Norton Simon Museum

This is the second time I've been to the Norton Simon Museum. The last time I've been here was a year ago but it seems the galleries remained pretty much the same besides some new works here and there. I focused my attention towards the more expressionistic artworks because I haven't been much exposed to these types of art. They were very simple but also very sophisticated.

This work as called "The Tug" by Leonel Feininger. It was based more on modernist elements of cubism and expressionist. The shapes used are very simple cubist shapes. The painting looks to be about a war between France and Germany. This brings us back to a WWII type of imagery except in a much more expressionistic point of view.

This one is called "Black Saucers" Alexander Calder painted in 1968. It is an expressionistic presentation of the universe. The artist captures the essence of the universe by creating a gas-filled looking universe with what looks to be a black hole or a gravitational rotation of planets and the world.

It is very abstract but also very direct. When I first saw it, I thought right away about galaxy. I thought the description would turn out different but it also confirms the message of the painting. I felt it was a very simple portrayal of the nature of the universe. The composition worked well with a nice blend of colors and the position of the objects helped make the painting feel more like a universe with a good amount of empty space and filled space.
This particular one is by Emil Nolde called "The Sea I" painted in 1912. It depicts a expressionistic view of a boat stuck in a storm. The waves are convincing in that it looks really harsh. The tiny boat is struggling to go on. The painting feels very dramatic and lonely. The boat is there by itself with nothing around except harsh waves of water. The sky is dark which emphasizes the loneliness and struggle of this boat.

This one's called "Two Heads" by Paul Klee in 1932. This artwork is hard to make out what kind of idea the artist is trying to depict. The faces are made very simple and casual. They look stunned and a little seriouse. However, the colors of the faces give it a more gentle emotional feel. Soft colors on the faces make it feel as though the faces are relaxed but it doesn't look the case because of the facial elements painted on the face.

Art Walk in Pomona

It was an exciting day at the art walk in Pomona. I've been to this area before but had no clue that it can turn this lively. There were galleries everywhere. Restaurants, bars, and shops were fused with their own galleries, each one different from the other.

The works that first drew my attention was at a tiny gallery that seemed without a name. For this I'll call it 226 as is the number of it's address. The small 'room' felt a little crowded due to its small size.

That painting on top was the first one I saw coming into the gallery. It was called "Crow Mother" by Jason Clay Dunn. I thought it can be a character from some game or cartoon show. The character was dressed very native american. With the feathers and clothing similar to those I've seen native americans wearing. It was kind of surprising that the painting had a price tag of $5900.

The painting I liked most from this gallery is the one seen on top. It's title is "Aesthetic to Purify" by John Bajet. The painting is very emotional starting with the soft melancholy face on top and slowly moving away towards the butterflies with several strokes of colors hinting at nature.

Looking at the painting, I saw innocence and purity. The facial expression of the person looks very calm and gentle. The butterflies and the soft color palette around the face adds to the gentle calm look.

I also had a friend tell me what they thought of the image. It turned out the complete opposite of what I had in mind. What they saw was a person lusting. The butterflies and soft palettes of color around it was to create a more gentle intimate expression. He thought of some movies in which they showed similar imagery after a couples intimacy. I thought the theme of this gallery seemed to be about human nature and their connections to the world.

I came down the street to the dA gallery which was much larger in size. There were more people in this gallery. There were also a lot more artwork. Much of it was very different. There were a lot of crafted artwork with different types of materials or already made items. I couldn't really understand those types of works but they were rather interesting to look at for a bit.

The works I liked most were from an artist named Lesille A. Brown. They were in the back of the gallery in a small hallway on top of some glassed furniture. In my opinion, they really stood out from everything else that was there in that they were more recognizable but more artistic.

The work in the photo on top is called Entangled. The girls inside the drawing are overlapping each other. Like the title, it felt like their lives were entangled in one another. That they were connected. The drawing feels very intense and dark. It's also very dramatic with the way it was composed. The arrangements of items in the drawing creates a more chaotic atmosphere. It was also different in how the artist only highlighted the color of the girls hairs. This draws attention towards the person and the hint of the color red makes the drawing feel even more dramatic. The gallery didn't really have a certain theme or message but it felt more of a showcasing of new artworks with several different themes altogether.