Art Museum - Julia Fiorillo

ART WORK IN MUSEUM

Is it art? Yes or no? 

Yes, it is art because the artist Marisol (María Sol Escobar) utilizes sculpture out of wood to make her piece. 

Why are you interested? 

I first was drawn to the piece because it was illuminated in the very center, as I walked down the hall. It was a huge wooden sculpture and I wanted to examine more into the detail Marisol utilized within the wood. As I looked closer into each figure, I realized the 5 men were different. The bottom 3 were Native American men and the top two were white Americans. I was absolutely drawn to the facial expressions of each men. She did a fantastic job in giving each figure their own identity. To the right of this sculpture is the photograph Marisol based her work off of. Looking at the original picture, you can really tell the time and effort Marisol put into each man, including the shapes of their hand, the outfits they were wearing, etc. Marisol made note of the beautiful feathered war bonnets each of the native Americans wore and the different shapes each bonnet had. With her tools, she shaped each of the wooden heads to resemble the men in the picture. I also made note of the presidential peace medal, which she put on the middle figure utilizing a central can. As for the white Americans in the back, Marisol shows the modern dress business attire they wore, by showing the ties and bow ties on the back two figures. Overall, her attention to detail is outstanding. I was mesmerized by the different textures of each figure in the sculpture and how none of them resembled the other. Very cool. 

What does location do for it? 

The location is right in the center as you walk down the hallway. There is a spot light shining right down on the sculpture. The location of Marisol’s art shows the appreciation the museum had for it and that they wanted to draw the attention to their onlookers... which it did for me. The location helps intrigue people in and want to learn more about this sculpture, why it was made, and how. 

Describe to someone that can’t see it. 

The sculpture is definitely figurative but with much detail. There are three Native American figures in the front. Each of their bodies are blocky and made out of wood. They each hold an object in their hands: a feather and ax. The two Native American figures on the outside have very detailed hands (the only thing on the sculpture made out of clay). The hand of the figure in the middle is bulkier like wood. Each Native American figure has a feathered bonnet on... you can tell each is different by the sizes and shapes she sculpted them into. It’s obvious she put more time and effort into the 3 Native American figures by looking at their facial details. Marisol carved the faces to really resemble the native Americans in the original picture. As for the white Americans in the back, they are also very blocky but in both the head and body. Unlike the Native American figures, the white American men have less detail to their face... their overall head was carved but the facial features looked as if they were stenciled in with led or some sort of writing utensil.