The inspiration for this essay comes from years of teaching and looking at art -- alone and with fellow artists and students. My observation has been that a lot of insecurity surrounds this process even for experienced artists. I’ve observed a hesitancy to openly talk about what one sees and experiences with works of art. If this is difficult for experienced artists and art students, I imagine it is even more intimidating for the novice or casual art lover. The root of the issue may have multiple sources and I hope to wade through some of the issues and examine the process of looking in order to ease the conundrum.
Without a doubt, there are varying perspectives on looking at art. I take the position that art should be/is accessible to everyone. That anyone with a curious mind is capable of finding a way or finding something to connect with in a work of art. I reject the notion that “you get it or you don’t” or that art is only for artists. I say anyone who is willing to put in the time and effort can feel at ease understanding art.
The responsibility of looking does fall on the viewer. Looking at art is an active endeavor. It requires the participation of the one looking as much as it requires the artist to do her job in making the work. There is an opinion amongst some artists that it’s the viewer’s engagement with the work that actually completes it. While art is accessible to all, not everyone will commit to the same level of looking. Some will be satisfied to walk through with a narrative of someone else’s interpretation. Others won’t be satisfied even with a scholarly interpretation in mind and will want to look and experience the work for themselves. The good news is, we each get to decide, and with a little guidance I think you will see that in fact it’s not so difficult to see for yourself.
I put an enormous value on what each person brings to their own art viewing experience. Art can remind us what we have in common as well as how we see things differently. That is, what connects us all and what makes us unique. Our mere existence gives us everything we need to look at art. I’m not discounting the importance of research and the insight a good historian can provide, but I have great confidence in everyone’s ability to use all their resources and senses to relate to a work of art. Visual art is a language. It communicates with those who are willing to look.
The process of understanding a work of art is akin to solving a puzzle. Collect your clues and see what you have. One of the challenges is that most art contains multiple tiers of meaning and has multiple contact points. It has tangible points in the work that draw you in and give you some sort of reassurance that there’s something relevant there; that something on some level makes sense. It’s palpable. It also has the potential to have intangible associations imbedded within the materials and subject matter. This is why I refer to looking at art as an action that uses all your senses.
First steps for beginners:
1 Go to a museum or gallery. Look at the actual art work. You will have a limited experience if you only look at the work online or in a book.
2 Bring a notebook or someone else with whom to share what you see.
3 It doesn’t matter what work you begin with. Sometimes it’s quite rewarding to come to an understanding of a work that didn’t appeal to you at first.
4 Look. What do you see? Consider that the artist has included everything you see in the work.
5 Use your own language to describe what you see and be as specific as you can.
Frame of mind:
Let go of worrying about there being a right or wrong answer. Acknowledge that looking is a process and that the longer you look the more you will see. Sometimes it takes several visits with the same work of art before you feel that you’ve studied it enough. Give it the time it needs. Don’t rush it. I mean this specifically in this moment as well as in the larger context. It’s like most other activities, the more time you spend doing something with good focus the better you will get at it over the long haul. Over time, sensitivity and acuity will develop.
Questions while looking:
1 What’s the first thing you notice?
2 What is it? Painting, sculpture, print? Unclear?
3 What is it made of? List all materials you can identify.
4 How is it displayed?
5 What is the subject? Try to identify any imagery you can. Be specific.
6 Describe the color. What kind of color does the artist use? How would you describe the color(s)? Name the colors.
7 Describe any shapes. Describe them in as much detail as you possibly can. The more you observe the more you can get in touch with the artist’s intention.
8 Describe any lines. What kind of energy do the lines have? What are the lines doing?
9 What kind of textures are in the work?
10 Can you identify any sense or use of light? Describe it.
11 Notice the outer edges or extremities of the work. What are the edges like? If it’s an object, how does it sit on the surface? Is it raised or flat or other?
12 Describe the feeling sense you get from the piece or lack thereof.
13 Notice how your eye moves through the piece. Where does your eye go to first, next, etc.?
14 Describe any use of space in the work. If it’s a painting, is there illusionistic space? Consider the space the imagery takes up as well as the space around the imagery/elements. If it’s a sculpture how does the object interact with the space around it? Is there space within it? What kind of space is it? How would you describe it?
