In the reading, Why Is the Met’s New Show About the Body in Art History So Stultifying and Dull?, by Jerry Saltz the author mainly discusses one of the art exhibitions at the Met, also known as Life Like.   The article goes into a deeper discussion of how art history has developed and changed the way we view the human figure and bodies.  The reading also talks about how in the past, artists typically only displayed the female figure nude however, this exhibition at the Met features the male nude as well.  This display was created to showcase true human form by showing bodies with wounds, blood, wrapped in leather, giving birth, dead, asleep, and many more. The author then goes into detail on his opinion on the Western Art culture and how it is typically based off of themes of terror, sex, flesh, and sublimation.  Which in turn, the author believes is not true human nature at all, or at least is not always the case with Western Art.  

Overall, I feel as though this article was very insightful as to how we see art today, and what the public may or may not be attracted to.  Through this article, I have learned that not all artworks are able to interpret an exact meaning to the individual person due to the fact that everyone has different experiences and viewpoints.  Personally, I enjoyed the overall concept of the Life Like exhibition however, the author did not appreciate it in the same sense.  The author believed that this was a misinterpretation of the human form that was solely based on the eyes of Western culture.  I appreciated his opinion on the work, and i had found his information to be very valuable as I move forward through my own artistic career.  Mainly so, when naming and creating a work. The artwork must be true to its title, and the underlying meaning of the piece needs to be captivating enough to draw attention and the works’ meaning to the audience it is being displayed to.