On Friday, September 7, our English class visited the Palmer Museum of Art. There were a lot of pieces in the Palmer that really drew me in, but the one I chose to write about is  The Brook in Winter by William Francis Taylor. This piece does not have a date, but the artist lived between 1883- 1970, so it was done during those years at some point.

This piece was painted from oil on the canvas. It is a serene and simple painting of a creek in the woods with show surrounding it on the ground. There are many trees on either side, along with some bushes. It is bright, as if it were taking place during the day. Although you can tell by just looking at it that the landscape is cold, the mood is warm. It seems inviting to look at; not a cold, depressing winter scene. That may be why I was drawn to it, he made a really beautiful piece of art out of something that would normally be considered bleak and uninviting. 

I don't believe this piece has any political ties. I think the artist simply saw a beautiful, serene area in the woods, and wanted to be able to share that moment with the people who viewed his art. Since there isn't a date, I can't say anything about the time it was created as far as the year. I can, however, say that it was done on a cold, winter day. The snow had already fallen when the piece was created, it was just lying on the ground, so it was probably incredibly quiet and calming, which is the exact mood that the artist conveyed. 

The emotional ties to this are peaceful, calming, serene, tranquil anything like that. When you look at it, you feel as if you're in the artist's place you see the same stillness that he felt while he was there. I am not a person who needs to be moving all the time to be happy; I enjoy sitting down every once in a while and just enjoying the view. This is probably why it connected to me the way it did. If I had the opportunity to go to that place and take the whole scene in, I definitely would. 

William Francis Taylor, the artist, was a professional artist known for is paintings of the Delaware River. He was credible and well- known for his landscape paintings. He paints to show the beauty of nature in all of his paintings, not to make any claims, though, including in this one. I don't think that this piece is trying to prove a point or make any claims at all. 

Overall, I really enjoyed the visit to the Palmer. I like looking at different types of art and seeing all the different styles and moods that the artists portray. I also liked the garden right outside of the museum; it's very relaxing! I definitely will be going back soon.