Andy Warhol once said, "I'm afraid that if you look at a thing long enough, it loses all of its meaning." This thought should not only go along with all the homework you keep staring at (but not actually doing), but also with learning to look at artwork.
So take a break from your undoubtably stressful week and learn to see art in a new way.
Oftentimes, people assume that in order to properly look at a work of art, you need to stand in front of it for long periods of time. However, this is not at all true. Art is something made for the public. Indeed, artists not only want to grasp their viewers' attention but also make their viewers think. To do these two things, one need not think about quantity of time, but quality of time.
Now I'm not saying you should be able to quickly pass by an amazing painting or sculpture and easily take something away from that experience. Instead, I'm saying that in order to take something meaningful away from that experience you need only to allow yourself to relate to the piece in front of you and let it capture some emotion inside of you. In giving up your mind to the work of art, you are no longer simply looking at it, you are listening to it, feeling it and most importantly, seeing it how the artist intended for it to be seen.
The artist wants his work to connect with its viewers. By allowing yourself to be open to a work of art both mentally and emotionally, you allow yourself to connect qualitatively with the piece rather than quantitatively. Then you realize it is possible to really understand art without having to spend the whole day in front of one piece. There is a point in which you can exhaust all that the piece has to give, if you reach that point, you have looked at it too long. No work of art should ever be exhausted of everything it has to offer. Because every individual has had different experiences that connect what he/she sees to different thoughts and feelings, no artwork shall ever become outdated or unable to affect its viewer. The times may change, but art remains an influence to the mind. The mind need not time to be affected and changed but quality of its view to influence and shape it.
Art is about feeling, not simply about seeing. Therefore, do not think that by staring at that piece of art in front of you for awhile will necessarily help you interpret it better, rather, spend that time wisely and think about how the work makes you feel and relates to you. Similarly, when trying to force yourself to do that homework, read that article, or write that paper you keep staring at, think about using your time qualitatively instead of spending hour after hour unproductively.
— Chamberlain is a junior from Jasper, Ind., majoring in English literature and art history. features@thedepauw.com
