Amanda Walicki - Gallery Visit

 

Amanda Walicki

Prof. Phrené

PHO 236

12 December 2017

Gallery Visit

I visited Fredrick Meijer Gardens for the gallery visit. I found this family piece toward the entrance of the building. I was drawn to it because of the family aspect. This piece titled “Mom, Dad, and the Kid” is a sculpture of black penguins with white stomachs. There is no fine detail of eyes or flippers, but the flippers are visible. In this sculpture, the father penguin is standing tall, looking over the mother penguin as if he is watching for predators. The mother penguin has her neck bent and is looking down as their baby is looking up to its mother, with beaks almost touching.

            I chose the piece, because it displays the stereotypical family roles. The father is protecting his family and the mother is putting her attention into her baby. I never really grew up in a family like that due to my parent’s occupations, so it was fascinating to me that even animals portrayed the family roles like that. It appeared that the artist sculpted this piece out of stone, but I was not able to find out for sure. I believe that the artist made this to show the family roles. In society today, the family roles are sort of crumbling, but it has always been said that the man of the house is to protect and lead the family. Which, in the piece, appears to be the case. With the father looking over the heads of his other half and their child, it gave me the feeling that he was watching over them. The mother, looking down at her kin, gave me the impression that her energy is put into her child, which is common in society.

            Personally, I really liked this piece. I liked how there was little detail, but the animal was still able to be identified. As mentioned above, I did not grow up in a home where the stereotypical gender roles were followed as my parents were never home, or never home at the same time. I have always dreamed of that well-rounded family aspect, so it was a reminder to me that it can still happen.

            The photo I took is of two fish that my roommate and I own. These two fish have reproduced a couple times and they still stick together. There are multiple fish in our tank, but these two always stick by each other and their kin that are still alive. Just like that of the penguins in the sculpture. These pictures also share contrast within the colors in them. The penguins are black and white and our fish are black and orange in a darker lit tank.