Aesthetic Engagement

My Art Appreciation class required that we visit an art gallery, show, or museum. I’m a little embarrassed to admit that the last time I had visited an art museum was middle school. It’s not that I didn’t appreciate art; it’s just that I became content with looking at artwork in books and the internet. I made the general assumption that I’m getting the same effect.

I was able to view the art gallery in Tunxis’ new building as my first required trip to view art. I enjoyed looking at the artwork but was far from inspired. Fortunately, my professor required multiple trips to different locations and I planned a trip to the New Britain Museum of American Art.

I had an unusual lack of obligations on the day that I visited the New Britain Museum of American Art so I was able to take my time and enjoy myself. The area of New Britain that the museum is located was a clean, beautiful residential neighborhood by the park. The architecture and sculptures that surrounded the building was impressive and immediately set the tone for a surprisingly exciting experience.

I wrote a summary of my experience that you can find attached to this page. I feel that this writing shows proof of my aesthetic engagement because my visit and reflection changed my views. I was quite inspired by the artwork and came to the realization that an image on the internet doesn’t even come close to seeing a painting twelve inches from your face. The brushstrokes, materials, and colors are things that a display just can not replicate. I even attended an art show on my own accord after the class had finished. I think appreciation for beauty and art are traits that I will be able to use in my career as a web developer and software engineer. Aesthetics are an absolutely vital part of creating great user experiences and what I’ve learned at Tunxis will certainly stay with me.

Art Appreciation Site Visit

I would also use the layout and changes to the CSS code of this e-portfolio as an example of aesthetic engagement. I chose very neutral colors to encompass the background and sections that did not need much attention. I chose a bright red to draw the user's eyes to the navigation and section breaks. I chose a black background with white text to provide deep contrast and easy readability. I also used CSS3 effects to create shadow effects and rounded corners. My main goal was to bring the user's main focus to the content, but still provide a design that is nice to look at. I think that these design principles will be useful in the future when it comes to working with user interfaces.