Richard S. Moscorelli

Ringling Museum 

 

 

                                        “The Greatest Show on Earth”

            The “Allegory of the Cave” (Online Library of Liberty) comes to mind as I sit here thinking about what I want to share with you about my museum experience. There is so much. The Ringling is more than just a museum. It is an adventure. Going back to my first sentence, I have been sitting in a cave for so long. I watched the flicker of shadows dancing on the cave wall not knowing what I was seeing. Knowledge gained has converted the shadows which I once saw in the dim light into magnificent works of art and grand statements made by the iconic buildings of the ancient world through the renaissance and beyond. I am able to appreciate and understand the paintings in a more enlightened manner. Professor Rodriguez was my group guide through the museum and she has done well in developing this understanding.

            The art seen in the museum instead of in a book makes so much of a difference. It’s very much like watching something on television and then seeing it for real. The Redwood trees and the Grand Canyon come to mind. The Redwoods and the Grand Canyon are giants in the natural realm. The paintings I saw in the Ringling Museum are giants in the artistic world. Awesome works of art such as Peter Paul Rubens’ “Triumph and Taste” is a giant which was hard not to miss. Rubens, a master in Flemish Baroque and raised a catholic in Antwerp, was a proponent for anti-reformation style of painting ("Peter Paul Rubens - The Complete Works.") Peter Paul Rubens’ “Triumph and Taste” is one in a series of paintings known as the “Triumph of the Eucharist.” The series were designed as a guides for tapestries commissioned in 1625 by Archduchesses Isabella Clara Eugenia. The painting along with three others were purchased in 1926. These paintings have served as an important part of the collection in the museum since they were acquired ("Rubens" 26-27.) On this page is a picture of “Triumph and Taste.” I have selected this painting as one of my favorites

because of the grandness of the painting. The bench placed in front of the painting is needed to take in all of what the painting has to offer.

           The map of Belgium located on page three of this document depicts where Peter Paul Rubens originated from. Though the country of Belgium was not the name of the land in his time. It was called Flanders and the term Flemish comes from the prior name of the land. Through the humanities class at Santa Fe I have learned that Antwerp was an important city in developing the arts and this study of Peter Paul Rubens only solidifies the information as it was first presented.

            My study of the humanities has presented me with the painters, architects, and great names of the ages. I have much more to learn on my path of knowledge. The Ringling Museum has contributed and made the path much easier to walk on. I am glad to see that the vision of John Ringling which was to have a cultural center on the west coast of Florida has endured. Many people have visited the Ringling Museum and I am glad to say that I am one of them. The final thought that I have for the Ringling Museum is this.

           As a young boy my parents took me to see the “Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus.” The memory of a three ring circus with all of the lions, acrobats, and clowns comes back to me now. The Ringling property is like a three ring circus. There is something for everyone.