Thanks for sharing your story â especially the moment with your daughter and the âtreasure hunt.â It captures that quiet turning point when art stops being something distant and starts belonging to us again.
I read somewhere and relayed to my high school art students that it was 7 seconds and would walk quickly through the classroomâs gallery wall to demonstrate. The visual was absurd and really brought home the point.
Yes, and forcing yourself to stand in front of a work of art for a minute can feel like a very long time. Then again, itâs relative,I might spend three seconds in front of a Rothko and three minutes in front of a Brueghel! đ đ
People complain about scrolling too fast on the phone and spend only 11-15 seconds in front of the painting live, physical real artwork? That´s life. C´est la vie.
Yes! Art galleries are a great way to introduce children to the art world & encourage them to look more closely & critically. Spot the dogs. Count the horses. Draw what the children are doing. What question would you like to ask the artist? Do it as an adult đđ
My mother used to make a game out of antique shopping.She would say âyou find three things you really like and I will do the same and then we will compareâ.This was heightened by every so often she would buy one of the things I liked to âstart my collectionâ,it wasnât every time but you never knew when.Many years later I sit in a house with beautiful antiques aware of the real gift she gave me.
The "Eleven seconds" fact struck me. Never realized that my attention spam is actually that short, but makes sense to me. Will be saving this post for when I have children.
By the way, I couldn't help but notice that you are based in Paris. Would you mind sharing some recommendations to visit next month?
The MusĂŠe d'Orsay is a must, as is the MusĂŠe de l'Orangerie. The Louvre is a terrible experience, so come very early and avoid weekends. Don't just go to see the Mona Lisa; also visit the wings of Nordic and French painting (much less crowded) and other masterpieces (La Tour, Poussin, Rembrandt, Vouet, Corot, Vermeer, Claude Lorrain, etc.).
Other attractions include the MusĂŠe Marmottan Monet, Notre Dame Cathedral, the artists' studios in Montmartre, the Louis Vuitton Foundation, the Pompidou Centre (which is closed), the Museum of Modern Art, and more.
I was on a tour in Ireland and a lady with us had a degree in art and we list a museum in Dublin and her commentary on the paintings made it so much more enjoyable.
Iâve been going to the MFA since I moved to Boston 50 years ago. Having never been to a museum as large as this, I thought I had to stop at every painting and read the placard. I am now so familiar with the museum that I now just stop and enjoy the works that speak to me. Many of them are old friends and some of them are new works by contemporary artists.
When I took my granddaughters to the MFA recently I allowed them to take me on a tour of their favorite places (their father takes them to the museum frequently). It was interesting to explore the museum through their eyes and discuss why they were fascinated by certain areas. (They are both reading Percy Jackson so they are fascinated by the Greek and Roman sculptures.) They also saw the Frida Kahlo exhibit when it was in town and are now fans.
I took my children to the museum when they were young. My daughter, I think in rebellion, now finds my interests old fashioned and only likes works by contemporary artists. Her favorite museum is MOCA. When we visit the Berkshires we always make it a point to spend a day in North Adams discussing the exhibits on display.
Iâm lucky to live in an area where there are so many museums and such a variety of art and information.
Thank you for your feedback and valuable insights. If you ever return to the MFA with children or even teenagers who prefer TikTok to Baroque art, I've created a short guide to help transform the experience into a shared moment of discovery:
đđđ Loved this piece, similar to my latest review of Frieze (âBetween Spectacle and Substanceâ) đ¨ if you want to give it a read: https://substack.com/home/post/p-177494152
Hi Zoe, I've read everything, thanks for sharing. Between us, I don't understand contemporary art at all... I feel like it's a joke. I just don't get it.
Maybe a new Substack on O'Keefe and Richter's stories coming soon đđ (would be great to stay connected + please feel free to follow and/or subscribe for more)
Two of my favourite artists are Georgia O'Keefe and Gerhard Richter. O'Keefe began painting during the advent of the Armory show, when people criticised Modern Art for "Not being art" (paraphrasing Theodore Roosevelt đ), yet she combined the modern skyscrapers that she'd observe going up around Manhattan and equate to the natural landscapes of the Southwest [although they're feminist connotations to her work, her art is much broader and those attachments are just a way to pigeonhole her].
Similarly, Gerhard Richter pioneered an entire movement where he used an ordinary house painter's tool (the "mundane") to create vast abstract works [hence his "Squeegee method"]. Modern and contemporary art proved that people no longer had to attend art school to gain an artistic education, they could find inspiration to create anywhere đ¨
As someone who once told her mother "Art is not art if it's not in a frame!" (And then my mom gave me an inflatable gold frame for my birthday) đ I completely understand đŻ - then at university, I took a course on Modern and Contemporary Art - once you understand the theory, the stories behind each of the works and movements & the formative, rigid concepts that the "Beaux-Arts" [1 little art history term] was trying to maintain artists conform to, you'll learn to love it/understand đźď¸đŤ
Hey Julien! It's great to meet people on substack that see art through stories. As you, I never really studied art, but I my mom is an artist and I learned a lot from her. I recently created a substack to share my experiences with art along the years. I hope we can connect on substack! good luck on everything!!
Is it possible to preview this complete article as a sample? I volunteer for a non-profit and I would like to show them this article and request for TSAT to get a multi membership for its employees/volunteers. Thank you for your consideration.
