On October 4th, 2013, my family and I had the pleasure of going to the Dallas Museum of Art. My mother and I had never been to the DMA, but had heard it was a good experience. Since we live two hours away from the metroplex, we were excited to use my assignment as an opportunity for a fun family outing. My initial impression of the DMA was very good. The decor of the building was very modern and formal, and was continuous throughout the entire building. Right from the start, the decor enhanced my curiosity with a waterfall and a unique, thought-provoking statue. .
Although the building was very clean and never distracted from the art, the architecture did not lend itself to being easy to navigate. However, this could be on purpose so as to encourage the viewer to linger at each piece instead of racing through the museum, as we tend to do in life. There was plenty of space to contemplate a piece of artwork, which I deem necessary for any prominent museum as it is impossible to thoroughly ruminate over a painting or sculpture while being distracted by others crowding your personal space. While we spent the two hours at the DMA, the piece that stood out to me the most was Spinning and Weaving by Robert M. Pennie. This painting captured my attention by its content, by heralding back to history, its degree of perfection and unity, and by its ability to draw me into a participative experience. .
Spinning and Weaving is a painting of a man and a woman working together to make fabric. Robert M. Pennie painted this piece artwork in 1883 using oil on canvas. In this picture, I can see the steps of making fabric that are depicted by what seems to be a pile of wool on the ground, the woman spinning the fibers into thread, and the man weaving the thread into fabric. I found this to be an amazing contrast to the way our society works today, with the hustle and bustle of getting things accomplished. Another thing I found intriguing was the dog resting on the ground nearby a pile of wool.