Starting my day walking across campus, in the cold, only to stand around in the cold for a hour is definitely not my idea of a “good morning.” I don’t even like nature, let alone nature in the cold! So needless to say I was a little skeptical about this whole trip we had to take.
As I was wandering around the arboretum with Anthony, it seemed as though I was going to freeze before I saw anything of interest. But, as usual I was wrong and just being a crybaby. The fun didn’t start until we hopped a few fences in order to get a little closer to the open field that can be seen at the pavilion in the arboretum. Of course we probably shouldn’t have done that but still, who cares? As we approached the field I saw absolutely nothing of interest, just a big field full of dying grass. There were some trees in the distance but they were too far for me to really appreciate. It looked as though the most interesting thing we got to see was the garden area directly behind the fountain, and that wasn’t that great if you ask me! As we walked back towards the pavilion I noticed a tree on the side of the pathway. It wasn’t anything special because it didn’t have any leaves; in fact it was actually quite bare. The tree’s branches were very warped and twisted at odd angles; one branch was so misshapen that it was actually touching the ground. I immediately loved this tree, and it had nothing to do with the fact that it looked like the Whomping Willow from Harry Potter!
It became obvious that art doesn’t have to be pleasing to the eye like a grove of trees whose leaves are changing, or a garden filled with flowers. This twisted, gnarled tree could be considered an eye sore to some but I really enjoyed it. It broke away from the “norm” of natural beauty such as the leaves changing colors, flowers, and even different rocks that were scattered around the arboretum. Art doesn’t have to be beautiful, creative, or colorful. It can be something as simple as a tree with no leaves, which I would bet; many people didn’t give a second glance to! This showed that art is rather subjective because I was highly unamused by the changing leaves and the dying flowers, it was simply too generic for me.
In hindsight, this trip to the arboretum was definitely one worth making. Even though I complained about it being cold the entire time, I definitely enjoyed it. How many times do you get to walk around and experience the beauty of your campus during class time? Not often if you ask me, so I am very thankful for the opportunity, because sitting in a class get very old very fast. I am also thankful that Penn State has such an awesome campus! I probably never would have made a trip over here had it not been for this class, but I think that I might actually go back! (Once it gets a little warmer) It was a great trip to make for such a great class!
No comments:
Post a Comment