Novice Art Critic Reviews: The Frist Art Museum

Written by Samantha Burgess, managing editor

Once you enter the Frist Art Museum and learn of its history, you will quickly realize how unique it is in comparison to other museums.

The Frist Art Museum, a Nashville landmark founded in April 2001, is set up so that every six to eight weeks the museum creates a new exhibition with art from a new region of the world. This way, no matter how many times you visit, the Frist Museum always offers something new.

The Bryan Triangle group visited the Frist Museum on January 28th when the exhibition featured Renaissance style art. Much of the art pieces centered around marriage, mythology and Catholicism. However, the main focus was marriage chests, both fully intact pieces and panels displayed on the wall. Marriage chests in this era were a part of all wedding rituals, commissioned by either the groom or the father of the bride to celebrate the newlywed’s union. It was used for storage and seating for house guests. The art on the chests often depicted stories that taught lessons on marriage, drawing from Greco-Roman mythology.

From the golden edges, to the carefully etched designs, to the brightly painted figures, it’s clear that each piece was crafted in what was a long process. The most ornate chest — and perhaps a favorite — pictured to the right, depicts the conflict between Anteros and Eros as well as Charity and Venus, contrasting chaste and carnal love. Made by Francesco di Giorgio Martini, the chest resembled another chest in the gallery by the same artist.

Another section of the exhibition was centered around Catholicism, with several pieces depicting Mother Mary or “Madonna” with baby Jesus. During the Renaissance, devotional pieces were hung above the bed, positioned at eye level to show that the holy figures depicted were, in a sense, “watching over the house hold.” My favorite piece in the entire exhibition — pictured to the left — although perhaps the smallest in the room, had the most detailed story line and art style of all the devotional art. Each panel depicts a different set of Biblical figures: on the left we see Peter and Paul and then Catherine of Alexandria and Margaret of Antioch at the bottom. The large center panel depicts a loving image of “Madonna” and baby Jesus. Finally, on the right side Jesus’ crucifixion is pictured with the Virgin Mary and Saint John to either side. At the bottom we have a bishop and John the Baptist with a scroll that says “Behold the Lamb of God, Behold him who takes away the sin of the world.” The inscription and depiction of the crucifixion were particularly poignant and showcased careful engraving and eye catching colors.

The third and final central art room focused on textiles and ceramics from the Renaissance. Known as “Maiolica,” this type of ceramics, features intricate designs like those pictured to the right and is said to be influenced by Arab culture, often in high demand from the wealthy class. The piece of ceramic to the far left was the most intriguing. The piece forms into a bowl that was used to hold salt, with four creatures holding up the center. Although beautifully designed, it seems flashy to use such an ornate piece of ceramic for holding salt.

The one constant at the museum is their Martin ArtQuest Gallery. The Gallery, located on the second floor, has 30 interactive stations for all ages to participate in, from stop motion videos, to watercolor, to creating your own sculpture. It invites participants to have a hands on art experience instead of simply viewing the exhibition.

Overall, the Frist Art Museum and the Renaissance exhibition were both enjoyable. It is cool to think that because it changes periodically, you can go back in a few months and have a completely different experience.

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Samantha Burgess is a junior majoring in communication with an emphasis in digital media and is managing editor for the Triangle. Her interests in writing include profiles and feature articles. Burgess can often be found curled up with a good book, writing, listening to music or watching TV.