• Home
  • Fine Living
    • Start Here—Welcome to Tweetspeak!
    • Read
      • A Poem a Day with Every Day Poems
      • book club
      • Poetry Newsletter!
      • poetry reviews
      • T. S. Poetry Press
      • Quote a Day
    • Write
      • A Book of Beginnings
      • Become a Better Writer
      • Fiction Posts & Prompts
      • Memoir Notebook
      • Poets and Writers Toolkit
      • Writer’s Conferences
      • Writing Prompts
    • Live
      • Art and Disabilities
      • Artist Date
      • Eating and Drinking Poems
      • Journey into Poetry
      • Literary Tour
      • Poem on Your Pillow Day
      • Poetry at Work Day
      • Random Acts of Poetry Day
      • Take Your Poet to Work Day
    • Play
      • Coloring Page Poems
      • Mischief Café
      • Music Playlists
      • poetry humor
      • Quote a Day
      • Shop
      • Twitter Poetry Parties
      • Videos
    • Learn
      • Infographics
      • Poetry Classroom
      • Poetry Units for Teachers
      • Writer’s Conferences
      • Writing Workshops
    • Grow
  • Poets & Poems
  • Writers’ Resources
  • Get a Daily Poem
  • Teaching Tools
  • The Press
  • Workshops

Regional Tour: San Jose Museum of Art

By Dolly Lee 11 Comments

Tweetspeak’s virtual Regional Tours take us to destinations of all kinds, finding inspiration in places such as art museums, libraries, and natural settings. Today, we tour the San Jose Museum of Art with a docent who instructs us to take a closer look.

______________________

“One eye sees, the other feels.” – Paul Klee

San Jose Museum of Art Lobby ChihulyDocent Martina G. of the San Jose Museum of Art held a mini iPad as the tour began in the museum’s light-filled lobby. Her blue eyes sparkled next to her buzzed blonde hair. Martina strolled to the front entrance and asked us to look up at the cathedral ceiling. Above us hung three different Chihuly sculptures with their waving sinewy glass tentacles, which we hadn’t earlier noticed. The largest one was mostly a pale baby blue and evoked a cascading waterfall. A young boy thought the red bulbous one looked like an octopus. A woman said the yellow one reminded her of Medusa.

chihuly san jose museum of art

After a serious car accident in the 1980s, Chihuly could no longer twist and shape the hot molten glass. Now he designs the sculptures but relies on other artisans to craft his vision to life. She asked us whether Chihuly’s sculptures are considered art? Was she hinting at the industrialization and/or commercialization of Chihuly’s work? Or that an artist must physically create his own art instead of delegating its formation? Most of us thought Chihuly’s sculptures were still art.

chihuly blue waterfall san jose museum of art

Next we walked into the museum cafe where hundreds of hanging paper clips hung from the ceiling in different lengths and varying distances from a wall. The installation suggested silver rainfall. Martina had added one of the paper clips. She asked us if we thought this was art even though someone might say, “my three year old could do that.” She hinted how an idea can be the genesis for art, but the idea itself doesn’t create the art.

An unexpressed idea in someone’s head won’t inspire anyone or the artist. Does something only become art if the idea is expressed in a physical form?

I agree with Aristotle: “The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.” Ironically, often the inward significance of something becomes apparent only when it is revealed outwardly – even if it is only in a private journal. Most journals might not be considered art, but what about Anne Frank’s diary? If her work is art, does it trace to the significance of the content and/or the significance of her situation? Who decides what is significant?

I believe in an emotional and spiritual element to art. Was that what Marina was alluding to when she encouraged us not to listen to art critics but to listen to our hearts when we interacted with art?

Before we observed three hanging wire sculptures in a corner of the lobby, Martina said the average museum attendee views an art piece for six-seconds. She wanted us to observe the sculptures without speaking for at least 10-15 seconds before we shared our observations. Ten seconds crept by like wading in waist-high mud.

wire sculptures san jose museum of art

As I gazed at the sculptures, more details came into focus: they were in dark brown and black wire, and some of the spherical shapes were embedded within other larger spheres. How did artist Ruth Asawa accomplish that with wire? The sculptures evoked a slow-motion photograph of a drop of water or oil descending under gravity’s influence.

