Helpful
tips on viewing an art exhibition
These tips are guidelines only but you may find them
helpful in viewing an exhibition and individual art pieces.
1.
Make a
complete walkthrough of the exhibit to get an overview of the show. Take note
of works that particularly appeal to you, but keep moving on this initial tour.
2.
Go back through the show,
pausing to investigate those works that caught your eye. Sometimes shows have an
intended viewing sequence, which will help answer questions you might have about
the show's meaning. Curators are always aware of the sequence with which you
will view works, and definitely take in mind how the first work you see
entering a space will inform your response to the whole show.
3.
Read wall labels as much
or as little as you like. These notes can help explain things, and often
totally transform your response to the piece. Sometimes, just understanding
what a work is made of can help form new understandings.
4.
Take advantage of any
work of art with few or no viewers in front of it. View the art up close,
and also from afar. Note how your distance from the work changes your
perception of it.
5.
Skip those works that are
crowded by viewers and return to them later when the crowd has moved on.
6.
Sit before a work of art that interests you
whenever a bench or other seating is available. Take time to savour the work,
but never feel like you have to stare at something you don’t like
7.
Take one last look at
your favourite pieces before you leave the show.
Tips on viewing an individual art work
1.
Take a Look. Art should appeal to you
first through your senses. That doesn’t mean a painting has to be beautiful to
be good, but it must grab your eye in some way. A work might grab your
attention through its subject matter, its use of colour, an interesting juxtaposition
of objects, its realistic appearance, a visual joke, or any number of other
factors.
2.
What’s That All About? Look for symbols. A symbol, very simply, is something that
means something else. The Tower of Babel is a well-known symbol in
Western society, representing both the dangers of pride and the disruption of
human unity. Often a painting will include very clear symbols — skulls, for
instance, were often included in portraits of the wealthy to remind them that
their wealth was only worldly and, in the grand scheme of things, ultimately
meaningless. But just as often the symbolism is unique, the artist’s own
individual statement. Don’t get caught
in the trap of trying to figure out “what the artist meant”; focus instead on
what the work says to you.
3.
Once you’ve gotten an overall look at the painting, ask yourself “what’s
this a picture of?” That is, what
is the subject of the painting? The subject might be a landscape, a
person or group of people, a scene from a story, a city scene, an animal, a
still life and so on. Some paintings won’t have a subject — much of the work of
the 20th century is abstract, playing with form and colour and even the quality
of the paint rather than representing reality.
4.
How’d They Do That? The next consideration is style, which is
essentially the mark of the artist’s individual creativity on the canvas. Some
artists follow well-established styles while others go out of their way to be
different and challenging. Some artists create closely detailed, finely
controlled works, others slap paint around almost haphazardly creating a wild,
ecstatic effect.
5.
A large part of the appeal of art is emotional — some artists go out of their way to inspire strong reactions ranging from
awe and lust to anger and disgust. It’s easy to dismiss work that upsets
our notion of what art could be, and any visitor to a gallery of modern art is
likely to overhear at least one person complaining that “any three-year old
with a box of crayons could do that!” Knowing that an artist may be
deliberately evoking an emotional response, it pays to take a moment and question our immediate reactions. If
a work makes you angry, ask yourself why? What is it about the work that upsets
you? What purpose might the artist have in upsetting you? Likewise, if your
feelings are positive, why are they positive? What about the painting makes you
happy? And so on — take the time to examine your own emotions in the presence
of the painting.