting to observe how the artist put light on a scene or how they interpreted a situation. The painting that stood out to me the most in that section was one that had a scene depicting a violent war crew of Indians that had called an attack upon some settlers. The artist put the settlers as completely useless, innocent and unable to defend themselves. At the same time the Indians had blood on their spears and extreme anger in their eyes. All of the landscape pieces had so many things to look at in each that it was hard to just walk past them without actually spending some time at each one.
Rachael
Visiting the Minneapolis Institute of Art was a truly invigorating experience for me, as I have only studied Spanish art extensively. I took a course in high school which primarily focused on the artists in Spanish and Mexican cultures so for me to observe the different styles of art from around the world with this prior knowledge was astounding. The brush strokes and consistencies of all of the more European paintings were very different from those of many of the Spanish and Mexican artists. I really appreciated the Western artists’ interpretations of acts in nature and history and how they portrayed them. Spanish artists are much more graphic and hold nothing back when it comes to depictions of war or birth and such. Also, in general the Spanish artists chose much more graphic subjects of which to paint about. Therefore, seeing the Western works of art which included more neutral paintings including many more depictions of landscaping through art was very interesting and turned me back on to art studies whereas the Spanish artists had turned me off to this point. Braden
I cannot remember the last time I was at the Minnesota Institute of Art, it seems like it was forever ago. I don’t remember it being as big as it was. MIA has so many different works of art there that it would have taken me more than a day to walk through the whole thing. The first place that I went was to the landscaping art work since that is what we have to write our papers on. Looking at all the beautiful works of art that was there was fun and interesting. I wanted to learn more about all of them and it took me a while to choose which art work I was going to pick for my paper. I love looking at cool paintings and pictures of landscape; it makes me feel so little in the world. As I was going through the gallery of art work, I was taking notes of which art works I liked the best and which one would be best to write a paper about. After I went through, I looked over my notes carefully and choose the painting that I liked the most and did more research on the artist and artwork. Now I am in the process of creating the paper. This trip really helped me on deciding which piece of work I was going to choose. --Nick
My trip to the Art Museum was actually much better than I had anticipated. I think I remember taking a trip there a long time ago while I was only just a child and didn’t really understand the significance of the art there. Art has never really been something that has intrigued me too much, and I have a hard time really understanding the meaning behind works of art. I think that sometimes you have to give art its own meaning instead of trying so hard to understand what the artist was attempting to portray though. When you look at something and it truly inspires you and makes you realize something you never have before that is true art. Even though I couldn’t fully understand all of the artwork, it was still very interesting to look at.- Kayla
I was amazed by the Minnesota Institute or Art. It was fantastic. First off, the immensity of the place was astounding. The way that the place was arranged I felt as though I was walking through a maze of time lines or periods of life. I never could have imagined being about to look at a pristine German car during the same stroll that allowed me to witness an authentic African fertility statue. My mind was blown. I felt as though I did not do the Institute justice by simply walking through and admiring these pieces all in one hour. I wish I could spend multiple days in that building learning the background of each art piece. What was the artist feeling during the making of this? What interesting facts come along with this piece? Information like that would keep me coming back to that place for weeks and months and years. Yet, looking past the glamour of the museum, I looked for the landscapes that were in the museum. I came across many that we had been shown during class. I was perplexed at how much better the paintings are when you are able to smell the canvas and see each brush stroke right in front of you. Though I could not decide which artwork to write on while looking at them, I enjoyed the experience! -Tate
I really enjoyed my visit to the Minneapolis Institute of Art although it was quite the journey to get there. I was fortunate enough to have a friend that frequents the MIA serve as my personal tour guide to the museum. I was really impressed with the selection and variety of pieces within the Institute. It ranged from portraits to landscapes to sculptures and even to weapons and armor. I was most surprised by the wide collection of weapons, guns, and armor. I didn’t expect to see those things in an art museum. I saw some really amazing landscapes and some sculptures that I thought were really cool. My favorite sculpture was the man fighting the centaur because it was just so interesting and detailed. I also really liked the photo realistic drawing of Chuck Close. I couldn’t believe how realistic and detailed it was. In retrospect, I enjoyed the floor featuring the American and European art more than the floor with African and Asian art. I would really like to visit the museum again sometime and explore some of the artwork I didn’t get around to. Ryan
I have never actually been to an art museum in my life and getting to go the Minneapolis Institute of Art was an entirely new experience to me. I expected there to be maybe a few hundred pieces of art and most of them large paintings. In reality I soon learned that the Minneapolis Institute of Art is home to almost every genre of art imaginable. I really enjoyed some of the Asian art with much of it being three dimensional. There were carved statues and intricately painted pitchers and plates and all of this was not what I expected to be seeing when I came to the MIA. While the three dimensional art was fascinating I was also very drawn by the paintings and how every painting differed in how it was constructed. Whether it was made from long intricate brush strokes or more of a shading effect, these different techniques helped shape each painting into the piece of art it is today. The visit was very altering on how I look at art and it was an impressive first time experience for me. --Devon
I have never been to the MIA before, so I was unsure what to expect. I thoroughly enjoyed it. There was so much to look at. I was expecting mostly paintings, but MIA had sculptures photos and every type of artwork you could imagine. There were some really striking statues and 3D art but surprisingly I was much more impressed by the paintings. The paintings of landscapes i enjoyed the most were the ones that included bodies of water. These paintings made me wish and think that I was at the place the artist was capturing. I tended to sit and stare at these paintings for much longer than the other ones. I also enjoyed the paintings of people. The portraits were so life like and realistic. its incredible that someone can capture that much detail using paint. It seems so difficult to me, mostly because I am a terrible artist, but these artists are incredible. Overall I was very impressed by the MIA! -sydney