Being Inside the MFA

Once inside through the Huntington Ave. entrance, the splendor of John Singer Sargent’s murals strike the visitor before they are guided to the right, where the ticketing booth is. With more people now surrounding a lone visitor, the sense of community deepens. The galleries are stunning. There is no question about that. Walking around it, one notices the spatial arrangement and the consideration in the design and layout of the space.

There are differing intensities in light from gallery to gallery—Contemporary Art is a light-filled, color-filled, open area. The Asian Art and American Art galleries possess a more sinister light scheme—there is more mystery, and a subtler show of the work in these galleries. Older art has nothing to prove in this way, no statement that must be shouted in order to stay on the walls. These paintings have done the work. Contemporary art pieces, however, are constantly being cycled through the museum, and the curation says so. 

Like the arrangement of the MFA, Boston similarly accepts the building that is the Museum of Fine Arts. There is a grandeur to it that is stated, but not shouted. It’s a well-established and lasting place. There is no need for bells of whistles, despite other parts of the city are constantly welcoming new and fleeting businesses and attractions.