In our postmodern age people are constantly exploring and reconstructing the meaning of art. For the past century and half art has transitioned from realism to abstractionism and has expanded from  the mere world of form to the realms of conceptualism. While the definition of art continues to evolve, people often become overwhelmed by the abstract nature of art. In other words, for some, the question “What is art?” is a loaded question. This is why art patrons raise art museums. In addition to preserving and exhibiting artwork, art museums also provide society with a historical perspective of art. Museums like the Met, the MoMA and the Whitney encapsulates time.  The MoMA in particular pursues to offer its viewers an invigorating perspective of present and past modern art. According to the MoMA’s mission statement, every piece of sculpture, painting, design and architecture passed the tests of “Is this art?” and “Is this modern?” While visiting the MoMA, I tried to accept these two qualities as a given. This principle allowed me to examine the artistic and modern nature of the MoMA’s collection.

     On entering the MoMA, I was struck by the place’s variety of artwork on display. During my short visit, I saw paintings, sculptures, designs and performance art. The first piece that caught my attention was a performance art display of an undead person moving in a wrecked carriage. The piece was quite affective yet disturbing. The person’s performance was robotic, and caused me to genuinely fear the undead man. In the design and architecture section, the pieces that confused me. In this section of furniture and technology designs I found it curious that the museum considered “everyday” objects to be art. Perhaps I take for granted the artistry or creativity that goes into making chairs, airplane propellers, and computers. Or maybe, as Prof. Nate Mickelson once said, I am ignorant to the fact “that there is a certain level of achievement in an object’s form and function.” Nonetheless, I found this section to be relatively dull.

     A MoMA piece that I believe captures the bare bones of the meaning of modern art is Richard Serra’s Delineator (1974-75). In this simple installation of a large black slab hanging perpendicularly over another black slab, there exists a sense of infinity. The piece’s suspended lines do not draw attention to the piece itself, but rather the whole space of the installation. In other words, the sculpture heightens one’s consciousness of the surrounding space by making one feel as though he/she is in a three dimensional graph. The mass and shade of the piece caused the monolith slabs to look like voids. While walking on the installation, I wondered if Serra originally intended this sculpture to be a site specific piece. Did Serra have a vision of where he would place this sculpture? I could not imagine the Delineator in a large space because I believe it would not have the same effect of simultaneously invading and opening up a space. I think the Delineator is a good example of modern art because it redefines an art medium (i.e. sculpture), the viewer’s presence and perspective becomes part of the artwork, and it causes something simple to shine.