Museum Visit

I had a wonderful time visiting the museum! When first entering the section titled “Lure of the East,” I was immediately drawn to “Leander’s Tower on the Bosporus” (attached). The attention to detail - precisely the reflection on the water and the shading- was breathtaking, but the hues used really intrigued me. The museum label noted that the painter, Gifford, viewed the harbor as the vision of a “fairyland.” His use of a golden haze contributes to the foreign idea mysticism across this exhibit and gives some perspective into the Western consumption of the East.

My group looked at Eamonn Doyle’s “Untitled 7” (attached). On the surface level, the photo depicts an older woman in an eccentric outfit crossing across the street - this unassuming portrayal disturbed me. Though the subject’s identity is sufficiently obfuscated, I find the photograph to be an invasion of their privacy and individuality. The woman’s being is subject to the gaze and analysis of museum-goers, art appreciators, students writing journal pieces, etc. For her personhood to be freely available to the scrutiny of others without her consent is an offense to her individuality because, in essence, she is no longer in complete control of it. Additionally, though I may be looking into this too deeply, the artist’s naming of this photograph reinforces his intention to dilute the personhood of the subject.