As a kid, I used to hate being dragged to museums. Unless they were hands-on with games and experiments to participate in, museums were tiring and boring. I have never been interested in a necklace an English queen apparently wore a hundred years ago or the potentially fake dinosaur bones on display from before humans even existed. These things weren’t interesting to me because there was a whole lot of excitement around items that don’t exactly look interesting. I was never fascinated by a rusted statue or a piece of paper with a bunch of names scribbled on it who seemed important but are now known to be terrible people. Museums smelled like dust and there was never a hint of color in the whole building.
The first time I went to an art museum was during winter break of my sophomore year in college. I have been to shows and studios to see art around my hometown, but I never went to see strictly art in a museum. My friend and I took a trip to Boston to unwind after the long semester and one of the things on our to-do list was the Museum of Fine Arts. The time we spent in that museum was the shortest four hours I’ve spent in quite a while, and we didn’t even see all the art. My friend loved the contemporary art and all of its uniqueness. She loved seeing how people take ordinary objects and shapes and contrast them with unique shapes to create something completely new. There were sculptures, collages, furniture, and so much color. I felt like I was in a kindergarten art class in the best way.
A large part of the museum displayed art from several different cultures and countries. With each culture we walked through, I felt like I was being transported. Each country made and saw art so differently. The Japanese art was a mix of ceramics, swords, and sculptures that was nothing like the art through the rest of the museum. The detail of every dish on display was incredible. The organization of them by color was so unreal it satisfied any underlying ADHD trait I had. The art from Ancient Greece and Rome was so interesting too. It was really cool to see artwork from a time period I learned so much about in school. The sculptures were exactly like I had imagined but better–their image of ancient gods and goddesses was so surreal up close. The British art was so upscale I felt like I was among the rich. There was plenty of high class furniture and an endless amount of dish ware that looked like it came straight from the castle. There was so much gold and silver I could see a full 360 of my reflection.
While I thoroughly enjoyed being transported to different international cultures and decades, my favorite part of the museum were the paintings. When we ascended the steps at the entrance of the museum, we ran straight into a section with European paintings. A giant room with a red floral-patterned wall had gold framed paintings scattered across the walls. There were landscape paintings too, but the majority of these paintings were of people. Portraits were common but a lot of them were realistic scenes in European cities resembling Rome. The detail in the paintings made them so realistic it was inspiring. My favorite part of the gallery was the section designated for Monet. I knew I would like his paintings from seeing them in school, but in person they are like no other. They were absolutely beautiful. I felt like a little girl looking at them. Monet is famous for his landscape paintings, more specifically ones of flowers. They were so beautifully whimsical I felt enchanted looking at them. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so girly. I could’ve stared at those paintings for hours. I knew I was a flower lover, but nothing compared to the flowers he painted. They were deep yet straightforward, realistic but abstract, and simple yet detailed. I could see miles into the paintings, and I never wanted to stop looking.
Since Boston, I have been to two other art museums. They were just as entrancing as the first one. There is something so special about creating a piece of art that can transport those who take the time to look to a place they haven’t been before. I was subjected to new cultures, tastes, places, and people, and I’ll never forget the feeling. Looking at something so beautiful makes you feel beautiful too, and I can confidently say I’ve never been more confident than when I waltzed out of the Museum of Fine Arts.