The Norton Simon Museum

When I first entered the museum my friend wanted to see what was downstairs, so we first encountered the Asian collection of art. Having taken a sculpture class in the past, I greatly admired the work and detail that went into the pieces, but more so how long ago these pieces were made. Working with marble or stone is extremely difficult and takes a lot of time and patience, so I was literally in awe as I looked at the different statues that were displayed. They also had watercolor paintings and I couldn't believe how much detail went into each and every aspect of the pictures, especially because they were fairly small, but still contained so much. Also, the way that the paintings were so precisely done added to my enjoyment and appreciation.

My favorite part of the museum, which I spent a majority of time in was the section with the portraits. I am an avid people watcher, which is probably what made this most favorable. It was really amazing to read up and learn about the different stories behind each portrait because it added to and made sense of the tone or mood of each piece of art. These artists really paid attention to expressing the feelings and emotions in the facial expressions, posture, and details in their pieces of art. The color schemes used also played a huge role in depicting what the portrait was expressing. I was able to really appreciate all of the art for what it was because the themes were consistent within each painting. I loved that I didn't have just one favorite piece because it allowed me to admire all of the art for what it was.