Time Share: An Historic Art Collaboration - My Art Gallery Visit

Title: Time Share: An Historic Art Collaboration
Combines 19^th and early 20^th century artworks to create an overview of artistic history of the city and the region

The Gallery
The lights were used as spotlights on every painting and work in the exhibition.

The color used on the wall was a darker gray.  It helps with the feeling of historic, momentous, moments.   

The interior architecture of the space is very modern, Geometric/square solid walls, white ceilings with spotlight.  The space is very open.    

You are lead through the exhibition by a painting directly in front of the entrance with the title of the exhibit on it and a painting of a historical event on it.   To the left on the main room wall, is the description of the exhibit and theme, which leads you to the first painting immediately to the right of the description.  The paintings are on the walls all around the room each one leads you to the next.  There is a partition in the middle of the gallery.  The two walls frame the painting of President McKinley, in a large golden frame, and show its importance of even more.  On the other side of the partition, there are more paintings of events and areas of the Buffalo region.

The Artwork
The first area is mostly that of paintings of Niagara Falls and the other area, separated by the partition, is of special events and historic areas that shape Buffalo. 

Similarly, the artworks are all historic events and areas that shape Buffalo’s history. 

The artworks are different because all are individual interpretations of events or areas of the Buffalo Region.  There were several different paintings of Niagara Falls but each one was of a different aspect of Niagara Falls or a different story behind Niagara Falls.

Each artwork had a frame some more elaborate than others.  The frame for the presidential painting was made especially for that painting.  Other frames you could tell were older possibly the originals.  All of the frames looked older, not modern, and had lots of detail.  The frames that framed the scenes that were painted on to the parade carriages were framed in a simpler frame but it almost appeared to be a part of a carriage

The artworks were each labeled with a label off to the side with name of the Artist, the year the artist was born and died in parentheses next to the name.  Under it was the Title of the artwork and the date the work was created.  Under the title is the media that is used in the piece.  Under that is the collection that the piece is in. 

The proximity of the artwork to each other- each piece is evenly spaced out, yet close together enough to draw your eye to the piece next to it.  All of the pieces are unified and connected and flow throughout the gallery through the spacing of the pieces and content of the painting. 

Claire Shuttleworth (1867-1930)
Flags Flying, Avenue of the Allies, Main St, Buffalo, 1919
oil on canvas
Collection of the Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society

In this painting we see Main street, a bustling street, looking very lively.  The flags flown out the windows of almost every building are those of many different nations but mostly american flags.  It appears that the people are celebrating something. 

The flags in this painting show repetition/rhythm.  Flags, american and that of other countries, are repeated throughout the painting they are significant because of what this painting is about. 
Through the repetition of the flags we see unity in the painting.  We see both diversity but also patriotism and unity.  America is known as the land of the immigrants, where different ethnicities come together to form one nation.  The viewers eye is drawn back into the painting by the use of perspective. 

 This painting is of Main St. Buffalo.  As someone who is lived in buffalo for a few years now I know that Main street is one of the well "main" streets in Buffalo.  Buildings filled with shops line the street.  This portion of the street as you can see is the part where the trolley/train runs.
1919 marked the end of World war one. We can see the American flags being flown, this is a sign of patriotism.  Buffalo is very diverse, and we can see several different nations flags.

My interpretation of this work is, unity through diversity, America is a diverse nation filled with many different ethnicities, but we come together to live as one nation and to protect each other.  This is a painting celebrating the success of the diverse nation, and this diverse community.   

Ferdinand Richardt (1819-1895)
Niagara Falls, Terrapin Point, 1856
oil on canvas
Collection of the Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society

This painting is realistic and very detailed.  You can see the crashing of the water on the rocks.  The formation of the clouds and the light that peaks out behind them.  There is so much detail in this painting we can see the mist that lingers in the cove.  You can see the Horshoe created by the Falls,  and the lighthouse atop Terrapin Point.

The use of implied lines draws your eyes down the falls.

My interpretation is seeing the beauty and amazment of natural creations.




Lars Gustaf Sellstedt (1819-1911)
Evening Scene, landscape decoration from parade carriage of Taylor Hose Co. No. 1, 1855
Oil on metal circle
Collection of the Buffalo & Eire County Historical Society

This is a realistic painting.   It gives an example of the terrain of the area.  The highlights on the rocks from the sunset are of amazing detail.   

This painting is an excellent example of atmospheric perspective.  The mountians continue to get lighter as they mover back in space. 

The Native American community is still a very large part of the Buffalo Community.  Unlike in other areas.  Native Americans have kept their home here and have a reservation in this region.  The are a big part of buffalo history.  This reminds us that this area was settled by Native Americans before others from europe moved into the Buffalo region and colonized it.  

The Gallery Visit was differnt this time because I was looking at the collection of paintings as a whole and not trying to pick out one particular painting.  A lot of thought has to go into the where each painting is placed in an exhibition in order to give the viewer the right feel for the collection and get across the meaning of the theme.