While studying off-campus in Washington, DC, I found myself wandering through The National Gallery of Art, bewildered by the extensive collection in front of me.
With every new room I entered, I encountered a new famous painting, followed by yet another room filled with even more invaluable artwork. I was surprised to stumble upon a Jackson Pollock painting, Claude Monet’s “Woman with a Parasol” and Vincent van Gogh’s “Self-Portrait.” The National Gallery even has the only painting by Leonardo Da Vinci in the Americas.
Despite my limited knowledge of art and art history, I recognized enough paintings to understand the impressive collection that the National Gallery has. It was difficult to tell if I recognized a piece of art from an old history textbook or possibly from an inspirational poster print hanging up in a classroom. With each new work of art I looked at, I would take a second to take it in and wonder how the art ended up in front of me in this gallery (I mean really, how did $1.4 billion worth of art end up in the same building as me), and then I moved on.
After being confronted with so much famous artwork, I became desensitized to the magnitude of everything else put in front of me. The National Gallery of Art contains more than 150,000
pieces of art, and when I tried to look at all of them consecutively, it felt like I was just flipping through the pages of a book.
According to a study done by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, visitors spend an average of 27.2 seconds looking at each piece of artwork before moving on. Further studies done at other museums appear to confirm a similar time estimate. I am guessing I would have lowered the statistic a bit more—not for lack of interest, but for a lack of knowledge about what I was looking at. Personally, I need context about a piece of art to appreciate it to its full potential.
One of my friends who went with me to the gallery spent the entire time in the same room. She had an art history background, and instead of taking a brisk stroll through the gallery like myself, she opted to take in each piece of art. She knew what angles, themes and brushstrokes to look at, whereas I looked at each piece as if it was a picture in a book. My friend knew the art and artist already, giving her a holistic experience.
While on campus, I have gone to the Richard F. Brush Art Gallery for many of the wonderful exhibitions put on by the university. I’ve found that the artwork I relate to the most is during the Art & Art History Senior Year Exhibition when the gallery displays artwork done by my Laurentian peers. These are the pieces that I find myself standing in front of for more than 27.2 seconds.
I may not know the facts of Pablo Picasso’s life or the art theory that would lead me to appreciate his work, but I have learned to appreciate the creations of my peers and the people I know personally. Including artwork made by Laurentian students and faculty, I have had the incredible opportunity to look at local artists and pieces reflecting an important facet of recent history. Looking at the artwork done by the people around me is all the context I need in a gallery.