The Palmer Museum

After exploring Penn State's own Palmer Museum for about 45 minutes, I knew which piece of art I wanted to blog about.

My piece is called "Modern Limits," done by William T. Wiley in 1975. Wiley used acrylic and charcoal on canvas to create this visually stimulating, erratic painting. There is so much to look at that the eye darts all over the canvas at first. One must step back to appreciate the work as a whole, and then get up close to discover all of the small bits and pieces that make up the painting. Most of the piece are dark swirls that make up images like a telescope, a skull, a castle, people, buildings, etc. There are also pops of color throughout that make shapes, designs, and lines.

This piece may look haphazard and meaningless, but there are indeed rhetorical concepts. Wiley is an artist in California who had a part in developing the northern California Funk Art movement that was characterized by lack of reverence and completely unrefined style. This is a very good example of artwork in this movement for obvious reasons - in this piece there are no rules. It represents 100% carefree expression.

This piece definitely appeals to pathos, or emotions. While studying this work, I definitely felt a sense of anxiety and panic. There is so much going on, and there is a sort of dark, dingy, demented feel to it. But it also sparked my interest and beckoned me to keep looking. This work almost toys with the audience's emotions.

Since Wiley was a contributor to the California Funk Art movement, this piece definitely gives him credibility to being a leader of this form. The irreverence and unrefined style unique to the CA Funk Art movement is apparent here. Also, this artist is credible because he earned his B.F.A. and M.F.A. at the San Francisco Art Institute, and taught at the University of California at Davis for 11 years. These accomplishments give him some major artistic integrity. That is disregarding the fact that he has been creating art since the sixties and continues to do so to this day. His other pieces are in the same style family as "Modern Limits," with graphic and unusual shapes and images and and interesting juxtaposition of color. He also creates sculptures and more tangible forms of art. Wiley has also won numerous awards for his artwork.

A scene can be discerned from the madness, but the madness is the point. According to the work's description, there are many references to Wiley's father who was a surveyor for the U.S. government. I think Wiley's claim is that even through science and careful planning, the world is still a jumbled, unpredictable place. This claim seems extremely persuasive and believable to me. For one, I completely agree with this claim. Sometimes it is hard to detect any rhyme or reason in life. Is there a meaning to life? A destiny to fulfill? Those are the questions that this piece invokes me to answer. The answer could very likely be no, and this piece leads me to believe that. Life is just a confusing journey through time and varied places, that ends in death for all of us, like the skull in the lower left corner suggests.

I definitely had a positive first experience at the Palmer. I haven't been to many museums, but I definitely enjoy going and perusing through exhibits. Art initiates thought in me, and I love that. I could see myself going back sometime this year to enjoy the calm, beautiful atmosphere of the museum and to take a beneficial break from my studies.