Jackson Community College

Last month, Tom McMillan Oakley, professor of art at JCC, took his Art 101 class on a field trip to the Toledo Museum of Art. Located on the campus of Toledo University the museum contains a collection of artwork from many of the world's most famous artists includingMatisse, El Greco, Rembrandt, and Picasso.

“I just love this place,” said Oakley, “The paintings here are amazing.”

It isn’t just paintings that the museum contains, but sculptures, Egyptian artifacts, graphic art, as well as decorative art, and ancient artifacts.

The museum schedules free public tours weekly and there is shopping at the Museum Store which offers stationary, posters, apparel and other gifts.

Want to have a beer while taking in the sites? No problem, just stop by the Museum Café, with dining and dinner service on Friday.

    After giving each of the students a list of his “Must See’ exhibits, Oakley and his class were on their way. The class was free to explore on its own. The receptionist was friendly and more than willing to help. She gave out maps which included a floor plan and directions. She than began to explain how to get to each section and gave specific details as to the structure and architect of the building.

Be prepared to spend the entire day. It would be extremely difficult if not impossible to take in all the treasures in only a few minutes.The museum is Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday hours are from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The museum is open until 10 p.m. on Fridays.

Whether you are an artist who is skilled in his craft, or a novice just getting started, the museum has something that will appeal to you. For example, the painting “Lord Amherst”by Sir Thomas Lawrence is painted in such a way as to give the illusion that the foot in the painting turns to follow the individual.

Just seeing these paintings in books and magazines does not do them justice, as some are huge - covering an entire wall. Paolo Veronese’s “Christ and the Centurion” is one such painting. The details are amazing. When you look into the Centurion’s eyes it is as if one is looking into the eyes of a real person.

The attention to details in Jacopo Bassano's “The Flight into Egypt’ is remarkable. There is a donkey in the painting that one can not tell if it were painted or taken by a camera.  

“Rainy Day in Boston” by Childe Hassum is so realistic that it appears to still be raining. Willem develde Younger’s “Ships in a Stormy Sea” is totally amazing. One almost feels the fear of the seamen as they scamper on deck to secure the sails.

Each painting is as unique as the artist who painted it, such as Picasso’s “Woman with Crow” which at first glance appears regular and plain looking, but after close examination one begins to notice the dynamics of the brush strokes which defines Picasso’s style. The same for Van Gogh’s “Wheat Field with Reaper”, nothing overly detailed, even though the colors are crisp and vivid, it was Van Gogh’s style and brush patterns that made this painting stand out. Van Gogh uses a swirl pattern that is odd looking, yet quite interesting.

Rembrandt van Rijn's painting “Young Man in a Plumed Hat” is extraordinary. By far it is one of this writer’s favorite pieces at the museum. Within the painting is a man wearing a “plumed hat’ that is a deep, rich purple color that that this writer has not seen before. The feather in the hat is so realistic it looks as if Rembrandt took a real feather and pasted it onto the painting. So much so that it gives the appearance that the feather gingerly sways in the wind. Truly remarkable.

One painting was  beautiful, but odd: Winslow Homer’s “Sunlight on the Coast.” Within the painting is a sea coast that seems to be bathed in moonlight, yet the title is “Sunlight on the coast”. The colors are dark and eerie. Perhaps that was the artist intentions.

As the students regrouped in the parking lot, it was clear the trip was a success as they all chattered and shared stories of their favorite painting.

The Toledo Museum of Art is internationally recognized for the quality of its collection. With more than 600 years of art under one roof, it is a place everyone should visit at least once.