Next, we gazed at an aerial perspective painting by James Doolin aptly named Shopping Mall Studies and Ephemera, 1973-77 that covered an entire wall. Marina asked us to observe the painting before sharing our thoughts. One person noted it was the 1970s, as a woman wore bell-bottoms; another incorrectly guessed the decade based on the cars. Intricate details included what each person wore, the names of shops on the promenade, and the shadows cast by buildings and a flock of birds showed Doolin’s careful four-year study. She asked if we thought Doolin had painted himself into the scene. We found him in the center of the intersection, wearing a beret.

james doolin shopping mall san jose art museum

Marina lived in Czechoslovakia under communism and she recalled people wore brown and polyester. So the bright colors of the people’s clothing in the painting struck her. She reminded me how much our past influences how we view art. Because I was born in the United States, the vivid colors of each individual’s clothing didn’t strike me as unusual. Initially, I didn’t make a bigger connection to how being able to wear colorful clothes is part of our freedom to express ourselves because I’ve never lived under an oppressive regime. Her insights made me look at Doolin’s painting with fresh eyes.

Because of Marina, I will make time to truly see with one eye and feel with the other when I observe art in my daily life.

Featured photo by Thomas Hawk,  Creative Commons, via Flickr. Image of museum lobby by Kim Smith; Dale Chihuly’s (detail) Cadmium Yellow, 1995, image of his Nuutajarvi Turquoise Chandelier, 1995, blown glass, image of Ruth Asawa’s Group of Architectural Works, 1955-1965 and image of James Doolin’s (detail) Shopping Mall, 1972-77, oil on canvas (1932-2002) San Jose Museum of Art, all by rocor, Creative Commons, sourced via Flickr. Post by Dolly Lee.

Our virtual Literary Tours take us to literary and artistic destinations of all kinds, including writer’s residences, libraries, museums, galleries, and historical locations.

Browse more Literary Tours

Browse more Galleries & Art Exhibits

______________________

tweetspeak free newsletter sample

Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter.

We’ll make your Saturdays happy with a regular delivery of the best in poetry and poetic things.

Need a little convincing? Enjoy a free sample.

You Might Also Like

  • Literary Tour: David Levinthal’s “MAKE BELIEVE” Exhibit at San Jose Museum of ArtLiterary Tour: David Levinthal’s “MAKE BELIEVE” Exhibit at San Jose Museum of Art
  • Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park Tunnel Big SurRegional Tours: Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park in California
  • Regional Tour: Grohmann Museum – Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE)Regional Tour: Grohmann Museum – Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE)
  • Sheldon Museum of Art Lincoln NE 5Regional Tours: Sheldon Museum of Art, Lincoln NE

Filed Under: Blog, Regional Tour

P. S., With Love

We hope we made your day
with something you loved or needed.

Make our day? 🙂

Keep thoughtfulness, beauty, & whimsy
in your world (and the world)
with just $1 a month

Comments

  1. Marcy says

    August 22, 2014 at 11:33 am

    Dolly Lee, I really enjoyed this article so much, you gave Chihuly’s work such beauty and rare thoughts on how to look at art. The part about standing there for a few seconds was rather funny since I can stare for an hour at a piece. Chihuly’s art came to Nashville, TN to the Frist Center, it was to die for, the pieces of glass, colors so vivid, a prize to see. What really grabbed me was the net looking hanging piece, as a student at the Watkins Inst. we would go on assignment, carry a drawing pad and pencil. Walk downtown Nashville, stop and draw what was in front of us, it was so much fun. You also learned to create a piece by simply using an ink dot. Amazing what you can create with just a dot. The same goes with a /. Draw the wind, the sea, the ocean but only with white chalk. Art is a frame of mind. The more you draw the better it gets like in all things we do. Thank you for sharing your eyes.

    Reply
    • Dolly@Soulstops says

      August 22, 2014 at 2:03 pm

      Marcy,
      Thank you for sharing your perspective as an art student…I only took one art class decades ago in high school (where I quickly learned I didn’t have artistic gifts)… and you’re right, an artist can do so much with only a little…you’ve made me think about what I could create with “/”…and an artist can gaze at a piece for an hour 🙂 Thank you for making me smile today 🙂

      Reply
  2. Maureen Doallas says

    August 22, 2014 at 11:53 am

    Great photos and a wonderful post, Dolly. What a perspective in Doolin’s piece, and so much detail!

