A Day at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Essay -- Papers

A Day at the Metropolitan Museum of Art I. Jan van Eyck’s â€Å"Last Judgment† Jan van Eyck was active since 1422 and died in 1441. He was the most celebrated painter of the fifteen-century in Europe. One of his famous works is â€Å"The Last Judgment†. At first sight this work immediately attracted my attention. The painting’s stunning colors and the fact that it reminded me of a previous similar work I have seen, triggered in my mind. The material that is used is oil on canvas, transferred from wood. The size of this work is 22 1/4 *7 2/3 in. (56.5 * 19.7cm). As I closely approached the painting I began to realize the differences between Jan van Eyck and Michelangelo’s â€Å"Last Judgment†. Contrary to Michelangelo’s â€Å"Last Judgment†, Jan van Eyck’s work has specifically distinguished â€Å"Good† and â€Å"Evil†. It is separated into three tiers. In the upper portion of this work of art only heaven is represented. Jesus Christ is on the top, above all the people in heaven, having Maria next to him, on his right hand side and surrounded by angels. In the middle part of Jan van Eyck’s â€Å"Last Judgment† limbo is represented. This is state midway between heaven and hell. Hell is represented at the bottom part of Jan van Eyck’s work. To clarify the separation between limbo and hell, death is vividly drawn. However, in Michelangelo’s â€Å"Last Judgment† each figure preserves its own individuality and both the single figure and the groups need their own background. In the depths of the scene figures are rising from their graves. Naked skeletons are covered with new flesh and dead men help each other to rise from the earth. II. El Greco’s â€Å"Christ Carrying the Cross† El Greco’s real name is Domenikos Theotokopoulos and his Greek... ...hnestock Hubbard, in memory of her father. It belongs to the Bashfored Dead Memorial Collection. At the begging, the idea that I had to visit a museum for my assignment did not make me feel happy and amused. It was the opposite. I was thinking that it would be really stupid and boring going there, spending my day looking at some expensive â€Å"drawings†. However, when I saw the museum as a building, it really impressed me. The structure and architecture was really beautiful. As I was looking for the pieces of works that I had find information about. I was attracted by other gorgeous paintings as well. I saw paintings and sculptures from different cultures, which I never had heard before. My day at the Metropolitan Museum of Art was really a pleasure and fun. Apart from pleasure and fun, I got an idea of art which is very important to anyone of us.