An Idea about Art as Separate

There is a common tendency to confuse visual art with other things. In order to actually see a work of art, it is necessary to undo this confusion. Art gets confused with what we think about the artist, about art criticism and theory and history, about politics, religion, culture, and with whatever other ideas may be active in our heads.

So the first thing to do [in order to see clearly] is to separate visual art from everything that isn't visual. A work of art is a thing finished, framed, mounted, hung, set aside to be a complete experience in itself. It is a thing separated from our sense of time, from all the things we have to do, from our desires, needs, fears, difficulties, and imperfections, from everything outside of the frame that makes the work separate. When a work of art is separated from everything else, standing on its own, it can take on its real importance. Then the work can be seen as a real thing, not as decoration for some other human activity like story-telling, politics, making money, religion, propaganda, interior design, and so on.

Suppose we consider a Rembrandt self-portrait. It is not an illustration for his biography. It is not a commentary on old age or unwise financial adventures. It is a separate thing never realized before or since, a creation of something for which there are no words, but for which there is one visible thing, once in all of human history, the painting itself.

When we see the work as separate, as a visual and non-verbal thing, we realize that we do not need to say anything.There is no need to have a conversation about rt. We can realize that words are a distraction. It's not the end of the world if we talk, but it's helpful to not confuse our thinking and talking with the work of art, which remains as a silent, separate, unique thing, for which there is no equivalence.

An Idea about what Visual Art is

We are in a very long process of trying to make ourselves at home in the universe, and art has been a part of this process for 70,000 years [or more].

There are forms that we find pleasing, or meaningful, or beautiful, and we might wonder why. Why are cave paintings from 15,000 years ago still beautiful to us? What accounts for this consistency that so far exceeds any influence of culture, history, politics, religion, or any other influence that occupies our attention?

The work of a visual artist is to create, from an infinity of possibilities, a work that is visually significant. This visual significance cannot be accurately named or explained: it has to be seen. A good work reveals what has visual significance for the mind of the artist. And when we respond to someone else's work, what we are is revealed. What am I? What is this mind? Oh, there it is!

Art reveals the mind, from its most superficial and tedious to its most perceptive, profound, and creative, by creating a thing that we can see and might respond to. Really good works are so in accord with the mind that they are as timeless as the mind itself. They will never be out of date. Their significance, or beauty, or whatever we call it, will not diminish.

How to see visual art

These eight suggestions for seeing art seem obvious, but I have never seen them anywhere, ever. Any one of these suggestions will help: you don't need to remember and follow them all. Here they are.

1. Find a good work of art that interests you. You will have to look and pick and choose. The best place to start is in a museum, where you are more likely to find some works that have lasting value. You can sometimes find good work in galleries. You can find hundreds of works in books and on-line: these are convenient, but they will always distort the work's size and lighting. If at all possible, find an actual work that you are interested in an want to spend time with.

2. Get comfortable. Looking at art in a refined activity that requires time and attention, and being uncomfortable makes this more difficult. If you're not comfortable standing, sit down if that's possible. If you're cold, hungry, or sleepy . . . you get the idea.

3. Slow down. Speed is the enemy. Attention and patience are essential. You can notice and reject a work in a matter of seconds, but you cannot really see something if you're in a hurry.

4. Relax. There is no need for tension. There is no need to make anything happen. There is no finish line for this activity. Let your eyes rest on the object. It does not require tension or effort for your eyes to do their work: let your body and mind, comfortable and slow, rest in the background.

5. Reduce external distractions: noise [especially music], talking, visual clutter, lectures about art, and so on. This may be difficult, but museums and galleries are sometimes empty and quiet.

6. Reduce internal distractions: thoughts, ideas, comparisons, art history, information about the artist

. . . all the stuff that goes on in our heads. Everything we know about a work of art is a distraction, however interesting it may be. If we could begin by knowing nothing, then all we would be able to do is to see what is there, which is exactly what matters.

7. Stick around. Don't rush away. Don't distract yourself by thinking about the next thing you plan to do. The longer you stay, the more possible it will be to see what's there. The work isn't going anywhere: its permanence and unchanging character suggest the possibility of staying in place, right where you are.

8. Come back. It takes time to be affected by any significant work of art. Think: War and Peace. When you find a work that begins to hold your interest, plan to return again and again, for as many times, over as many years, as you find worthwhile. Perhaps memorize it. Let it become a significant part of the world.

An exercise. Find a work of art you are interested in. If you don't know who the artist is, don't find out. Don't listen to a recorded talk. Don't try to see a bunch of other stuff. Try to forget anything you know about the work and anything else you know. Forget what you're planning to do next. Don't pay attention to your thoughts. Forget who you are and where you are. Look at lines, planes, mass, and color. Look at whatever is there. Let your eyes do the work. While your eyes are doing the work, you can relax. No need to figure anything out. No need to do anything. Get your eyes aimed t the work and drop the reins. Pay relaxed attention for s long as you want to, and go home. One thing, really seen, is enough.