In The Art Institute

In our trip to the Art Institute of Chicago I found much of interest. I was initially interested in the activity, the idea of the human refuge and its meaning in paintings seemed to be an oddly intriguing topic to tackle. In my first few attempts at making a meaningful analysis of art I stared at a 16th century lithograph of a rural village and some everyday activities taking place within it. There was no human refuge in this painting and no color, the combination made the piece seem very dreary and bland. The final analysis that I made was the exact opposite of this. It was a stunning large-scale landscape of a mountain in which a monument was carved of Alexander the Great. It had fantastic swirls of color and a breathtaking horizon which blended into the colossal carving. Though providing very little in terms of human refuge the awe-inspiring wilderness that was captured and the scale alone made one feel as though they had a part within the masterpiece. I feel now as though the concept of human refuge is important its role in our having a part in nature is not as major as the landscape itself and its depiction. The feeling passed on by the artist is key in my opinion to being immersed into the landscape and the nature within it.