Wolfsonian Art Museum a source of ingenuity, knowledge

Joliette Re/Contributing Writer
opinion@fiusm.com

The Wolfsonian Art Museum, located in Miami Beach, provides a wonderful experience for FIU students.
Mitchell Wolfson Jr. founded the Wolfsonian in 1986 to preserve his collection of paintings, unique books, sculpture, furniture, and other artifacts.

In 1997, Wolfson donated his museum and his Collection of Decorative and Propaganda Arts to FIU,  “the largest gift ever contributed to a public university in Florida.”

In addition to amazing its patrons with its collection of paintings, sculpture, and other artworks, the Wolfsonian allows them to think more critically.

Visitors to the museum will gain an insight on how people have achieved various creative methods to advertise a specific goal.

The famous saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words,” applies perfectly here.

Students should make good use of the available resources to truly appreciate their time at the University.

On Feb. 7,  I visited the Wolfsonian. Not only did I enjoy gazing at the impressive crafts and paintings, but I also gained insight in how to think “out-of-the box.”

Partaking in this worthwhile, pleasant outing trained me to contemplate deeply and take a single idea and explore it in multiple levels and dimensions.

The museum enriched my understanding of how art can describe sociological, psychological, cultural, political, philosophical, and environmental impacts all in one image through visual cues.

For example, the marquette entitled “La Barre à Mine” (English: “The Crowbar”) by Arthur Dupagne, which is molded in shape of a muscular man at work, could propagate the ideas of racial inequality, human bondage, inequality, and other similar factors.

One of the memorable pieces that I like is Harry Clarke’s stained glass window, which was designed to be a gift to the League of Nations in Geneva in 1926.

The beautiful array of color of the eight-panel stained glass window glowed and glistened like ethereal lights.

I was also impressed with how the stain glass windows presented different stories based on Irish folklore.

The astounding details of the clothing worn by the different bearers astounded me.

Another one of my favorites was the oil on canvas painting called “Woman Suffrage” by Evelyn Rumsey Carey.
The soft pale lighting surrounding the goddess-like figure embodies delicate femininity and glamour, combined with a romantic picturesque feel.

The exquisite strokes and alluring illumination immediately attracted me.

My tour guide, Dr. Regina Bailey, pointed out the reason why this woman was portrayed as nonthreatening. She said it was in the effort to increase popularity for women’s suffrage.

Going to the Wolfsonian leaves upon its visitors a memorable experience since the moment they enter this mystifying place.

They will become better-rounded scholars because they will have stretched their imagination, explored their analyzing skills, and achieved a reverence and appreciation for the humanities.