Art Museum Visit 4: Ion Art Gallery

For my fourth museum gallery visit, I decided to see local artworks that were originated in Asia, and specifically, Singapore. I realized that I've never actually got the chance to appreciate the art that belonged to the country I've lived in for most of my life. I have to admit that I was a little hesitant upon visiting the art gallery in Ion, largely due to the fact that I had low expectations about what artworks a shopping mall would be able to offer me. However, I'm surprised to say that the Ion gallery is my favourite museum visit in Singapore so far because the pieces that were displayed really suited my taste in art. I also noticed a common trend among all the paintings; they were all very modern, simplistic, and most of them were painted with cool colors (blue, purple, green, etc).

Takeaway 1: The complexity of black and white pieces are often underestimated and overlooked as minimalist and simplistic

The painting above was the first one that caught my eye. It was completely unexpected for me to be attracted to a black and white painting, usually because I prefer artworks that are quite bright or have a lot of color. What I like about this piece was the fact that it didn't need different colors to show contrast. Instead, the artist focused on line and shape. There's also something about this piece that makes it very intriguing to look at, which I think is because of it's complexity. The piece seemed really simple at first, but when I look at it a little longer, I finally see how complicated it actually is. I noticed how black and white artwork are often overlooked as very simplistic and minimalist, but these two colors are rarely used to make paintings that are more complex. I would have always automatically chosen colorful and contrasting paints, but this painting's composition shows just how important it is to use the white and black spaces next to each other.

Takeaway 2: Creating abstract art can be as simple as changing the color

After visiting and reflecting on three different art galleries, I've always observed and written about abstract art and how intriguing they can be. However, I haven't actually tried doing something different and weird with my artwork. When I saw the painting above, I noticed how the first thing I was drawn to was the purple sky. I realized that the reason why I was interested in it was because of how the artist changed the color of the sky into a color that is unrealistic and unexpected. I was attracted to the piece due to the fact that it was different and unique. I often associate abstract art as something that is completely unexpected and strange, but I realized that a piece can still stand out just by making a bold move and changing something as simple as the color of the sky. 

Takeaway 3: Colors with muted and cool tones give relaxing and elegant vibes (The paintings in this gallery is what I would want displayed in my own home)

If I had my own house, the paintings in this gallery would be the artwork I want to have displayed in my home. I love colors that have a cooler tone, such as the blues, greys, and greens because it's a lot more relaxing and peaceful to look at. It isn't necessarily the landscape or object that's being painted, it's more the lasting and main color that's given off from the painting. It's interesting how different colors can make people have different moods. Other people might view paintings with muted and cool colors to be boring and dull, but it's beautiful and calming to me. 

Takeaway 4: There's a lot more variations in art that I haven't experimented with

Relating to my second takeaway, I haven't really tried anything completely new to me yet. I've tried different mediums and surfaces, but that's about as far as I got with experimenting. I barely tried different art styles as I mostly stuck with trying to make my artwork as realistic as the image I took it from. I've always tried to find my own personal artistic style, but I shouldn't settle until I have tried everything I've wanted to try. For instance, I haven't tried out art within three dimensional pieces, printmaking, or photography. It was eyeopening to me when I realized I'm never really confident with exploring new ways because I always think I don't have enough time with everything going on at school. 

After visiting multiple museums this year, I now have a whole new appreciation for them. Even though I've always loved art for as long as I can remember, I was never interested in visiting art galleries because I used to think they were boring. However, ever since I took art in high school, it's a lot more exciting to go look at artwork done by professionals, knowing that I can learn from their skills and apply them to my own pieces.