One of the most exciting things about going to an art museum is seeing face to face a work of art that you had only previously seen in a book or on an electronic screen. The scale and texture of the work itself doesn’t even compare to the photograph, especially with how much more vivid it is before your eyes.
Art museums display an array of works from sculpture to painting to photography across different eras. It’s neat to see the transition (and contrast) from classical to modern works, especially in terms of style and subject matter.
The works of the classical era focused on religion and Greek and Roman mythology, whereas works of the 19th century focused on nature or on every day scenes.
As you move from room to room in the museum, it’s overwhelming how much visual stimuli there is to take in. It’s as if you would need multiple visits to really appreciate the scale, scope, and depth of all the works.
Each painting is like a book–a world unto its own. Unlike a book, however, you don’t need to spend hours gazing upon it to see the whole picture, but a gaze doesn’t ever feel long enough to sufficiently internalize and comprehend the nuances of the work.
Because of the rapidity of information we’re bombarded with on the news and social media day after day, we’re not in the habit of really looking at and analyzing a creative work–especially the kind that was produced hundreds of years ago.
Even when you read the caption beside the painting, it only gives you a glimpse as to the history and subject matter of the work. But the work itself seems transitory because of how much there is to absorb and take in during a visit to the museum.
Perhaps that’s part of the beauty of a work of art: that we can’t really grasp it upon a cursory glance or a momentary gaze. After a visit to an art museum, I’m inspired to go home and draw and create. Even though I may not remember every piece I saw, the experience itself inspired a creative spark in me.
Fallton Havenstonne 