"The aim of art is not to represent the external appearance of things, but their inner meaning". - Aristotle."
Architecture and the plastic arts are two sides of the same coin, both being conceived to amaze us with beauty. Museums, besides treasuring works of art, are themselves an artistic representation. Each museum is a unique work of art.
In my previous community post, I told you about the visit I made with my family to the Museum of Fine Arts in Havana and showed some pictures of the interior. This is a great museum and we did not have time to visit it in its entirety. That's why today I'm here to share with you the rest of what I didn't have time to show you.
After climbing the grand staircase and admiring the beauty of the main hall, we went up to the first floor where there was a photographic exhibition with large format images showing natural environments and landscapes. I was very impressed by the size of the photos and admired the general atmosphere with warm lights and very elegant surroundings, from here I could also enjoy the view of the central staircase with its gilded columns.
On this floor there is a circular-shaped balcony and a large, elaborately designed metal chandelier descends from the ceiling. This lamp can also be seen from the ground floor. When we enter the museum we pass under this balcony and the first thing we see when we look up is this beautiful lamp hanging from a thick rope. It is a very nice view both from the ground floor and when we are looking down from the balcony.
On the same level is the museum's cafeteria. I went in to ask a question and couldn't stop photographing it. It is very spacious and cosy, with plenty of natural light and lots of wooden tables. Although the ones inside were empty, as the customers preferred to sit at the ones facing the balcony to admire the beautiful views of the city.
In the cafeteria there are also works of art, the counter has a colourful mosaic, very beautiful, and I realised that in this museum you can enjoy art in every corner, even in the bathroom. Yes, there is art here too, guarding the entrance is a marble woman on a pedestal. This place is really amazing 🎨.
After this tour, we returned to the first floor, and before leaving we decided to visit the two rooms in this area. I stopped more in one of them, as some of the paintings on display are related to architecture. There were paintings of the way light reflects on and different perspectives of the buildings drawn, landscapes with ruined buildings, arches, columns, altars, reliefs and many architectural elements. These were my favourites.
In the next gallery there were many more paintings, some of large size. Most of them were religious in theme. This room seemed less well lit, perhaps that was the intention, they seemed less bright, although the whole design complemented the theme of the paintings. Everything seemed simpler and more sober here.
We missed one more floor to visit, but we decided to leave because we were already tired of walking, and not only inside the museum, we had been walking for a while before arriving here. We decided that another day we would come back and visit everything more calmly because we all liked this magnificent place very much.
I hope you liked this little tour of the Museum of Fine Arts. I would have liked to show you everything in its entirety, but you can always visit it and see for yourselves.
