The reason to nourish a relationship with art is the same as the reason for bonding with other people: to feel more fully human. Just like friendships or romances, these connections can be hard to initiate, and complicated to manage. We’re here to help you build confidence in your taste and make a rewarding place for art in your life
Aren’t There Experts on This?
Yes, but they can be off-putting
- The experts’ job is not to supply answers that you must commit to
- They can help you, if you want, to come up with your own questions
- An expert opinion is still an opinion
How to Look
It’s the experience that counts
- Works of art are just objects, like a refrigerator or a vacuum cleaner. What makes them special is the experience you have with them
- Do a slow 360, looking all the way around the gallery, and find what sticks out most
Virtual Art
You can build space for art into your life through the internet.
- There are hundreds of thousands of works available online through the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the British Museum and the Rijksmuseum
- Find one you really like and stare at it for a while
- Now that you have a relationship with that one thing you chose, get yourself a print of it and hang it on the wall
Plan Your Trip
Have the right goals in mind
Don’t Overdo It
An hour (two, tops) is a good limit.
Trust Yourself
You are the expert on you
- Your own reaction is the one that counts
- There is no value in mouthing the conventional wisdom, or in taking the word of an esteemed critic as gospel
- Identifying your own reaction, in its emotional and intellectual and spiritual dimensions, is the whole point of the enterprise
Just Look
Once you’ve found something you want to spend more time with, dive in.
- Don’t immediately rush over to the label on the wall. Get close. Look for the marks of the artist’s hand.
- Find a tiny flaw, or a trace of color or a shape that you didn’t see at first.
Can My Opinion Be ‘Wrong’?
You’ll have a far richer experience if you don’t think solely about whether or not you like something
- Bad art can leave a good impression
- Some of the most lasting connections may come from works of art that initially made you uncomfortable, angry or confused
- Sitting down with those feelings and sorting out how and why they arose is an illuminating exercise
To See the Big Draw, Strategize
Skip ahead through the first two or three galleries and you’ll probably find more room to breathe
- By the time visitors make it to the third or fourth gallery, they tend to be moving faster
- Try going through the exhibition backward
Fear Not the Contemporary Gallery
Those fancy showrooms in New York or Los Angeles or London are designed to look intimidating, but that’s to make the art look its best
Don’t (Just) Hunt Trophies
Leave room for serendipity.
A Word on Cellphones
It’s common to see visitors moving through a gallery or museum with their phone camera leading the way, photographing every single work and every bit of wall text.
Outside the Gallery
To appreciate art, you don’t have to be physically near it
Liking vs. not liking
Read the text, and try to find the context that may change your initial thought
- Find out what bugs you about the work, and articulate a reason
- If something seems wrong, ask yourself: How could it be improved?
