National+Gallery+of+Art


 * National Gallery of Art **
 * By Julián Fueyo **

“The mission of the National Gallery of Art is to serve the United States of America in a national role by preserving, collecting, exhibiting, and fostering the understanding of works of art, at the highest possible museum and scholarly standards.”

 ~ National Gallery of Art

I begin this script quoting the mission of the National Gallery of Art; it is this, I believe, the best description of the institute...

Created in 1935 by a Joint Resolution of Congress, this institution was clearly created for the people of the United States of America. Currently operating 363 days a year, this institution offers one of the greatest galleries in the U.S.A.

However, this would have not been possible without the initiative of Andrew W. Mellon. Mr. Andrew W. Mellon, was a financier, art collector, and public servant for this project. He gifted old master paintings and sculptures, as well as a building to house the Gallery. Its primary building has a neoclassical architecture: having huge Greek-style columns, a great dome, and being all made of marble, the building depicts a grandiose aspect. It is worth mentioning that, later, President D. Roosevelt helped to complete the National Gallery of Art on behalf of the American People. The completion of the newly created Gallery attracted similar gifts of the highest quality.

 For instance, various collectors donated their collections containing mainly European and American art. Other examples also included funding benefactors. With the increasing number of contributors, the possibility of creating a building for modern and contemporary art became plausible. In 1987, The gallery’s East Building containing the Gallery’s collection of modern and contemporary painting, sculpture and artists’ prints and drawings, was opened to the public. This building, having a more modern architecture, hosts advanced studies in a research center, offices, and an art reference library.

Later in 1999, the agglomeration of economic donations provided funds to construct The Sculpture Garden. The garden provides the Gallery’s collection of modern and contemporary sculpture in a distinctive landscaped setting for works.

The creation of such institution has, and has had, a great significance to the United States of America. This organization, I believe, has deeply shared and cultivated art in many people all over the District of Columbia, nation, and world.  Anyway, before concluding this paper, I shall confess that what I personally found most interesting in this museum is the contents itself of the museum. In other words, I truly appreciated going through the museum enjoying the diversified paint and sculptures all over the museum. In this process of appreciation I learned about many painters such as Picasso, Cezanne, Vincent Van Gogh, Gauguin, etc... Although I had all ready heard that Gauguin had been one of the greatest painters of modern art, I found some really interesting and surprising information. For instance, I learned that Gauguin lived a great part of his life with economical struggles; that he pilgrimaged for several years to Panama to capture tropical life in his portraits; and that when he returned to Europe, he was received as a prophet by emerging and young painters.

I shall also acknowledge that, while I visited the gallery, I could sense a felling inside myself pointing to a certain pride and joy for meeting such a place where art can be appreciated in a serious but wonderful manner. In my personal opinion, I think this institute has, clearly, a really organized way of functioning. Such administration, I believe grants this institution its efficiency in achieving its mission.

**<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Works Cited ** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">"About the NGA." National Gallery of Art. Web. 17 Mar. 2011. <[|__http://www.nga.gov/ginfo/aboutnga.shtm__]>. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">"Highlights of the Gallery's History." National Gallery of Art. Web. 17 Mar. 2011. <[|__http://www.nga.gov/ginfo/ngachron.shtm__]>. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">"Mission Statement." National Gallery of Art. Web. 17 Mar. 2011. <[|__http://www.nga.gov/xio/mission.shtm__]>.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 32px;">National Gallery of Art <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 32px;">By Patric Geeting <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 32px;">

= = <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">The National Gallery of Art, which is located in Washington D.C., was created in 19 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 32px;">37 by Andrew W Mellon. Mellon collected pieces of art for the sole purpose of creating an art gallery in the US Capital. At his death in 1937, he left his complete collection, along with money to fund the gallery, to the US government. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">The paintings that Mellon donated made up the very nucleus of the National Art Gallery. Over the years, many great painters donated large amounts of art <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">to the gallery. Some of these painters included Samuel H Kress, Rush H Kress, Joseph Widener, Chester Dale, Allison Mellon Bruce, and many others who donated individual pieces. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">In 1978, the Gallery was opened to the public, so that people could see the wonderful artists that had resided in their homeland. On May 23, 1999, a outdoor sculpture exhibit opened to the public, and was opened all year. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">The function of this building is none other than to be open to the general people and allow them to witness the works of art that were created over the last decades. The gallery adds new pieces to its collection every now and then and adds them around the oldest paintings, which makes a wonderful mix of old and modern art. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 32px;"> The architecture of this building is another example of modern and old art being mixed together. Some of the contents of the museum are a little over 70 years old, yet you look at the building and automatically think of modern buildings. The structure is triangular, and makes an angle at strange places, to demonstrate the art of building. In the frontal area of the building, there is a small ring of wooden poles hammered into the ground, and, in the center, there are what appear to be glass art. Glass triangles protrude from the ground and odd angles and show the world a brief glimpse of what’s waiting inside this fantastic gallery. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">I think this is a great museum. As stated above, there are many examples of modern and classical art, but the whole building itself symbolizes creativity and genius. It’s the epitome of art itself. I was surprised to find out that the gallery is not as old as I initially thought it was. Made in 1937, it’s only a little over 70 years old. Despite that, the contents are what are important, and the contents of this museum really take the cake.