How to look at a painting
A simple way to notice more, with no art history knowledge required.
Start with what you can see
Give the painting a quiet minute before reading its label. Notice the first thing your eye lands on. Then look around the edges. Describe three things you can actually see: a shape, a color, a person, a mark.
There is no need to find a hidden meaning immediately. Careful looking is already a useful beginning.
Follow your eye
Where does your attention move next? Look for repeated colors, lines that lead into the picture, and areas that seem especially light or dark. Try covering a small part of the image with your hand. What changes?
Open Paris Street; Rainy Day. Follow the street into the distance, then return to the figures nearest you. Compare the space they occupy.
Ask, then look again
Choose one question: What might have happened just before this moment? What can I tell from the way the paint was applied? Which detail surprises me?
Read the title and artist information after you have looked. Return to the painting and see whether that information changes your first impression. You can keep a question without settling on an answer.
Explore the paintings.
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