"Looking at pretty pictures triggers the same chemical response as falling in love." This quote was said by Albert Einstein, one of the smartest men who ever lived on earth. And if Albert says so, it must be true. Surprizingly he knew a great deal about everything.
Bring a Buddy
I generally prefer to visit museums by myself so I can do my own thing. But I will admit that bringing an art-appreciation buddy to talk about things with can definitely enhance the experience. The two of you will probably notice different things, have different preferences, and come up with different interpretations. I once had someone I was visiting a museum with ask me a question about an artwork I had completely failed to notice!
A Simple Game You Can Play
Visiting a museum is a great opportunity to see all different types of art, try new things, and get a sense of what you like. My cousin mentioned looking at works that attract her attention, and as I said before, that’s a fine strategy. A good way to start thinking more deeply about the art is to ask yourself why such a work attracted your attention.
Can you identify what captured your interest? There’s no right or wrong answer. Just spend as much time as necessary with the piece in order to come up with something. Then, find another work that has some of the same qualities and decide if it attracts you as much. Why or why not?
You can do this over and over with different works to identify different qualities that appeal to you. Look at the wall texts associated with some of these pieces. Does the historical information enhance your understanding of the qualities you’ve identified? Can you find anything in common between the art you’ve enjoyed? It can be fun to to try this in several different areas of the museum, since you might make really different conclusions when looking at various kinds of art.
After playing this game for a bit, you become aware of the qualities you enjoy, and you’ll start to recognize them as soon as you see them. It doesn’t have to be a long process; you can gain a lot of understanding in just one visit. Remember that your taste is personal, and thus completely valid, even if it doesn’t line up with everybody else’s. That said, I always recommend spending some time with types of art that aren’t in your top favorites list, because this is how you discover new favorites. Your taste in art, just like your taste in food or music, won’t necessarily stay exactly the same forever. You can learn more about discovering your artistic taste in the three-part series mentioned below.
IWhile I advocate spend lots of time with the art that you enjoy most, it’s a good idea to expand your horizons, by re membering the artist's name, and when you get back home, look at the other artwork he or she created.
Then ask Google what other artists have a similar style to the one you liked,
it's a great way to find new artists and new works to appreciate and love.
This article was written by Bruce Scher, if you have any thoughts or questions, you can reach me at; rev.bruce@heistmuseum.org
