Tate Modern

The variations in the Tate Modern logo do add an artistic touch that helps connect the logo with the art, but I find it distracting.  I think a logo should be a static symbol of a particular place or company and should help illustrate the company's mission and brand.  When a logo is changing constantly, I think it makes it harder for people to identify with the logo and recognize it.  Even though it is only a slight change, I believe it's confusing when people see variations of a logo.  From a branding standpoint, I don't think it's a smart decision to alter a museum's logo, even if it is only slight changes.  However, from an artistic point of view, I think it is an interesting touch.  The variations may catch people's attention because they will notice the difference and associate it with an art museum.  But similarly with the Tate Britain, I don't think the logo font for the word "Tate" works for either the Tate Britain or the Tate Modern because it reminds me of a horror film title font.

It's great that museums are free in London.  In the U.S. many museums charge a lot of money.  I don't think museums should be for the rich, but that is how they are designed in the U.S.  I think people aren't as community driven in the U.S.  America has become polarized between the rich and the poor classes.  Many Americans no longer believe in helping others and prefer the lifestyle of every man for himself.  However, this leads to polarization in education as well because poorer people cannot afford to visit museums.  Another option is that museums cannot survive solely based off of donations in America or do not have the sponsor money to keep them open.  I think it is a shame that America doesn't have free museums because it discourages a lot of people from going.  There are certainly museums here that I would not visit if I had to pay 10 or 15 pounds to get in.  But because they are free, I am more likely to see them and I often drop in a pound or two as a donation.  America should move toward making more museums free.

I enjoyed this exhibit because it reflects how many individuals can get together to make an impact.  Each piece is only a tiny porcelain sunflower seed, but when they are laid out all together they take up a huge amount of space.  I think the installation illustrates the power of the masses and lessens the impact of the individual.  Since the exhibit only shows all of the sunflowers together, it is hard to focus on each one individually or decipher what being an individual means.  According to the exhibit, the masses are powerful and overbearing.  If the exhibit only contained a few sunflower seeds it would not be as impressive.  This illustrates that individuals are more powerful when they work together. I don't think the exhibit is meaning to say anything negative about the individual or that the individual could not have an impact.  I believe the exhibit is illustrating that the individual may have to work harder to be heard because the masses by nature will garner more attention.

The white walls in all of the galleries help patrons focus on the art.  I think the white enables people to pick out colors in the art and see certain details without being distracted by colored walls.  The white walls also reflect the natural light that pours into the galleries during the day, making the paintings even easier to examine.  The white galleries also make the museum seem more airy and open, adding a neutral, inviting tone to the galleries.  I do think that the white can get boring and monotonous, but the designers did a good job with making the areas between galleries very exciting.  The wall with artistists' signatures linking the two sides of the museum is very interesting and the picture above of the "Under 5's Zone" shows bright blues, greens and pinks as well as red and gray.  In these areas people can take a break from the bright white walls and let their eyes follow the spots of color.  Then when people go back into the galleries, they can start focusing again on the art without being distracted by crazy colors.

My impression of the outside of the building was that it looked like an old factory.  It seemed quite expansive and the brick made it seem old, but special.  It seems weird to put an art gallery in an old power station, but I think it works.  Before going inside my initial thoughts were that the building seemed huge and was right on the water.  I think these are two positive points for an art gallery.  Since the building is so big, it can house a lot of artwork and pieces.  It's size is also an advantage because the higher floors are not blocked by other buildings, allowing natural light to flow into many of the galleries making them brighter.  Having the museum right on the water makes for a picturesque scene that is inviting and comforting to many visitors.  On the inside, the building is much more industrial than most museums.  The entryway has a huge corridor with columns and wires on each side and overhead.  I think the interior lends itself well to a modern art museum because it is very clean and simple.  It doesn't have a lot of special stone or glass that would detract from the art.  It is basically a huge frame of a building with white walls.  It is a perfect space for keeping modern art and allowing the art to shine and gather attention while the building goes almost unnoticed.  I also think the fact that it wasn't initially built to be a modern art museum makes the building more interesting and adds character to the museum.

This piece is called The Annunciation by René Magritte from 1930.  In the painting there appears to be a deserted landscape and dark clouds.  In the center of the painting is a metal wall that may have some sort of bells on it.  
I liked this painting a lot because it reminded me of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.  The wall with bells didn't appear to me like that.  Instead I saw the white lattice as a door that could lead behind the wall.  The wall I see as only one side of a secret building in the middle of a clearing high up on some mountain.  This scene seemed like it was pulled out of a storybook fantasy land.  Because of the incongruity between all of the shapes and items in the painting, it looked like Willy Wonka's factory.  The painting immediately caught my attention and I would love to jump right into it and see what is behind the metal wall.