The students participating in Hamilton’s Program in New York City recently had the opportunity to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The group went on a private tour in the Museum to view a selection of works of art representing different cultures and time periods. The Met’s collection currently encompasses over 5000 years of art, and includes sculptures, paintings and portraits from various continents.
The docent first led the group to see Ancient Roman pottery and sculptures, to explain how they celebrated the human body by emulating athletic body shapes, or gods and heroes in mythology. Next, the group viewed paintings that showed how patrons used art for propaganda or power, as seen in the works of art commissioned by Louis XIV. The group concluded their visit in the American gallery with a tour of sculptures.
The private tour illuminated various meanings of art throughout different time periods. After the tour, students were encouraged to explore the Museum on their own.
