Sheer beauty... for free!

I had the day off today, and Brent was working all day, so I set my mind to doing something "New York-y."

So I grabbed the computer for some preferably cheap suggestions.

What could be cheaper than free?

Through my research, I discovered that the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) gives out free tickets to those who want to visit the museum between 4 and 8 p.m. on Friday nights.

I've been saving that museum for a day when I had plenty of time to go because I've heard such awesome things about it and because my favorite painting, Vincent van Gogh's "Starry Night," is there in its permanent collection.

And since it was well within walking distance, I set out around 3:45 p.m. to make sure I got a free ticket.

Afterwards, I (almost) felt guilty for being able to enjoy such an amazing place while giving them absolutely nothing - except my awe - in return.

Below are some of my favorites from the trip:

"Starry Night" tops the list, of course. I actually felt myself tearing up for finally, FINALLY! being able to see it in person.

However, I really hated that they put such an ornate frame around the painting, which can obviously stand alone.

My parents bought me a replica of the painting, and I have hung it up everywhere I've lived since receiving it without any frame whatsoever.

The painting with the frame is from the museum. The one without the frame is hanging in the entryway at my apartment. Which one do you think looks better?

But there were many other artists I was unfamiliar with whose work touched me as well.

I loved the following two paintings by Vasily Kandinsky. Both are "nonobjective paintings" that depict no recognizable objects.

The artist stressed the impact of color and its association with music, saying "Color is the keyboard. The eye is the hammer. The soul is the piano, with its many strings."

This bronze plaque by Jenny Holzer is totally the mantra of my life:

This work by Jackson Pollock's struck me as chaotically perfect:




I never realized water could be so beautiful until viewing the following photos by Roni Horn. Plus, it reminded me of the Great Lakes and, therefore, home.



I normally don't get the "artwork" that consists of a simple, straight line across a canvas. However, I actually got the following painting by Yves Klein. This monochrome abstraction (the use of one color over an entire canvas) challenges our expectations of what an image can and should represent. He created this shade of blue with a chemist. It's designed to evoke boundlessness reflecting his own particular utopian vision of the world.



This work by Vik Muniz was made entirely of garbage, metal, discarded screws, and old appliances. It took me a minute to see the faces in the work, but I love that "junk" can be recycled and become something so beautiful:



I thought it was really cool that this man's face is entirely made up of computer-generated people or objects:




It took me a minute to see the brown bear in this photograph, but when I did, I thought, "What a photographer!"

(See the bottom row of teeth gripping the very bottom of the sign?)

There were so many more amazing works in this fantastic museum, and these amateur photos of mine obviously don't do them justice. Therefore, I'd totally recommend this museum to anyone who appreciates art - and even those who don't. They may just change their minds.