The way you feel as you look at art depends on its size and how it is displayed. If it is a big work, it can stand majestically by itself. But a smaller work looks more comfortable in the company of other works of a similar size and type. Please look at a group of works by Leon Polk Smith arranged in a corner of a gallery.
They look cozy, like a group of friends talking together. Better yet, they look like a family. They do have a family resemblance, being all made by Smith, and being on adjacent walls they can see each other. Note that the artworks are slightly elevated above their background thus they cast shadows and seem to float.
Critics at art shows note that works near each other but by different artists can have a jarring effect due to clashing styles. Judgement is required to make an attractive ensemble.
Going on from a small ensemble, consider big artworks living together in a museum. To compare different museum displays we will do as scientists do. They hold all variables constant except the ones they want to compare. Thus, to compare museum displays we would like to see the exact same art, first in one museum then in another.
Is it possible to do such an experiment? Yes ‒ because of special traveling exhibitions. Curators at different institutions team up as partners to put together a show, expecting to share the work. The show is presented at one museum, then a few months later it is shown at the partner museum.
Just such a fortuitous dual show was discussed in a British online magazine called Saturation Point. The article title was The Impact of Display: Abstract Expressionism in London and Bilbao. The shows were scheduled first at The Royal Academy in London, UK, then at the Museo Guggenheim in Bilbao, Spain. As an initial reaction, a British newspaper said the London show had “deadening juxtapositions and clunky sightlines”.
So what are the display characteristics to be looking for? Let’s start with room color. The museum standard now seems to be off white or light gray. But some museums are former homes like the Frick museum in New York City, which could have wall paneling, wall paper, rugs, and antiques. A still more striking example is that of the Barnes Foundation. Their art used to be in a private house, displayed just as the owner, Dr. Albert C. Barnes, wished and stipulated in his will. Much later, the will was overridden and the art was moved to a newly built dedicated museum in Philadelphia.
Next, what stands between you and the art? In the London show it was draped ropes, about knee high ‒ the old standard. In the Bilbao show it was something new, an ankle high platform or shelf. See our Bilbao picture.
Can you see the low platform? There is a large early Jackson Pollock drip painting on the right and a freestanding sculpture out in the room, likely by David Smith. You can see the magnificence of the space – the arc of the wall and its height. See the fine sightline, by which we mean visitors are able to see other artworks from a long distance away. Commentators mentioned that at Bilbao they were impressed seeing two large Mark Rothko paintings looming in the distance. We will see them soon.
Other display considerations are the arrangement of works within a room and what curators call sequencing which is the succession of works as you move from room to room. Curators also use the term: density of hang, which means how close the works are to each other. They don’t want the works too close. In contrast, a few centuries ago it was common practice to hang pictures one above the other from floor to ceiling all around the room.
Besides wall color, spacing, and sight lines, what else is important? The lighting is perhaps the most important. Besides little spotlights directed at individual artworks, softer overall lighting makes the visitor less aware of the spotlights.
I recall an artist receiving an offer to have a show of his work. The very first thing he wanted to know was the lighting. Most of the big museums have all artificial lighting and no windows. The only museum I have experienced that has large windows – floor to ceiling – is the Folkwang Museum in Essen Germany. It has excellent display rooms but also a wonderful sense of allowing outdoor views. Notable authorities have called it the most beautiful museum in the world. They don’t mean the largest collection, they mean it has a special grace in atmosphere and presentation.
Lastly, we get around to showing those large Rothko paintings that critics admired from afar via long sightlines at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. Notice the woman’s dress color and shoes related to the paintings. For that matter, the two paintings go wonderfully together like big sister and little sister. And they are upbeat ‒ not gloomy as are some other Rothko paintings.
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