Paris has been absolutely amazing so far. So many works of art that I have only dreamed of seeing have now become that much more real to me. Through this week, looking and working with art objects and critically analyzing them, I have begun to understand how art is able to use it’s formal qualities such a brush strokes and line to help convey the message that it wants. In class, although I could get a sense of the paintings, actually being able to get that close to a painting helps me understand exactly what is going on in the painting or sculpture. For me, the biggest example of thins is when I saw Execution Sans Judgment for the first time with my own eyes. I knew that I had liked the painting, and I knew that it was going to be impressive. However, when I stood in front of the painting and saw just how large the painting is and how imposing the figures are, I was more intimidated than I thought I would be.

The painting comes to life when it can be seen in real life, and that is what has affected me the most. To go from seeing something in class to being able to look at the canvas and see every little detail in the painting is something that gives the painting that much more depth. In my essay, I tried to capture how it feels to stand in front of that painting, instead of just how the painting works, and that is what I have learned the most. Art is not meant to be just looked at on the Internet, but it must be felt, understood, and enjoyed face to face.