The Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, California, may not be an architectural masterpiece, but it holds the greatest treasures in art history. All Photos courtesy of freshman Megan Elzer.
AP art, art history, and design students got to visit The Broad Museum and The Norton Simon Museum, featuring contemporary artworks and European/asian artworks. AP art history freshman Megan Elzer has documented her experience at the Norton Simon Museum and strives to show it to you.
“Burghers of Calais” created in 1884-1895 by Auguste Rodin using Bronze. It’s noted for rejecting the use of idealized figures in order to commemorate the Hundred Year War. By placing the burghers on our level and making them anguished at the prospect of giving themselves up for the greater good, Rodin revolutionizes heroic sculptures.
Edgar Degas is most famous for his drawings of dancers, these two are notable for being sculptures instead of paintings. Degas is also notable for his use of colors to capture movement and for being a founding member of the Impressionist movement.
“Head of Fernande” by Pablo Picasso is most noted for being considered the first Cubist sculpture, and was created in 1909 with cast bronze. Fernande is noted to be Picasso’s muse and lover who inspired him to create art.
“Open Green” by Vassily Kandinsky, was created in 1923 using oil on canvas. It’s well known that Kandinsky was famous for his radical abstraction, tying in with his spiritual and formal aspects of art, creating a landscape of color and contrast in this painting.
“Madonna and Child with Adoring Angel” by Botticelli was created in 1468 with Tempera on Panel. Botticelli is well known for being one of the most influential painters in Florence at the end of the fifteenth century, due to his melodic, linear designs.
“Shiva as Lord of Dance (Nataraja)” was created in India by Tamil Nadu, in c. 1000 using bronze. There’s symbolic power in this art piece as Shiva displays both destructive and regenerative powers; he holds his right hand a double-sided drum representing creation, and in his left hand is the fire of destruction and transformation.