Understanding what you see:
How does the artist use the elements that you have observed? The elements such as line, color, texture, shape are like the words in a sentence. The way an artist uses them is similar to the way you would construct sentences, paragraphs, stories or poems. The specific way elements are used is at the root of how an artist gives meaning to their work. Understanding how the elements function is fundamental for every artist. That does not mean it’s formulaic. It’s more about understanding how the relationship between marks, colors, and shapes, affect the work. This becomes second nature for an experienced artist but is never out of their awareness. How the elements are used and organized also gives structure and order to the work; it’s composition. It’s how materials give rise to meaning.
Questions when considering how the artist is using elements:
1 Can you describe how the artist is using color, line, shape and texture in the work? Consider each element separately. How would you describe the artist’s use of each?
2 Is there a dominant element in the work? Does the work seem to be about one element more than another? Or two or three? If there is a dominant element, what makes it dominant?
3 If there is imagery, how do the elements support the artist’s idea about the subject?
4 If the artist uses light in their work how is it used? What role does it seem to play in the work?
5 What impact do the elements affect/create the feel (or mood) of the work? How do they do that?
6 How do the elements affect how your eye moves through the piece?
7 How would you describe the composition? How is the work organized?
8 Is there a sense of movement in the work? What is creating a sense of movement?
9 How does the artist use space in the work? How does the artist bring your attention to the space? How does the relationship between the elements create space? How does the space feel?
Finding meaning
The first two steps of this process are quite objective. Finding meaning, however, relies on individual perspective. What does the work communicate to you? We’ve already established that the artist uses the materials to create form using shape, line, color and texture, and organizes or structures the form in a variety of ways. It’s the specific way the artist puts the materials together. The materials that are chosen make each work unique and capable of expressing both tangible and intangible ideas. Tangible ideas are the ones you can confidently grasp. The intangible ideas are more like a sense of what the work may be suggesting; something that may be a little more difficult to articulate. Viewed through the filters of your own experiences, certain cues may be interpreted differently from others; they are more subjective.
This is one reason why I am cautious of the need for written text to explain a work of art. The work should contain all the information you need in the form. What you extract from the work is entirely dependent on your own experiences. This means your life experience, education, experience with art and art history, your problem-solving abilities, your imagination, curiosity, sensitivity and the way your mind works. These are the tools you use to communicate and connect regardless of the medium. If you are listening to someone, you are not only hearing words, but you are hearing the tone of the voice, the words they choose, the way what’s being said is phrased. These things communicate tangible ideas but between the words, or because of the way it all comes together, something else can come through as well. It’s the same with art.
So, in finding meaning in works of art, trust your impressions but be willing to adjust as you move through the process. Think of everything you’ve observed as part of the puzzle. Abandon the idea that there is a “right or wrong” interpretation. Consider thinking in terms of “yes and” instead of right or wrong. Trust where your associations with the materials take you. And finally steer clear of one-line answers to sum up the work. Most work falls into “yes, and”.
Questions for exploring meaning:
1 What do you think this work is about? Can you put it into words?
2 What sorts of ideas come to you while looking at the work?
3 How does the work make you feel?
4 What is the main focus of the work?
5 Is there a secondary focus?
6 Is there something in particular that seems clear? Are there some references that seem only suggested? What are those references?
7 How does the imagery or use of materials lead you to those conclusions?
8 Can you articulate what the artist is interested in? Can you identify more than one thing?
9 What does it add up to for you?
10 Can you identify references the artist is making to something specific? What makes you think that?
11 What time period is the work from? What was happening in the world at that time? How is that reflected in the work?
12 What does the work say to you about the time in which it was made?
Conclusion:
If given enough time, the work will give up many of its secrets. In writing about this, I have made some assumptions. For one, I assume that the artist’s intention is to explore her own ideas/materials. I assume that the work is the record of this exploration and that it’s within the materials that the meaning unfolds for the artist as well as the viewer. An artist’s action may stem from one intention. The work follows the intention and the materials, one problem, one question at a time. The more you spend time viewing art the more sensitive you will become to some of the more subtle clues. Questions might inspire you to do research, to study and read about a particular subject matter, or a particular time in history or process. You may be led to read more about the artist and her or his background, writings or influences. It can be a very rich experience that unfolds and goes as far as you want to take it.
This process of looking at art begins with the work and with the materials. We don’t start understanding art through facts in our heads or someone else’s idea of what’s there. One can always go back and read what someone else thought about the work, or what was happening culturally, historically, politically and artistically after you’ve processed it yourself. A dialogue will emerge and a world will be revealed.