Comparison and contrast

Browsing through some of my photographs, I re-encountered a photo I took in the Louvre in Paris. I recall walking down an exhibit made for religious paintings, one after the other, it was the same theme of artwork in the entire expanse of the exhibit until I reached a large black, white, and grey abstract modern painting placed right between the rest of the religious paintings from hundreds of years ago. I laughed at how out of place the painting was. Perhaps the curators at the Louvre put it there by accident, I thought to myself.

Looking back on the photos I see the contrast between the two styles of art. I see how drastically art has evolved throughout time, yet the admiration for both styles of art remain of equal caliber. The older paintings demonstrate the era of detail and realism in painting, while the modern painting represents the more recent form of art as a less literal, more abstract idea. The modern painting contrasts greatly with the old religious paintings that surround it, yet both styles have similar roots: human creativity and expression.

I am still unsure as to the true reason for the placement of the modern painting amongst paintings of a completely different style and era, but I enjoyed the comparison and contrast of the painting. It gives a shocking juxtaposition in the exhibit, and makes one ponder on the evolution of not just painting styles, but also art and design.