The Lowe Art Museum is located just off the main entrance to the University of Miami on Stanford Drive. The museum had several walking visitors on the day I visited, but as one moves away from the main lobby, the building becomes almost silent. The only conversations heard are whispers and the security guard's movements in the rooms about every two minutes. The absence of sound allows you to fully enjoy the beauty of the work. While browsing the different galleries, I came across the “Sheldon and Myrna Palley Gallery” which houses European art. Unlike the other rooms which are just separated by an entrance through the wall, this gallery is enclosed by glass doors and has a different atmosphere from the rest of the Lowe Art Museum. The rooms are relatively dark because the small lights on the ceiling only point on the walls towards the paintings. The walls are painted a dark magenta color, which adds to the lack of light in the room. Immediately after entering this gallery, a distinct smell hit me. The smell is difficult to describe, but it is that of old wood and dust, perhaps from frames and paintings dating from the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries. As you enter the room, you can't help but feel drawn to each piece and painting. The realization that the works of art hanging on the walls were created hundreds of years ago and still exist in pristine condition, makes these works of art relics for me. Looking around the still and almost silent gallery, I couldn't help but think that each of these paintings was a window into the past. In his essay Ways of Seeing, John Berger states that “an image has become a record of how X saw Y” (136). At the time when the paintings in this gallery were painted...... middle of paper...... on their market value, became the substitute for what the paintings lost when the camera made them reproducible » (146). Confirming Berger's argument, when I saw this work of art, I was amazed. It invited me and I spent a lot of time observing and examining it. Although the museum environment added to my experience viewing the artwork, if the original painting had been as vibrant and colorful as the reproduction, the painting would have been even more intriguing. If I had seen the reproduction first, I know I would not have been drawn to this work of art. Art must be valued, precious and respected. Works of art speak to everyone in a different way, and when asked the right questions, they can provide excellent answers. In an age where cameras and images dominate, original works of art should be cherished and appreciated..