The museum consisted of white walls and a floor containing multiple shades of brown within its grain. The while walls prevent distraction from the art, and the flooring reflects the light, allowing the sculptures to cast shadows upon it.
When first entering the museum, I observed each of the sculptures, admiring the use of materials and culture portrayed through each one. I found Shoonufu by Willie Cole to be extremely intriguing. In this piece, fetish-like qualities of high heels in contemporary culture are evoked, where they function as expensive status symbols and are associated with both sexual power and the objectification of women. This piece is also very abstract, causing you to analyze it even closer in order to discover it was constructed of high heel shoes.
Chair Transformation by Lucas Samara shows a functional object rendered with a forward momentum and a fetish-like quality. Contrast is shown while half the chair is a set of psychedelic associations while the other half is covered in straight pins and painted black. The chair is also a great example of how we use our senses in order to analyze the use of materials and how we decide if we want to make use of an object. Here it is instantly clear we would not want to sit in the piece of furniture while it is aesthetically pleasing, the use of pins turns us off to the idea of using it as a functional piece.
Wayne Koestenbaum's Unfamiliar Grammar is exhibited in its own room due to mature content. This exhibit contains extremely bright canvas paintings, causing this exhibit to be very inviting from when spotting it from the doorway. When first entering this section, I was very pleased with the use of dense abstractions and riotous colors. However, as I moved through this exhibit I was disappointed with what I saw. I found this display of nude portraits completely lacked any sense of sophistication.
The Sculptors on Paper exhibit shows how light plays a role in placing emphasis on each piece of artwork. I thought this exhibition was successful while they used the walls of a small hallway to show the interesting drawings and prints.
In the Landscape exhibition, we see how Maurice, Denis, Leon Kroll, and William Zorach work in different modes of modernism, while also taking inspiration from the contours and colors of the land. We see how these artists have found inspiration in the landscape and how they have been challenged to represent the grandeur and complexity of nature in visual terms.
After observing the downstairs exhibitions of the museum, I made my way upstairs where I found the Abstraction exhibit. Mid- to late twentieth-century abstract painting is one of the strengths of the museum's collection. Within these pieces we see the use of organic shapes, distinct geometries, scribbles, stains, and a range of painterly applications. I especially enjoy abstract paintings, while they may not seem like they have much meaning at times, there are many that do contain a deeper meaning while also being aesthetically pleasing.
While looking at the Portraiture exhibition, I immediately recognized Kentucky Statesman Henry Clay because of the multiple portraits I observed of him while visiting Ashland. This exhibition included well-known figures alongside those of anonymous men, women, and children.
These extremely bright and polychromatic glass pieces are exhibited through a glass display case. Light is used in this case to illuminate each individual piece and enhances the color of each one.
Overall, I found the UK art museum to be a great example of how light and color is used not only to to place emphasis on pieces of art, but how it plays a role within the actual art itself. I had a very positive experience here, while I was given the opportunity to see the interaction of principles and elements within each piece.
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