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I chose to go to the Detroit Institute of Arts for my museum trip. Some of the floors were closed due to renovations, and some of the artwork was unavailable to be viewed. I had really hoped to be able to view a wide variety of art, and although I did see quite a bit, it wasn’t quite the full experience. I took some time and wandered through what was available, and there were really two paintings that stood out. The first painting I enjoyed was done by a man named Jacob Isaaksz van Ruisdael; the work was titled The Jewish Cemetery. The subject of the painting stuck me as the grim reality of death. The striking visual effect of the painting is created through the use of texture, value, and color. Short straight lines used in a diagonal way comprise most of the visible brush strokes. There are a lot of organic shapes in the painting, and the very geometric shapes of the building and the tombs in the piece oppose them. A large tree dominates the picture on the right and some very large clouds enhance the natural feel of the piece. I felt that the overwhelming feeling of death was balanced out by the shot of light and the burst of the rainbow in the clouds. Imagery such as this leaves me with the feeling that death is a