The Cloister museum is a part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art that not only exhibits the masterpieces of the medieval art together with the things of daily use dated from the twelfth to the fifteenth century; it also creates the amazing atmosphere of being in the Middle Ages. From the very beginning the museum visitors can feel themselves like monks that are walking along the courtyard in the medieval church. The garden design surprises not only with the exact reproduction of the medieval architecture but also with the use of the plants and flowers that were grown in such buildings in Europe during the Middle Ages (Barnet & Wu).
The rooms of the museum are designed according to the century or the period that they represent. What is more, they are stylized according to the type of building in which the display units were used. That is the reason why the statues in the Early Gothic Hole are situated in the room that creates the atmosphere of the medieval chapel; that is, room with wooden doors, stained-glass windows and cool air even in the hottest day of the year.
What is more, in order to be even more close to the Middle Ages, there are no electric lights in the Hole; all the masterpieces are lightened naturally through the stained-glass windows that also represent the same 13th – 14th century art. On the other hand, there are rooms with domestic things. These masterpieces from the daily life are exhibited in the warm rooms with wooden floor and simple windows and with electric fires. Nevertheless, the Early Gothic Hole with its coolness and even some severity impressed me the most (Medieval Art and The Cloisters; Visit The Cloisters).
If to talk about sculptures, it should be noticed that they are from the different places; however, most of them are from France, but all of them are from around the same time. This strategy of arranging the works was chosen in order to create the atmosphere that would respond to the particular time or particular period in the medieval European history. What is more, such grouping shows the particular features of the 13th – 14th century art. If the works were gathered according, for example, to the place, it would be very difficult to pick out some peculiarities of a particular style and period of art. When you see a lot of works from one period, it is always easier to compare them with the works from another century or the works of another style.
If to look at the arrangement of the objects, it should be noticed that some of them are standing on the floor, some are hanging on the wall. Moreover, in this Gothic chapel all of the masterpieces are outside the cases, so that nothing can prevent you from examining every small detail of the works. Furthermore, every work is placed at different level – some are very high and some are low.
This installation strategy is aimed at showing …