Strand Book Store and the MoMA

 The next day in New York, a few of us travelled to Soho to visit a book shop named Strand. It was one of the biggest book shops I've ever seen! Shelves and shelves of books (mainly to relating to art and literature).

 The top floor shelved books that were very old and looked as though they couldn't be touched without authorisation (and a pair of gloves!)

 There were a few books filled with controversial imagery I noticed. I decided to purchase a book by David Shrigley, seeing as I'd made visit to his exhibition in Manchester, back in the UK. I also bought a 1984 t-shirt.

 After the book shop, my friends and I explored the city. We were leaving the next day, so we left the best till last. We went into central Manhattan to visit the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). This place was absolutely huge! It consisted of six floors, each spanning a very large width containing classic pieces of artwork. The likes of Monet, Gorky, Picasso and van Gogh had their paintings displayed in here so we were in for a real treat.

 Seeing the paintings up close for the first time after seeing them previously reproduced on our TV and computer screens made the whole experience a lot more eye-catching. It was like looking through a maze of white washed walls and spotting famous brand logos. The aura each painting emitted was indeed very strong as they contained world-renowned contexts, such as the self-portraits of Frida Kahlo which were saddening due to the way she felt as she painted them.

 I was starstruck almost when I saw van Gogh's post-impressionist paintings. I never realised properly how vibrant the colours were and within the context of him, a painting like that was incredibly original for its time. There was a real sense of privilege from viewing these masterpieces.

Francis Bacon

Vincent van Gogh

Vincent van Gogh

Vincent van Gogh

Gustav Klimt

Diego Rivera

Pablo Picasso

Pablo Picasso

Edvard Munch

Edvard Munch

Pablo Picasso

Pablo Picasso

Claude Monet

Claude Monet

Frida Kahlo

Arshile Gorky

Jackson Pollock

Mark Rothko

Mark Rothko

Andy War

Andy Warhol

Mike Perry and the American Folk Art Museum

 The next day, we were split into two groups each seeing one of the chosen illustrators. Me and my group went back to Brooklyn again and the weather I remember was atrocious! We went into a warehouse building and again we were visually enthralled. The interior was only one room (in comparison to the factory building we visited the previous day) which was very spacious and practical for displaying work.

 There were several people in there who all made the work in collaboration with one another. The main artist, Mike Perry, ran the show. His work consisted of simple line drawings with elements of fluorescent colour, 3D sculptures and photo manipulation. The line drawings I found carried similar elements that are seen within my work.

 I was very fond of the work, so I bought two small books that had illustrations of his inside.

 After the visit to Mike Perry's studio, the group headed back towards Manhattan for something to eat. The weather drained me and my friend however, so we went back to the hostel for a rest. Soon after we visited the American Folk Art Museum.

 I hadn't originally thought that America even had a folk culture, but this museum proved me wrong displaying a very personal art form. Again the museum consisted of both 3D and 2D. The art displayed appeared very decorative and home warming. A reoccurring technique I noticed within the paintings was the use of a reflective paint or material embed within. It proved very effective within the pieces giving them a traditional ethnic feel.