Assignment:Looking At Art
Every sighted person looks at art every single day. Even if you don't leave home, you will look at some art, even if it is only your bedspread, the video art on television, or the calendar on the wall. Most of the time this looking at art is passive, because if we looked closely and thought-fully at every work of art that enters our field of vision, there would be no room in life for any other activities.
The study of art, however, requires a more active form of looking-a process of looking with the mind as well as the eyes. For this kind of looking, you will need to invest some time.
Active Looking
If your subject is a painting, stand or sit in front of it for a while, and give it your full attention. Let your eyes roam through the composition. Don't concentrate solely on the main figures (if the painting has figures), but study the background as well. Seek out the little details that are not immediately apparent-the tiny face peering out from a crowd, the curlicue line in an upper corner, the splotch of vivid color. To this day I find previously unnoticed details in paintings I've known well for twenty years.
Stand far back, especially if the painting is large, so you can take it in whole without moving your eyes. Walk first to one side and then the other to eliminate the surface glare produced by some museum lighting. Then move in nearer for a close-up view. Examine the brush strokes, the thickness or thinness of paint, the finest details. (When you stand within a few inches of a painting, always hold your breath. Vapors from breathing could harm a painting's surface. And, of course, never ever touch a painting.)
You can follow much the same procedure for looking at drawings, prints, or photographs, except that the close-up view may be more important, since these artworks tend to be smaller than paintings. Also, works on paper are usually framed behind glass, which solves the breathing problem but heightens the glare problem.
If you are looking at a sculpture, you must do more walking. Ideally, you should view the sculpture form many different angles and distances to understand its three-dimensional presence. The question of touching sculptures is a tricky one. Some sculptures are almost irresistible. Our hand reach out automatically to stroke the cool, smooth marble or bronze, or to feel a rough texture. When a sculpture is displayed outdoors, you can probably assume that touching is permitted. By all means do so; touching will enrich your experience of the artwork. Sculptures inside museums and galleries usually may not be touched, although some museums have special "tough-me" exhibits. If you're not sure, ask the museum guard.
Looking at architecture requires even more walking. You cannot know a building until you have spend considerable time waking around and through it-looking up, looking down, looking across its various sight lines, Every step you take will change your perception of the building's structure and its delineation of space.
Works or art are a bit like people. The more time you spend with them, the better you will get to know them. You wouldn't expect to form a close relationship with a person after a quick, superficial meeting. Give artworks the same chance to reveal themselves to you, and your relationship with them will definitely benefit from the acquaintance.
The Informed Observer
Merely looking at art usually will not be enough to give you a true understanding of any artwork. Both study and serious thinking are needed to make you and informed observer. You will want to make notes about the artwork, and to do so while you are looking at it. Don't try to reconstruct your impressions after you get home, because visual memory is notoriously faulty. There's no need to feel shy or awkward about sitting on a museum floor in front of a painting or sculpture and taking notes. People expect it.
To focus your thinking, ask yourself a series of questions about the artwork you are studying.
1. How big is the work of art? What is its scale? Life size? Monumental? Tiny and intimate? How many people can or were meant to look at it at the same time? Was it made for a public or private space?
2. What was, or is, the purpose of the work? Why was it made? Does it or did it serve a utilitarian purpose? What parts of its design (shape, form) were determined by this purpose? This is an important question for religious or ritual art from both Western and non-Western cultures, but it is equally important for ceramics, metalwork, tapestries, and fiber art. It often helps to see if the work has a name that designates purpose like "portrait", "altarpiece," "mandala," "tea bowl," or "cathedral."
3. Do I know where this work fits into the history of art? Does it remind me of any others I have seen, and in what way? Can I make any connection between this piece and others?
4. What do I know about the artist? Is there anything about his or her background that would influence my reaction to this work?
5. When and where was this work made? What else was going on in the world at the same time? What are the characteristics of the culture from which it emerges?
6. Does this work depict any particular subject-a story, a person, a place, or an event? If so, how is the subject treated?
7. What is the work of art made of? Are the materials important to the type of expression and the overall effect of the work?
8. What feelings, memories, or associations does this work evoke in me? Does it make me feel happy, angry, sad, frightened, disgusted, uplifted, inspired? Do I feel any sense of kinship with the artist?
You probably won't be able to answer all these questions about every work of art you see, but at least the process will start you thinking.