High Museum Louvre Atlanta: Kings as Collectors

The High Museum was founded in 1905 as the Atlanta art association. It is considered to be the premiere museum in the southeast corridor. Their first permanent home was donated by Mrs. Joseph M. High, hence the name High Museum. This museum has evolved tremendously over the years. In 1955 the museum moved to a brick house. Several years later they formed the Arts Alliance Memorial after 122 patrons were killed in a plane crash. In the early 1980’s Coca Cola and Robert W. Woodruff offered 7Million dollars to expand the museum. In 1983 the structure was complete. Richard Meier was the designer. Due to unprecedented growth the museum required yet another expansion, which is where we are today. The new High Museum opened its doors in November of 2005. The exterior of the building is absolutely beautiful. The complex is made up of three separate buildings. The main building is four stories high and has a different exhibit
On each floor. The interior is very plain. The walls are high and white. All the color resides in the artwork that is displayed throughout. The last time I visited this museum I went to see the European Art Collection between 14th and 19th century. This visit I came to see the Louvre Atlanta: Kings as Collectors. This exhibit is housed in a smaller building that is adjacent to the main building. This exhibit will be displayed though September 2, 2007.

The Louvre exhibit will showcase works of art from the French royal collection. Various pieces of this collection will be displayed over the next three years. The first exhibit will display more than 30 pieces of artwork that were assembled during King’s Louis XIV and Louis XVI. As I walked through the exhibit I was fascinated by the “Et in Arcadia”, by Nicolas Poussin’s. I must say that the painting did not disappoint me. As I was walking in everyone was focused on this painting. Nicolas Poussin was a French painter, in the French baroque style. “His work features clarity, logic, order and favors line over color.” This them holds true in “Et in Arcadia”. This picture is very concise. There are four Shepherd’s perched around a tomb. They have a biblical sense of mortality. The detail in this picture is unbelievable. You can make out distinct features in each Shepherd. The clothing is very specific to the time. Three of the Shepherd’s are bare foot. One is wearing blue sandals. The scenery surrounding the men is also very detailed. Every aspect of this painting exhibits logic. You can clearly understand exactly what is going. No need to guess. The dirt, mountains, clouds in the sky and trees make everything come to life. The tombstone looks aged. I asked myself is the tombstone out of place? Everything else looks so peaceful, yet the tombstone is a major part of the painting. You can see the wear and tear to in the tomb. The setting is serene. The writing on the tomb is a Latin phrase that translates to “Even in Arcadia, there I am”. Baroque that was primarily associated with the religious tensions within Western Christianity: division on Roman Catholicism and Protestantism. Baroque that was developed mainly in Flemish countries emphasis realism of everyday life. It has been seen in works of Rembrandt and Vermeer. "http://www.huntfor.com/arthistory/c17th-mid19th/baroque.htm"

This painting is truly the focal point of the exhibit. The artwork is reminiscent of the era in which it was drawn. While you can infer quite a few things about this picture. The artist is very thoughtful and logical is the message that he is trying to portray.