The Lively Arts Guide to Looking at Art

Looking at a piece of art takes time. You cannot just glance at it; you must devote time to experiencing it. Just as a piece of music or theater occurs over time, so should your interaction with visual art. But where do you start? Below are some hints for "warming up" your eyes and mind.

1. What is the overall mood of the piece? How does it make you feel? (Can you think of your own title for the piece?)
2. Of what material(s) does it consist? Do you have any associations with that material? What do you think it would be like to work with that material?
3. What colors do you see? Are they warm or cool? What other ideas and feelings do you associate with those colors?
4. What kinds of lines do you see (straight, curvy, jagged)? What do those kinds of lines suggest (power, energy, stability, movement, peace)? Does there seem to be movement in one particular direction?
5. Do you see any shapes? Do they appear organic or geometric, stable or unstable? Are there any negative shapes? How do they relate to the positive ones?
6. What kind of texture does the piece have (whether actual or implied)? Imagine it in a different texture - would the feeling/effect change?
7. What is the scale? How does it compare to you or to things in the area around it? How would the piece be different if the scale were different?
8. How does the piece use space? How does it relate to the space around it?

Some of these questions will be more relevant than others for each particular work of art, but they will give you a starting point and focal points for your thoughts.

For additional information on viewing art, please read the articles by Barbara Loeb entitled "Ways of Looking at Art" included in The Lively Arts coursebook.