Wow… So far, this trip has been an action packed adventure of exploring the city and learning about Argentinian culture. The long days and early mornings left many of us literally exhausted… (See photo below)
Thankfully both the National Museum of the Arts and the National Decorative Museum provided a relaxing afternoon of appreciating different aspects of Argentinian culture. For the record, I am not an art major nor do I consider myself a connoisseur of fine art, but I’ll share certain aspects of the museums that I found interesting.
Both museums had a large amount of religious artwork. These works were usually in older sections of the museums. It really showed the impact that the church had in society. Not only was the church a major political force during this time period, but it heavily influence people’s daily lives. Some pieces that were not religiously focused still had religious symbolism involved. For example the painting below.
Another interesting aspect that I noticed is the influence from other countries such as France, England, Spain, and others in the paintings, sculptures, and even the architecture in some of the buildings. I found these subtle crossings of culture to be interesting. For example, the picture below shows a French flag waiving in the background of the picture.
A third aspect of the museums that I found interesting was the amount of pieces that were dedicated to animals. The photo below shows there was a room exclusively filled with horses. I am really curious to learn why certain animals have so much significance in Argentinian culture. Part of me wonders if it is due to the impact they had in Argentinian agriculture throughout history, and how critical they were to the economy and life in general.
My favorite part of the museum was the modern art sections. Even though my knowledge of the arts is laughable, I was still able to appreciate the different works of art and the method that was used to create them. It was nice to slow down and just appreciate the giant works and the craftsmanship required to create them.
