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.