Your DIA Favorites:
In the Garden
It reminds me of my mom and me. ”
SELF PORTRAIT
It's so very revealing of the artist who painted it. To create a self-portrait has to be a revelation of self; a way in which the artist attempts to describe him/herself to others.”
MAN'S SHIRT
So much detail is shown with the making of this shirt. Deerskin, wool, ermine skin, human hair, glass beads and pigment. It shows a proud heritage with religious or cultural importance. So beautiful!”
Genius of the Dance
Stood in front of the Paris opera house. It exhibits such joy, the arms upward with the tambourine and jesters rattle. I love the Opera, all the different languages can be expressed through music. ”
The Recitation
Like other Aesthetic Movement pieces, this piece evokes emotions through color instead of telling a story through realism. It pulls me in & I am emotionally swept up in the green color & beauty.”
Detroit Industry, North Wall
It's magnitude is breathtaking! The messages depicted within the mural are plentiful and profound. I find it enjoyable to try to understand the different messages conveyed through the panels. ”
THE NUT GATHERERS
It shows the serenity of two sisters sharing confidences.”
Vase
I love it because of its mix or multi-cultural motifs and lines. I love to imagine how such a piece was made and marvel at it in front of me.”
Indian Summer
Rich autumn colors and lush brushwork imbue a strong sense of serenity upon the viewer, who, despite the size of the painting, comprehends the scale of nature that the three small figures are exposed to.”
COTOPAXI
I love this work for the sense of warm light that eludes from this painting. It appears to have a light source of it's own. It makes me feel warm and restful. I visit it whenever I am in the DIA.”
Gothic Armor
I can get up very close to study all the craftsmanship that went into making this defensive article of clothing. I can only fantasize about what happened when it was donned. ”
Detroit Industry, South Wall
It is an amazing and powerful work; It really portrays the reality of the industrial age and captures a very important moment in Detroit's history; and it still exists, unlike the Rivera mural in NYC!”
MELANCHOLY WOMAN
The play of light still manages to capture a vestige of hope!”
Caged Brain
Tyree Guyton uncaged all our brains when he liberated several blocks of blighted Detroit to create the Heidelberg Project; this caged brain brings his outdoor multimedia urban collage style indoors.”
THE WINDOW
It's my best friend. At first glance, it's simple. The longer I stare at it, I get incredibly absorbed into its nuances and contrasts.”
Detroit Industry, South Wall
If any picture depicts the spirit and grit of 20th century America, specifically that of Detroit, this mural illustrates the pleasant and unpleasant side of that glorious time of great innovation.”
Zephyr Dancing with Flora
It captures so much kindness and joy. It's as if the dancers would start dancing as soon as one turns away. ”
Detroit Industry, North Wall
I have known these images since I was a girl in inner-city Detroit. Without the DIA and these types of larger-than-life masterpieces, I would not have had the inspiration to fulfill my own dreams.”
Detroit Industry, South Wall
The DIA would not be the DIA without the Diego Rivera murals. I believe these are the heart and soul of Detroit and make our museum one-of-a-kind.”
Tobias and Three Archangels
I love it because of the colors--the vibrant red, gold, and blue. The way it expresses "human tenderness" as the archangel and Tobias gaze tenderly at each other. I love the story behind the painting.”
PICTURE OF A MAN THROWING A BASEBALL
I love baseball”
MELANCHOLY WOMAN
One cannot look at this powerful depiction of despair without wanting to turn to others with similar woes, hear their laments, and soothe their pain.”
SAINT JEROME IN HIS STUDY
I study too, and feel a kinship when I see it.”
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Detroit Industry, North Wall
Diego Rivera's murals are iconic as the Eiffel tower is to Paris and Big Ben is to London. The last two may be architecture, but the murals invoke history, culture, and the industry that defined Detroit to the rest of the world. ”