Upon receiving the assignment to visit the Museum of Fine Arts and pick a painting that "seems silent and still yet invites conversation" I was originally frustrated and wanted to just get it over with and pick out the first painting I saw. However, once I entered the museum my stress and frustration decreased and I wanted to take the time to appreciate the artwork and find a piece that thoroughly grabbed my attention. The classic quiet building put me at ease and I began my search. I passed many European paintings until one particular painting struck my eye. It was a painting that "spoke" to me and induced conversation among the other visitors of the museum as well. The painting possessed a beauty and a magnetism that I was drawn to. It was an oil painting by Francois Joseph Navez titled "Pilgrimage in the Roman Campagna". The painting wielded mystification. By Webster's definition mystification means to perplex or bewilder. However, it is not the painting in itself that causes confusion, it is the perception of the observer to the painting in collaboration with the meaning the painter intends to portray. In this case Berger's definition of mystification as "the process of exp

Whatever the reason may be for the appreciation of Navez's artwork, whether it is for aesthetic beauty, for what it means to the observer, or what it means to the artist, is irrelevant. I must agree with Berger's theory in that there are infinite possibilities of how that painting could have been seen as well as how it could have been done differently. The real significance of the painting lies in the eye of the beholder.

After observing the painting with my own eyes, I listened to comments from other people passing by. I heard several comments regarding the appreciation of the painting aesthetically. However, nobody commented on the significance of the painting. It would have been interesting to hear comments from bystanders so that I could compare my interpretation with theirs and perhaps hone my knowledge of the painting. Since I was not successful in that aspect, I looked to the plaque beside this beautiful painting to see what Francois Joseph Navez was thinking when he created this masterpiece. To my dismay, the plaque gave a brief biography of Navez but no discussion of its true significance.

laining away what might otherwise be evident" seems more appropriate (Berger 112).

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Approximate Word count = 1191
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)