[BLOG POST 10/17/24] Recently an artist friend and I were talking about my art and I mentioned how my paintings require time to look at in order to appreciate. She nodded her head and said, "Ah, the slow art movement."
Dear reader I had never heard of the slow art movement, have you?
It was started in 2008 by Phil Terry, a founder of the nonprofit Reading Odyssey. Apparently the idea occurred to him after he spent hours at the Jewish Museum in New York primarily enjoying two abstract paintings — Jackson Pollock’s Convergence and Hans Hoffman’s Fantasia.
A year later, he launched the first official Slow Art Day event in collaboration with 16 museums. The event consisted of several things — first, visitors would sign up to observe five artworks with a volunteer host, spending 10 minutes viewing each piece. The second part included a lunch, where the visitors and the hosts alike discussed the experience over a shared meal.
Amazingly, since 2009, over 700 venues including museums, galleries, artist studios, and public art sites have participated in what has become an annual event.
Phil's story of spending hours looking at just 2 paintings reminded me of a visit to the Museum of Modern Art in NYC years ago. While in NYC for a theatrical belly dance conference I had some time in-between classes so I wandered into the museum. Room after room was packed with all types of art but none of it called to me.
I turned a corner and was gobsmacked by Monet's "Reflections of Clouds on the Water-Lily Pond" pictured above. It was massive and complicated despite it's supposed simple subject matter. The rich colors, the composition, the subtle transitions and lost edges, and the energetic mark making took my breath away. I found myself crying and I sat in front of that painting for over an hour. As I took it all in I saw life - joy, frustration, perseverance, ease, love, anger, and more.
The more I looked at it the more I saw.
Slow art.
I love this idea! Taking time to really SEE a painting or sculpture from different angles, distances, and in different light. Taking the time to have a relationship with the artwork and a conversation (in your mind) with the artist without reading the placard on the wall. Find your own way into the piece and decide for yourself what you see instead of what the museum curator wants to write about.
The more you look the more you see.
Considering that recent studies show the average museum visitor looks at an art piece for less than 30 seconds — 17 seconds being the average – slowing down is a revolution and one I completely support!
So the next time you look at a piece of art - wether its in a museum or in a public place -STOP. Take time to look at it close up and from far away. Don't take a photo, instead think about each detail and ask why the artist included it. Feel your way into the piece and determine out what emotion it evokes within you. I promise it is worth the time and the effort! And I'm willing to bet you remember the artwork for a long time to come as well.
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