    I love Ruth Asawa’s wire sculpture. I have a book of her work, which is elegant and fluid and innovative. Sadly, Asawa died last year.

    Reply
    • Dolly@Soulstops says

      August 22, 2014 at 1:59 pm

      Maureen,
      I could have spent more time at both Ruth Asawa’s sculpture and Doolin’s piece…And I have to give credit to Ann and Laura for finding the photos on Flickr 🙂 I read about Ruth’s passing…sad.

      Thanks for visiting with me.

      Reply
  3. Laura Brown says

    August 22, 2014 at 7:28 pm

    I love your comparing that wire piece to drops of oil descending. I looked at it for 15 full seconds. That is a long time, isn’t it? Just long enough to make a viewer want to look a lot longer.

    Reply
    • Dolly@Soulstops says

      August 25, 2014 at 3:31 pm

      Laura,
      Proud of you…more than double the average museum attendee at 15 seconds 🙂 Isn’t it funny how looking deeper causes one to want to look more? Thanks for being here 🙂

      Reply
  4. Diana Trautwein says

    August 26, 2014 at 1:13 am

    What a lovely post, Dolly. And what a fine tour guide. Thanks, Dolly, for all of this.

    Reply
    • Dolly@Soulstops says

      August 26, 2014 at 8:01 pm

      Diana,
      How fun to see you here…Thank you for joining the tour 🙂

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Literary Tour: San Jose Museum of Art - | Poets... says:
    August 22, 2014 at 10:29 am

    […] For today's Literary Tour, we join Dolly Lee on a visit to the San Jose Art Museum with a docent who instructs us to take a closer look.  […]

    Reply
  2. David Levinthal's 'MAKE BELIEVE' at San Jose Museum of Art says:
    October 3, 2014 at 8:00 am

    […] listening to the advice of docent Marina of the San Jose Museum of Art to slow and see art, my husband and I went upstairs to see David Levinthal’s photographic […]

    Reply
  3. You are not alone (a song) & a visit to… | Dolly M. Lee @ Soul Stops says:
    February 19, 2016 at 2:54 am

    […] It is time for my monthly guest post at Tweetspeak Poetry…hope to see you there. Thank […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Take How to Read a Poem

Get the Introduction, the Billy Collins poem, and Chapter 1

Free with tweet

Search Tweetspeak

Follow Tweetspeak Poetry

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Getting added to our newsletter is your first perk, when you join us on Patreon!

Welcome to Tweetspeak

New to Tweetspeak Poetry? Start here, in The Mischief Café.

You’re a regular? Check out our April Menu.

Recent Comments

  • L.L. Barkat on Poets and Poems: Darren Demaree and “Two Towns Over”
  • Bethany R. on “H is for Haiku,” An Invitation to Small Joys
  • Donna on “H is for Haiku,” An Invitation to Small Joys
  • Donna on “H is for Haiku,” An Invitation to Small Joys

Featured In

We're happy to have been featured in...

The New York Observer

The Huffington Post

The Paris Review

Tumblr Book News

Categories

Poetry for Life? Here's our manifesto on the matter...

Poetry for Life: The 5 Vital Approaches

Help make it happen. Post The 5 Vital Approaches on your site!

Learn to Write Form Poems

Whether or not you end up enjoying the form poem, we've seen the value of building your skills through writing in form.

One reader who explored the villanelle was even featured in Every Day Poems!

How to Write an Acrostic

How to Write a Ballad

How to Write a Catalog Poem

How to Write a Ghazal

How to Write a Haiku

How to Write an Ode

How to Write a Pantoum

How to Write a Rondeau

How to Write a Sestina

How to Write a Sonnet

How to Write a Villanelle

Featured Literary Analysis

Poem Analysis: Anne Sexton's Her Kind

Poem Analysis: Adrienne Rich's Diving into the Wreck

Poem Analysis: Matthew Arnold's Dover Beach

Character Analysis: Romeo and Juliet

Order and Disorder in Macbeth

Tone in For Whom the Bell Tolls and Catch-22

Tragedy and Comedy: Why People Love Them

Was Hamlet Sane or Insane?

