In school, two of my favorite subjects are art and history. That’s why I was so excited when I had the chance to visit Sotheby’s — one of the world’s oldest art auction houses — during a field study last week. My classmates at SA Bed Stuy Middle School and SA Cobble Hill and I saw incredible pieces of art and learned about the history behind each of them. We also visited the auction floor — and saw one piece sell for over one million dollars!
I love history because I am fascinated by stories. My history teacher, Ms. Regan, helps bring history to life. One of my favorite things we’ve studied this year has been the Han Dynasty in China. Ms. Regan taught us that during that dynasty, Confucius spread the idea that all people should receive an education. He was jailed for some of his beliefs, but he never gave up fighting for what he believed. I thank him for encouraging the government to provide education for everyone, because in a way, his idea set the groundwork for my education!
Art is my other favorite subject. Making art is a way to express yourself. So far this year in Mr. Akers’ art class, we’ve created collages, puppets, clay pots, and an animal hybrid (I made a spiderilla, which is a combination of a spider and a gorilla). I love how many ways you can interpret art — for example, the color red can be used to express anger, love, or fear — it’s all in how you use it. My favorite artist is Frida Kahlo. Even though there was a lot of pain in her life, there are so many stories that she told because of her feelings. Painting made her feel happy, and that’s how it makes me feel too.
At Sotheby’s, we saw some incredible pieces of Egyptian, Greek, Modern, and Impressionist art that were scheduled to be sold that week. I love how we were able to experience the great stories of history and the feelings of so many artists.
Take a look at the slideshow, below, and join me in taking a peek inside our trip to Sotheby’s! I can’t wait to share with you what I learned.
