James Elkins on the time taken looking at Paintings.

This works well with the last post on Bernhard. It’s an article that appeared in the Huffington Post in 2010 by art historian James Elkins on the ways of looking at paintings in museums. Elkins mentions Bernhard’s book; and he also considers how long people look at paintings.

“Looking for a long time is not the usual way people see artworks. The usual interaction with an artwork is a glance or a glimpse or a cursory look. What I have in mind is a different kind of experience: not just glancing, but looking, staring, gazing, sitting or standing transfixed: forgetting, temporarily, the errands you have to run, or the meeting you're late for, and thinking, living, only inside the work. Falling in love with an artwork, finding that you somehow need it, wanting to return to it, wanting to keep it in your life.”

If you remember Friedlander said “It seems therefore advisable to look at a picture periodically for six seconds rather than once for a whole minute.”

I tend to alternate between long looking and the rapid fire glance, depending on the museum situation. I’d be interested to hear what others do when looking at art, and wether they glance off the picture or sink into it over time.Also, don’t forget looking at home. Elkins computes the amount of time he spent looking at a JPEG on his computer. What’s the most time you’ve racked up over a single picture, including computer viewing?

Comments

[Bendor]

Interesting question! Hard to be accurate, but let me take as an example a recent major sleeper we just acquired (all timings very approximate):

At the illustration in the catalogue - a good hour (not all at once).
At the online image - half an hour.
At the high-res image sent by the auctioneer - probably 3 or 4 hours in total (again not all at once).
At the picture itself at the auction viewing - no more than 5 minutes.
At the picture after it was bought and shipped home, and before conservation began - probably in total 5 or 6 hours (slightly guessing here).
With the restorer before cleaning began - at least 3 hours, all at once.
With the restorer as conservation progressed - days and days (this is the best bit).
Between the end of conservation and selling the picture - ideally, as little as possible! But many hours of pleasure. It's by my desk as I type this.

By contrast, I glide past a Hirst in nanoseconds.

[Chaussures Air Max]

Every staffer will receive a $5,000 bonus, prorated for those who began work during the year. In a companywide letter, chief executive Markus Dohle noted the publisher's "unprecedented success" in 2012 thanks to EL James' erotic trilogy.

Random House has sold more than 35 million copies of the glorified porn for housewives.

Maybe instead of a business page, we should have a bondage page.

[EravyJakErrox]

Leschangementssontdestinésàfairefaceauxrisques osdemesandos Doudoune Canada Goose pas cher detoucher Canada Goose avecqi GeneaMotos Canada Goose Aso Genadine Canada Goose
Paaies DoudouneCanadaGoosepascher Ainsi posit'AssanceMaadie CanadaGoosepascher
Doudoune Canada Goose pas cher Parka Canada Goose pas cher Canada Goose