Why the Long Face? by James Curley

            From the first glance of Ms. Gardner’s house, I knew that this was going to be an interesting museum, that felt not so much like a museum but more along the lines of a home. The house had three floors and each room more exciting than the last. The “museum” is in Boston, Massachusetts on Beacon street, and the museum was created around 1898. It was previously a house owned by both Isabelle Stewart Gardner and John Lowell Gardner.

            Located on the second floor, in the Tapestry Room, there was a certain piece that stood out to me. The piece of art showcased dark colors, showing a woman looking into the distance thinking and overall it seemed as though the lady was unsure or insecure about something. Having gloomy shades of green, blue and black really added to the dramatic affect and added to the overall message and how it can be perceived. It seemed to be relevant with most of the other pieces of work in the house, relating to the same time period, late nineteenth century. The Tapestry room was a room of gloominess and darkness, and this piece of art definitely added to this affect. Having no name, the painting intrigued me and made me think about what this piece of art could be named.

            Ms. Gardner’s house was full of various pieces of art, and it seemed that in certain rooms there was more art than needed. Throughout most of the art there was an overall message of success and accomplishment, portrayed through numerous portraits of friends and family and others. Ms. Gardner had the piece of the woman looking into the distance and this painting placed into the Tapestry Room. I think that by Ms. Gardner having this piece, it showed a hesitation in Ms. Gardner’s art collection. I personally enjoyed the painting, its darkness and the woman feeling mixed emotions really stood out to me as a viewer, and kept me fighting towards finding the ultimate message behind this painting. In regards to the Ms. Gardner museum and Ms. Gardner’s art collection I do not see how these two correlate, having a very proud and confident collection and then having this painting, I would have advised against Ms. Gardner from putting it into her collection, not because it was a poor piece, but because it did no comply with the overall message. Overall I would recommend the museum for it shows a prominent collection with only a few pieces a bit out of place.