****THE MUSEUM****
On our trip to the Tate Modern in London on Thursday evening, I was completely struck by one particular piece. I'd made my way through much of the museum, and was on my last floor- the fifth. The art on this floor consisted mostly of minimalist art and conceptual art. Most of it was pretty abstract, so imagine my surprise when I came to be standing in front of a sculpture by Edgar Degas called "Little Dancer Aged Fourteen". I didn’t know what the piece was called or who made it before Thursday, but it left quite an impression on me. The reason it was so special for me is because I remember when I was a little girl, my grandfather gave me a very small version of this piece for Christmas one year. Seeing it in person and so much larger was quite an emotional experience. A lot of memories began flooding back of my grandfather, of Christmas, and of the sculpture. At that point in my life, my grandfather was very sick and my grandmother did most of the Christmas shopping for the kids. However, I remember thinking that this gift seemed like something he had picked out and really wanted to give me. It was special for that reason, and I was doing ballet at the time, so I loved the ballerina as well. As much as I love the miniature, it has nothing on the real sculpture! The detail is so beautiful- the tutu is made of the most delicate gauze. The dancer also has a pink silk ribbon in her hair. It's funny, when you look at it from far away, the whole piece looks bronze. When you get closer to it, the details really pop. These more tangible elements are what make the piece so special. It was really the only one on that floor I enjoyed. I'm not a huge fan of most conceptual art, and I especially dislike minimalist art. I was so surprised to see a sculpture that was completely different from everything around it. This piece is probably the most touching sculpture I have ever seen. The details of cloth and silk bring a real human element to the piece. It truly captured my attention and stirred up lot of memories and emotion.