Shakespeare Resources

Poetry Classroom: Sonnet 18

Common Core Picture Poems: Sonnet 73

Sonnet 104 Annotated

Sonnet 116 Annotated

Character Analysis: Romeo and Juliet

Character Analysis: Was Hamlet Sane or Insane?

Why Does Hamlet Wait to Kill the King?

10 Fun Shakespeare Resources

About Shakespeare: Poet and Playwright

Top 10 Shakespeare Sonnets

Book Promotion, Platform, Publicity

Author Platform: Where to Start

Ten Surprising Secrets to Make Your Book Go Viral

How to Host a Successful Book Launch

Simple Tips on Finding and Working with a Book Publicist

How to Get Your Poems Published!

Pride and Prejudice Resources

5 Amusing Pride and Prejudice Quotes

Infographic: Simpleton's Guide to Pride and Prejudice

10 Great Pride and Prejudice Resources

Happy Birthday Mr. Darcy: A Pride and Prejudice Playlist

Featured Top 10 Poems

Top 10 Chicken Poems

Top 10 Chocolate Poems (Okay, Minus 3)

Top 10 Fairy Tale Poems

Top 10 Funny Poems

Top 10 Laundry Poems

10 of the Best Love Poems

Top 10 Poems with Make or Break Titles

Top 10 Mirror Poems

Top 10 Question Poems

Top 10 Red Poems

Top 10 Rose Poems

Top 10 Summer Poems

10 Great Poems About Work

Children’s Poems, Children’s Books

Llamas in Pajamas and Ten Great Children's Poetry Books

A Children's Poem on the Playground

Come Again: Teaching Poetry to Children

Poetry With Children: What's in Your Journal

Teaching Poetry to Children: There Are So Many Blues

Take Your Poet to Work Day: Poet Treasure Hunt in the Library (Callie's Story)

6 Benefits of Reading Aloud to Your Children

Top 10 Children's Books and YA Books

Little Red Riding Hood: Graphic Novel

14 Reasons Peter Rabbit Should Be Banned (Satire)

Featured Infographics

Infographic: How to Write an Acrostic Poem

Infographic: How to Write a Ballad

Infographic: How to Write an Epic Poem

Infographic: Ghazal for a Gazelle

Infographic: Boost Your Haiku High Q

Infographic: Pantoum of the Opera

Infographic: How to Write an Ode

Infographic: Poem a Day

Infographic: How to Write a Rondeau

Infographic: Simpleton's Guide to Pride and Prejudice

Sonnet Infographic: Quatrain Wreck

Featured Playlists

Playlist: Cat's Meow

Playlist: Doors and Passageways

Playlist: Fairy Tale and Fantasy

Playlist: Purple Rain and Indigo Blues

Playlist: Surrealism

Playlist: Best Tattoo Songs

Playlist: Trains and Tracks

All the Playlists

They Bring Poetry for Life

Meet our wonderful partners, who bring "poetry for life" to students, teachers, librarians, businesses, employees—to all sorts of people, across the world.

How to Read at an Open Mic free download

How to Read at an Open Mic!

Free Sample!

The Teacher Diaires Front Cover with Lauren Winner

“Hilarious, heart-rending, entertaining.”

—KA, Amazon reviewer

GET FREE SAMPLE NOW

About Us

  • Our Story
  • Meet Our Team
  • Poetry for Life: The 5 Vital Approaches
  • Contact Us

Writing With Us

  • Poetry Prompts
  • Submissions
  • Writing Workshops

Reading With Us

  • Book Club
  • Dip Into Poetry
  • Every Day Poems
  • Literacy Extras
  • Quote a Day

Public Days for Poetry

  • Poem on Your Pillow Day
  • Poet in a Cupcake Day
  • Poetry at Work Day
  • Random Acts of Poetry Day
  • Take Your Poet to School Week—National Poetry Month!
  • Take Your Poet to Work Day

Gift Ideas

  • Give the Gift of Every Day Poems
  • Our Shop
  • Everybody Loves a Book!

Connect

  • Blog Buttons
  • Become a Partner
  • Shop for Tweetspeak Fun Stuff

Copyright © 2018 Tweetspeak Poetry · Site by The Willingham Enterprise · FAQ & Disclosure