For my museum visit, I went to the Akron Museum of Art on a Wednesday afternoon. I spent several hours there, first exploring the contemporary part, then the “traditional” gallery located at the north end of the building, and finally wandering around the garden. I had visited the garden before, but this was my first time visiting the museum itself. It was a weekday, most of the museum visitors looked like students, and there were a few people who I thought were artists taking notes and studying some of the pieces. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay The Akron Art Museum is very small for an art museum in a relatively large city, but I enjoyed its collection. I don't know if this was intentional or because of limited resources, but most of the pieces in the collection came from artists in the greater Akron area, or otherwise from Ohio and the rest of the Midwest. Several pieces depicted scenes from Akron's neighborhoods, which truly illustrated the city's cultural diversity throughout the ages. The dedication to local artists was as refreshing as it was informative. I'll Be Your Friend, I'll Be Your Love, I'll Be All You Need is a mixed media artwork by James Gobel, depicting a man in flashy loungewear presumably singing karaoke. Gobel uses felt, thread, and rhinestones to add depth and physical texture to the work, so that the character practically pops out of the canvas. Neon green laser lines point outward from behind the subject, suggesting that he creates the painting with his prominent stage presence. The designs of the character's tuxedo jacket and shirt – a pink-fringed cheetah print on plaid – create an atmosphere that is as vibrant as it is playful. In Man Eating Trees, John Sokol paints with tar and varnish to create a monochrome landscape that is both allegorical and haunting (akronartmuseum.org). In the foreground, we see the man devouring a tree while holding another in his hand. Behind him, a landscape of cut stumps creates a void, suggesting that his destructive behavior will ultimately leave him with nothing. The use of tar and varnish gives the piece an eerie glow, particularly in the empty background, and is applied in murky, irregular brushstrokes. Additionally, the sheer size of Man Eating Trees, at 6' x 8', makes it a very difficult piece to overlook. Sokol began experimenting with tarn and varnish in the 1980s, while working in construction, and favored the medium for its monochromatic brown color. The two works could not be more different in style. Gobel's work resonates with color, pattern and pomp, showcasing the expressiveness and dynamism of his subject in every way possible. Additionally, Gobel presents the viewer with a very realistic character. He wears a beard and a band t-shirt under his stage clothes, suggesting it's all for show or an alternate persona. In contrast, the muted nature and lack of descriptive detail of the character's face and features in Man Eating Trees suggests that it is intended to be allegorical and almost dreamlike in dimension. The social context of I'll Be Your Friend… is significant when we consider that James Gobel is attempting to portray a character from the LBGTQ "bear" subcommunity. Often invisible, Gobel exposes the "bear" subculture in order to expand public stereotypes of gay men beyond those of well-groomed and good-looking men who are usually portrayed in mainstream media. John Sokol hadobviously environmentalist themes in mind when painting men eating trees, but the choice to depict a man devouring trees instead of a machine suggests that the problem is cultural, or even psychological. Sokol is a native of Canton, Ohio, which was a steel-producing town for much of its recent history, and he worked in construction for several years, so he would have been familiar with industrialism and its consequences thanks to his experience in the construction sector. From a social perspective, Sokol attempts to illustrate the destructive nature of industry and corporate greed, and to show us the darkness it brings to the natural world in hopes that the viewer can consider its own consumption. Sokol and Gobel chose to represent two different social narratives, homosexuality and environmentalism, but did so in a similar way. By choosing to depict a single subject, both artists force their viewers to focus on the individual and the narrative they represent. We see the I'll Be Your Friend… singer in his element and wherever he feels comfortable, which creates a feeling of intimacy and gives us the opportunity to interpret his lifestyle in a new way. In Man Eating Trees, the murky and confusing world of the subject makes us uncomfortable and creates a feeling of disgust and hostility towards man and his destructive nature. What is suggested here is that his ambition is not only selfish, but ultimately hollow and misguided. Emerging from a gender studies analysis, I'll Be Your Friend… offers a multitude of opportunities to reevaluate masculinity and the male form as it is represented in society and art. There are several contrasting elements that lead us to question where the subject's "true" personality lies, and therefore completely breaks down gender boundaries. The Iron Maiden shirt underneath the loud lounge jacket and plaid shirt suggest that underneath it all he's just an average guy like anyone else. Plus, until you look closely, you don't even notice that the man is wearing makeup and has dyed and curled his mustache. The layers of clothing and patterns mimic the layers of the subject's identity and, therefore, those of perceived masculinity. At first it is difficult to approach Man Eating Trees from a gender studies perspective, but the important element of the play is the depiction of the devouring force as a man and not as a machine or corporate entity. This suggests that the problem lies in the nature of man and not in some abstract institutional or corporate entity. However, most of the leaders of the organizations responsible for such environmental devastation are men and perhaps Sokol is implying that it is something in male nature that wants to conquer and even destroy one's environment. The depiction of masculinity in the two works is very different, but I found the differences show how versatile depictions of gender in art can be. Gobel explores male identity by playing with cultural norms to create a complex and memorable character. On the other hand, the lack of color causes the viewer to focus inward, to re-examine the male need for industrial ambition, and to consider the environmental costs. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a custom paper now from our expert writers.Get a Custom Essay I was pleasantly surprised by the Akron Museum of Art and plan to return in the near future. Its size was disappointing at first, but then I felt that the small scale gave more intimacy to the works.