How to Look at Paintings

Slow down, have a seat, and stay away from the information plaques

Photo: Bianca Isofache/Unsplash

One of the first and best lessons about art appreciation I was ever given was from my art teacher. It was over 20 years ago, during a college trip to London, and I’ll never forget it.

I’ve used it hundreds of times and, since then, have come up with other helpful tips to guide anyone wanting to better understand and enjoy art.

Take a seat

I was standing in front of a Mark Rothko painting when my teacher suggested that I sit down. “There’s a bench over there. Why don’t you get comfortable?”

So I sat down and began to look at the painting. He said, “I want you to look at this painting for as long as you can manage. Stay here for at least half an hour. See what happens.”

№5/№22 (1949–50) by Mark Rothko. Oil on canvas. 297 × 272 cm. Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York, U.S. Image source

And that’s what I did. I stared at it until I got bored, and then I stared at it longer still. It wasn’t obvious to me what the painting in front of me was meant to do, but a strange thing began to happen: as my eyes sunk into the image, my field of vision started to shift.