Great article, thank you! Art is a big part of my life, especially paintings on a canvas, particularly oils. I am often fascinated by an artist's ability to paint a realistic scene using vibrant, brilliant colors not typically associated with the scene itself (i.e. The Turning Road - Andre Derain). Paintings can impact my mood, influence my thoughts and can appear differently to me from one day to another.
Loved reading your observations! And I really love the idea of bringing a journal in during one of these sessions of deep engagement with art. I recently spent 75% of a museum trip on a dozen paintings in one gallery and I felt so... replenished. Going to try to "cover less ground" in the future too.
"Replenished" is such a good word! It was just what my brain needed amid everything that's been going on lately... great to spend an afternoon slowing down and away from screens. Super recommend it, and might even try to make it a regular practice!
Thanks for sharing the process notes of your 'investigation.' I like the idea of an object warping space and our stalled path through it, of 19th century paintings juxtaposed with contemporary music and tech. How long do you think an 1800s guy would spend looking at, like, Friedrich's Wanderer? It would be funny if pieces like that were the Marvel movies of their time. "Wanna see Wanderer?" Then they zone out for 2 hours :O
Oooh that’s an interesting thought! I wonder if the amount of time we spend looking at museum art, that 15-30 second average, has decreased over time, presumably as a result of technology’s effect on attention spans? I’ll have to look into that!
Fun update here! This is more tangentially related, but while googling around I stumbled across this post on something called "New Museology." Brought up the idea that it isn't just museum-goers who've changed, it's the design of the exhibits and museums themselves as well! Which makes sense and of course affects how we interact with them: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/2n7xdg/what_caused_the_shift_in_how_museum_exhibits_are/
O I really like how succinct this is: “from being about something to being for somebody.” I can see that, and the turn toward the public for funds, in how some exhibits, say in natural science museums, are like busyboards for toddlers. You know? I push a button to hear a woolly mammoth. Or some stars light up. I wonder how effective "New Museology" actually is in execution. How that "somebody" is interpellated.
Now I'm wondering if fine art museums are different. Maybe similar in how these spaces might be more open now but not actually welcoming? Like: the non-elite public can see what's on display but when it comes to grappling with it... we're still mostly on our own. And if I lacked the tools or context to puzzle through difficult art, I probably wouldn't spend much time on it. Maybe only 15-30 seconds?
We should test this in a museum if we're ever in the same city. If you, a seasoned art fan, feel the pull of a piece longer than me, a dingdong.
Great article, thank you! Art is a big part of my life, especially paintings on a canvas, particularly oils. I am often fascinated by an artist's ability to paint a realistic scene using vibrant, brilliant colors not typically associated with the scene itself (i.e. The Turning Road - Andre Derain). Paintings can impact my mood, influence my thoughts and can appear differently to me from one day to another.
Thanks! It's kind of amazing to think about what a profound impact art can have.
Loved reading your observations! And I really love the idea of bringing a journal in during one of these sessions of deep engagement with art. I recently spent 75% of a museum trip on a dozen paintings in one gallery and I felt so... replenished. Going to try to "cover less ground" in the future too.
"Replenished" is such a good word! It was just what my brain needed amid everything that's been going on lately... great to spend an afternoon slowing down and away from screens. Super recommend it, and might even try to make it a regular practice!
Thanks for sharing the process notes of your 'investigation.' I like the idea of an object warping space and our stalled path through it, of 19th century paintings juxtaposed with contemporary music and tech. How long do you think an 1800s guy would spend looking at, like, Friedrich's Wanderer? It would be funny if pieces like that were the Marvel movies of their time. "Wanna see Wanderer?" Then they zone out for 2 hours :O
Oooh that’s an interesting thought! I wonder if the amount of time we spend looking at museum art, that 15-30 second average, has decreased over time, presumably as a result of technology’s effect on attention spans? I’ll have to look into that!
Share your results if you find something interesting!
Fun update here! This is more tangentially related, but while googling around I stumbled across this post on something called "New Museology." Brought up the idea that it isn't just museum-goers who've changed, it's the design of the exhibits and museums themselves as well! Which makes sense and of course affects how we interact with them: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/2n7xdg/what_caused_the_shift_in_how_museum_exhibits_are/
O I really like how succinct this is: “from being about something to being for somebody.” I can see that, and the turn toward the public for funds, in how some exhibits, say in natural science museums, are like busyboards for toddlers. You know? I push a button to hear a woolly mammoth. Or some stars light up. I wonder how effective "New Museology" actually is in execution. How that "somebody" is interpellated.
Now I'm wondering if fine art museums are different. Maybe similar in how these spaces might be more open now but not actually welcoming? Like: the non-elite public can see what's on display but when it comes to grappling with it... we're still mostly on our own. And if I lacked the tools or context to puzzle through difficult art, I probably wouldn't spend much time on it. Maybe only 15-30 seconds?
We should test this in a museum if we're ever in the same city. If you, a seasoned art fan, feel the pull of a piece longer than me, a dingdong.