I'll provide a recent example of this from my own experience. A few years ago, I visited the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston. At first, I was extremely impressed by the breadth and scope of their collection. A few pieces (especially from their antiquities) jumped out at me and I was excited to delve further into the museum. However, by the time I'd reached the Northern Renaissance paintings, I was over it. I was tired of religious imagery. "Oh, look. Another Madonna and Child...I want to go home." I was even too satiated to properly examine the works by my beloved JMW Turner. Instead, I just wanted to drink beer and settle in for a Beavis and Butthead marathon -- not quite the intellectual experience I'd been hoping for.
So, where did I go wrong? Well, I tried to view everything. It's a natural reaction to being in a place that you're not likely to visit again in the near future. But because I became so heavily saturated, nothing really stuck in my mind. Well, there was this one painting of Jan Gossaert's (The Holy Family) that stuck in my head. But it's mainly because Joseph looked rather like the Toxic Avenger and Baby Jesus looked like a middle-aged hobbit.
Anyway, I learned a valuable lesson that day. Not too long after that, I found some wonderful advice from Thomas Hoving in his Art for Dummies book (don't laugh -- there's good information in the For Dummies series). Inspired by Hoving, I offer a mix of his advice and my own on how to properly visit an art museum.
1.) Know What You Want to See
Most museums will have a few works they're quite proud of. The Dallas Museum of Art has Frederic Church's The Icebergs, the Museum of Modern Art in New York has Vincent van Gogh's Starry Night, etc. These works are often displayed under a "collections" tab on the museum's website. Before visiting the museum, check out their site to see what they have that might be of interest to you. Then make a point to see those works before checking out everything else.
If you don't have internet access or if the visit is a spur-of-the-moment sort of thing, then go to the gift shop as soon as you walk in. Go to the postcard rack and see what they have. Their more famous and impressive works will always be available in postcard form. And, if you're in a country where you don't speak the language, the postcard will help you find the original work. Just hold it up to a gallery attendant and they'll point the way.
Now, like everything else, there are times when this first piece of advice might not apply. I'm thinking specifically of the Mona Lisa. I mean, just look at all these people clamoring to get little more than a glimpse at a painting that I fail to see the fuss over. With so many other absolutely stunning works at the Louvre, why engage in mosh pit-like behavior for what is arguably the most reproduced image in the Western world?
2.) Look at What You Don't Like
I know this seems to be contradictory to the first bit of advice (this is straight from Tom, not me), but it makes sense. Most people who enjoy art find that it will broaden their scope of knowledge indirectly. Art exposes you to new ideas and concepts, but you must first expose yourself to the art. I typically don't care for contemporary art. A lot of it seems overly pretentious and mastrubatory to me. That being said, I have learned to really appreciate the mood created in the works of Mark Rothko. I wouldn't have benefited from the sense of serenity that his paintings give me if I hadn't forced myself to give a more modern gallery a try. Sometimes viewing art is like eating vegetables -- you never know what's going to move you until you give it a try.
3. Don't Study Everything
I can't stress this one enough. While I did just tell you to try something new, don't try everything. Think of a museum as a buffet table. If you fill your plate from every single dish on the steam table, you're going to be full and miserable in no time. But no one does that (at least I hope no one does that). Instead they scan the offerings and think, "Nah, that broccoli looks kinda gross, but those mashed potatoes look divine!" Same thing applies with art. Walk through the galleries and glance everything over, but only linger in front of the works that speak to you in some way. This will give you ample time and energy to really study what you're going to enjoy.
4.) Don't Be Afraid to Go Alone
I enjoy doing things alone and some people think I'm weird for this. But I think there's more value in visiting an art museum alone (at least for the first time). When looking at a work of art, I find it's best to be alone with my thoughts. I'm not really interested in what someone else has to say about a work of art when I'm first processing what I see. And going solo affords you the ability to linger as long as you like in front of a particular work. A companion may not be as moved by the same things as you, and will likely make an effort to herd you along prematurely. If you're just not comfortable going alone, at least choose a companion that knows how to be quiet.
5.) Don't Take Things too Seriously
While appreciating art sometimes requires serious contemplation and study, it's often just has helpful to have fun with it. My girlfriend and I can often be found walking around the Indonesian and Mesoamerican sections of the DMA speculating about which artifact is the most haunted in the museum. I think we've decided that the greatest risk of malevolent spirit activity comes from this Indonesian funerary figure or tau-tau:
P.S.: Here's a cheat sheet for Tom Hoving's advice.
No comments:
Post a Comment