The Metropolitan Museum of Art | An Endless Collection of Exotic Treasures
Museums should transcend the image of static, uninteresting spaces, evolving into dynamic portals that ignite enthusiasm for culture, history, science, technology, art, and nature. They should offer interactive and immersive experiences, enabling visitors to engage directly with exhibits, participate in activities, and truly connect with the wealth of knowledge and insight they provide.
Established in 1870, the Metropolitan Museum of Art ranks among the top four most comprehensive museums globally, attracting millions of visitors annually. It serves as a repository of 5,000 years of human achievement and civilization, boasting an encyclopedic collection exceeding 1.5 million works from the Ancient Near East, Ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, Asia, Africa, Oceania, the Americas, and Europe. The Met’s vast holdings encompass architecture, sculpture, paintings, drawings, prints, photographs, glassware, ceramics, textiles, metalwork, furniture, weapons, armor, musical instruments, costumes, and decorative arts spanning history’s entirety. Its exceptional European paintings collection spans the thirteenth to nineteenth centuries, featuring works from Giotto to Gauguin. The museum also holds the most extensive collection of seventeenth-century Dutch art in the Western Hemisphere and is renowned for its comprehensive French painting collection, from Neoclassicism through Post-Impressionism, rivaling only Parisian museums in scope.
Initially, painting aimed to tell stories and capture precise likenesses of events and figures, with Renaissance artworks achieving photographic realism. However, after photography’s invention in 1839, innovative artists shifted focus. They embraced diverse brushstrokes and quicker work, thanks to portable oil paints. This allowed outdoor painting, capturing fleeting light and scenes, focusing on nature rather than grand narratives. Their works, viewed from a distance, reveal their essence, blending immediate impressions with the natural world.
From Manet to Monet, from Cézanne to Seurat, from Gauguin to Van Gogh, from Picasso to Dalí, and from Matisse to Duchamp, art’s expression has evolved significantly over the centuries. Just recently, an art exhibition in Shanghai featured a drawing on a blank piece of paper, showcasing the trajectory from precise representation to vague abstraction, exaggerated satire, and now, to a point where viewers are left to imagine with just a white sheet. It’s plausible that the future of art will surpass our imagination, much like the disruptive revolution brought by artificial intelligence like Chat GPT. Humanity may move away from tangible, concrete forms toward increasingly ethereal and intangible realms.
Van Gogh’s story is especially poignant; he lived in poverty, his genius unrecognized during his lifetime. Today, his paintings, including his famous self-portraits, captivate many, reflecting his inner turmoil and the human condition. Viewing his work alongside his life story deepens the appreciation for his innovative techniques and the intense emotions conveyed through his art. Van Gogh’s legacy, marked by struggle and posthumous fame, illustrates the profound impact and evolving recognition of Impressionist art.
Visiting museums has enriched my knowledge significantly, but it also led to deeper reflections. Many artifacts were once possessions of emperors and nobles, including their coffins, the walls that protected them, tools of power, and everyday items. However, on another level, it’s evident that the common people’s belongings rarely survive through time. Yet, these collected artifacts reveal that ordinary citizens, the unnamed masses, were the creators behind these treasures, contributing immense value and significance. History tends to remember kings and victors, but it cannot escape the inevitabilities of demise and death.
In this world, two things are certain: the future is unknown, and death is inevitable. People often desire a secure future, such as earning more money to ensure a comfortable life, but reality may not align with personal wishes. Facing these certainties, turning an uncertain future into a stable one requires an open heart to embrace the world’s volatility. Venturing out, experiencing the vastness of the world, adopting a more inclusive perspective on people and events, and fostering self-reflection are ways to continually renew oneself amidst life’s uncertainties.
