“When you light a candle, you also cast a shadow.” This
quote can relate to both Neue Nationalgalerie by Mies van der Rohe and the
Jewish Museum by Libeskind, but in very different aspects. While both
structures deal with manipulating natural light, they do so in almost opposite
ways. Comparing and contrasting the two you can study how they serve as almost
perfect foils to each other, though they were not created to do so. Built
almost twenty years apart, and by two very different men, the study of these two
monuments can teach a lot about the manipulation of emotion via the
manipulation of light.
The most
apparent way that the two buildings are similar is that each appears as though
made almost entirely of glass, and therefore appears let in multitudes of
natural light. The side of the Neue Nationalgalerie that you enter into is made
mostly of glass, which leads you to believe that a lot of light fills the
entire building. While the building contains a lot more light than the Jewish
Museum, the space that light reaches is actually carefully contained. The art
is entirely encased in stone to protect the pieces from being damaged by harsh
sunlight. On the other hand, when you first glance at the Jewish Museum, it
looks to be made entirely of some sort of transparent material. However, it is
really made of a metal sheath covered with zinc. In reality the windows are
small, irregularly cut, and spaced to allow light in only a certain points. The
careful allocation of light in these two buildings serves different purposes,
but it is very evident that light is being manipulated in each case.
As
previously mentioned, in the Neue Nationalgalerie, light is openly and
generously emitted into the building, which promotes a tranquil and pleasant
atmosphere for the guests viewing the exhibitions. The light and open mood of
the building is mainly due to the way that light enters the building. It enters
from above and is then reflected off of the dark polished floors. This serves
to light up the space even more and effectively eliminates the feeling of being
walled in or encased in a structure. This technique was meant to symbolize an
open and free space for artists to be creative, and for people to be receptive
to this creativity. It symbolizes no boundaries within the realm and in my
opinion is very effective in doing so.
On the
opposite side of the spectrum, the Jewish Museum manipulates light to achieve
an entirely opposing goal. Where the Galerie is light and open, Libeskind
intended the path throughout the Museum to represent the tortuous and difficult
journey of the Jews. He does this from the very entrance of the building. From
there, you journey through dark and twisted paths, which are only occasionally
penetrated by beams of light at critical moments. Where the Galerie is meant to
be free and open, the Museum is in equal parts meant to show oppression and
darkness. However, the fact that this darkness is sporadically lit shows
passengers that you can find hope and light when you least expect it. To me the
light is almost more powerful in this building because if there were no darkness,
there could be no light and vice versa. For example, the Holocaust tower of the
Museum is a tall dark tower that is lit only by a small slit of windows at the
very top. The light is almost stronger in this case because is symbolizes so
much.
In both
buildings, there is a clear way that the manipulation of light is meant to
affect your emotions as you move throughout the space. Even though the messages
are supposed to convey different things, the comparison of them helps you to
gain each message and the buildings serve as distinct and natural compliments
of each other, though they were not created with that in mind. Regardless, it
is obviously apparent that Libeskind and van der Rohe knew what they were doing
when they undertook their respective projects.
