Cultural Experience Through Museum Visit

The article is about the author's visit to Hammer Museum and his thoughts on Jacob Lawrence's artwork titled 'Watchmaker'. The author talks about the use of black color and the profession that links the aesthetic institution to black identity. The artwork made the author wonder about the history of African Americans in America.

Running Head: ART & ARCHITECTURE 1
Cultural experience through Museum Visit
Author's Name
Institutional Affiliation
Introduction

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A visit to a museum is like stepping into a different world and experiencing art, history
and a whole era altogether. There are hundreds of museums across the world, and some of them
are world famous. However, I believe that every museum has an enriching experience to offer to
its visitors. When my friend suggested that we visit the Hammer Museum located in UCLA, I
was very excited. The Museum is well known and located at in Westwood Village (Hammer
Museum, 2018). Dr. Armand Hammer established the museum in 1990 which displayed
paintings and drawings by the old masters in its collections.
We arrived at about 11 a.m. at the museum, and I was struck by the blank facades of
the impressive building. There was already a crowd of people outside. Once inside, we explored
different exhibits that comprised of both permanent and temporary displays. I liked the creamy -
white interiors and the warm oak floors which were well-lit by natural light.
There were many interesting artworks in different mediums and by different artists. There
was one artist and his work that I really found interesting and intriguing. It was a work titled
“watchmaker” a by the artist Jacob Laurence (Artsy, 2018). We searched on the web about the
artist and learned that the artist Jacob Lawrence is a prominent African-American artist of the
twentieth century. He belonged to the category of Harlem Renaissance artists who were well
known for their colorful and narrative artworks.
The artwork “watchmaker” was framed in a beautiful frame and shows the watchmaker
with several clocks in the background. What struck me about the artwork were those bright
contrasting colors, the strong lines and shapes and the black figure of the watchmaker. The
clocks in the background are done in different shapes, colors, and sizes. What touched me was

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the use of black color and the profession that links the aesthetic institution to black identity.
Laurence often showed African Americans in has artworks in skilled jobs such as watchmakers,
cabinetmakers or repairmen. I admired the way he sends a symbolic message of self-respect for
the African Americans through his artwork. He often painted African Americans in highly
skilled jobs such as shoe repairmen, cabinetmakers, watchmakers. His painting enhances the
self-respect of the African Americans, focusing on their positive contributions, thus sending a
symbolic message, through those modernist depictions of everyday lives. His work was
characterized by stylistic experimentation with everyday imagery (Biography, 2018).
I felt that there is an expressive, cubist style in the artwork that flattens the images on the
canvas. One can see the flattening of space in the “watchmaker” as he applies the modernist
reduction to reach the basic essentials. As is evident in the artwork, there is depth or perspective,
and the watchmaker and his clocks seem very close to the viewer. The directness and closeness
in the artwork made me feel uncomfortable as a viewer. I was forced to observe the craftsman
carefully and see with what precision he works and how he is completely absorbed in his work.
The figurative painting made me wonder about the hardships faced by the African-Americans
because of their color and ethnicity. The powerful composition with bright and contrasting colors
uses black in the skin tone to reflect the harsh realities of racial oppression. It was like his
artworks based on simple scenes of everyday life filled the gaps in the black stories (Diamond,
2017). The artwork made me wonder about the history of African Americans in America.

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Works Cited
Artsy. (2018). Jacob Lawrence, artsy.net Retrieved from https://www.artsy.net/artist/jacob-
lawrence
Biography. (2018). Jacob Lawrence, biography Retrieved from
https://www.biography.com/people/jacob-lawrence-9375562
Diamond, A. (2017). Why the Works of Visionary Artist Jacob Lawrence Still Resonate a
Century After His Birth, smithsonianmag Retrieved from
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/why-works-visionary-artist-
jacob-lawrence-still-resonate-century-after-his-birth-180964706/
Hammer Museum. (2018). About the Hammer Museum, hammer.ucla Retrieved from
https://hammer.ucla.edu/visit/

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Introduction
Weight: 20%- Thorough
References
Kreider. (2018). Guidelines. University, 1(1), 1–2.
From. (2018). From, Smithsonian Retrieved from http

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