“A Trip to the MFA on a Wednesday Afternoon”

Just this past week, I explored the Museum of Fine Arts which is located by Northeastern’s campus. The MFA is free for students at BU when you bring along your student ID and is easily accessible by taking the T. The MFA houses a multitude of exhibits about Black history and futures to contemporary and modern art. 
When I went to the museum, on a Wednesday afternoon, I needed to visit the Art of the Americas Wing for my Natural Science class to collect data about landscapes from the past. I really enjoyed walking through that section of the museum and looking at all the art on display. When I walked into this room, I immediately noticed the red Victorian-style wallpaper, gold embellished frames that held all of the paintings, and the marble statues that stood throughout the room. It gave the exhibit a very grandiose feel. In this exhibit that was filled with beautiful landscape paintings, this specific piece of art immediately caught my eye.

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This painting is called "Museum Epiphany III" and is especially interesting because it is a painting of the room that it is hung in. It depicts a young girl and her mother looking at the marble statue amongst other MFA visitors. My favorite part of experiencing this piece of art is that when you turn around, the marble statue that the young girl is looking up at, is directly behind you. Also if you look closely, the woman who is standing furthest to the left is located in the same place as someone who is looking at the painting in real time. As I personally noticed these little details, its irony made me smile and appreciate the piece even more. 

As I stood in this room, I couldn’t help but think about the saying “life imitates art.” This came to mind because of the way the young girl and her mother were illustrated. I immediately saw a parallel between their appearance and the statues, as both were portrayed with angelic and light energy. This was done primarily through each subjects’ white clothing. Also, this saying seemed relevant because as life happens and visitors visit this room everyday, reality reflects what the painting depicts. 

If you ever find yourself with a free Wednesday afternoon and are in the mood to experience some art, the MFA is the place to be.

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