Thanks for sharing your story â especially the moment with your daughter and the âtreasure hunt.â It captures that quiet turning point when art stops being something distant and starts belonging to us again.
That âeleven secondsâ insight also stayed with me. I once came across Professor James Cuttingâs Masterpiece Effect study â his findings were so close to what you describe. In this study conducted in 2001, he revealed interesting patterns about how long people gaze at art in museums. I ended up writing about it here: https://open.substack.com/pub/elenamostovova/p/art-in-numbers-15-seconds-to-see?r=389ywd&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
I read somewhere and relayed to my high school art students that it was 7 seconds and would walk quickly through the classroomâs gallery wall to demonstrate. The visual was absurd and really brought home the point.
Yes, and forcing yourself to stand in front of a work of art for a minute can feel like a very long time. Then again, itâs relative,I might spend three seconds in front of a Rothko and three minutes in front of a Brueghel! đ đ
Thank you so much for your kind feedback.
People complain about scrolling too fast on the phone and spend only 11-15 seconds in front of the painting live, physical real artwork? That´s life. C´est la vie.
Yes! Art galleries are a great way to introduce children to the art world & encourage them to look more closely & critically. Spot the dogs. Count the horses. Draw what the children are doing. What question would you like to ask the artist? Do it as an adult đđ
Rhanks Sarah
I love this a lot.
Thank you Kimber
My mother used to make a game out of antique shopping.She would say âyou find three things you really like and I will do the same and then we will compareâ.This was heightened by every so often she would buy one of the things I liked to âstart my collectionâ,it wasnât every time but you never knew when.Many years later I sit in a house with beautiful antiques aware of the real gift she gave me.
I love it, it's great. Each object is linked to the memory of the person we love. Thank you for this anecdote.
Wonderful idea to use at the museum with your daughter. Well done!
Thank you Paul, If you have children, here's a short guide to help them enjoy museums: https://www.coolstoriesabout.art/p/guide-how-to-make-kids-love-museums
The "Eleven seconds" fact struck me. Never realized that my attention spam is actually that short, but makes sense to me. Will be saving this post for when I have children.
By the way, I couldn't help but notice that you are based in Paris. Would you mind sharing some recommendations to visit next month?
Paris is a museum city. So many choices.
The MusĂŠe d'Orsay is a must, as is the MusĂŠe de l'Orangerie. The Louvre is a terrible experience, so come very early and avoid weekends. Don't just go to see the Mona Lisa; also visit the wings of Nordic and French painting (much less crowded) and other masterpieces (La Tour, Poussin, Rembrandt, Vouet, Corot, Vermeer, Claude Lorrain, etc.).
Other attractions include the MusĂŠe Marmottan Monet, Notre Dame Cathedral, the artists' studios in Montmartre, the Louis Vuitton Foundation, the Pompidou Centre (which is closed), the Museum of Modern Art, and more.
Thank you so very much! I'll try to include as much of these in my itinerary.
I was on a tour in Ireland and a lady with us had a degree in art and we list a museum in Dublin and her commentary on the paintings made it so much more enjoyable.
â¤ď¸
Thank you for sharing - the next time I visit a museum, I will be sure to spend more time truly observing the art and its details
Thank you, Ashley, for your kind feedback. I'm glad to know you'll be looking at artworks differently. One artwork = one story
I wanna your IG đđź.
Tx !
Iâve been going to the MFA since I moved to Boston 50 years ago. Having never been to a museum as large as this, I thought I had to stop at every painting and read the placard. I am now so familiar with the museum that I now just stop and enjoy the works that speak to me. Many of them are old friends and some of them are new works by contemporary artists.
When I took my granddaughters to the MFA recently I allowed them to take me on a tour of their favorite places (their father takes them to the museum frequently). It was interesting to explore the museum through their eyes and discuss why they were fascinated by certain areas. (They are both reading Percy Jackson so they are fascinated by the Greek and Roman sculptures.) They also saw the Frida Kahlo exhibit when it was in town and are now fans.
I took my children to the museum when they were young. My daughter, I think in rebellion, now finds my interests old fashioned and only likes works by contemporary artists. Her favorite museum is MOCA. When we visit the Berkshires we always make it a point to spend a day in North Adams discussing the exhibits on display.
Iâm lucky to live in an area where there are so many museums and such a variety of art and information.
Thank you for your feedback and valuable insights. If you ever return to the MFA with children or even teenagers who prefer TikTok to Baroque art, I've created a short guide to help transform the experience into a shared moment of discovery:
https://www.coolstoriesabout.art/p/guide-how-to-make-kids-love-museums
đđđ Loved this piece, similar to my latest review of Frieze (âBetween Spectacle and Substanceâ) đ¨ if you want to give it a read: https://substack.com/home/post/p-177494152
Hi Zoe, I've read everything, thanks for sharing. Between us, I don't understand contemporary art at all... I feel like it's a joke. I just don't get it.
Maybe a new Substack on O'Keefe and Richter's stories coming soon đđ (would be great to stay connected + please feel free to follow and/or subscribe for more)
Two of my favourite artists are Georgia O'Keefe and Gerhard Richter. O'Keefe began painting during the advent of the Armory show, when people criticised Modern Art for "Not being art" (paraphrasing Theodore Roosevelt đ), yet she combined the modern skyscrapers that she'd observe going up around Manhattan and equate to the natural landscapes of the Southwest [although they're feminist connotations to her work, her art is much broader and those attachments are just a way to pigeonhole her].
Similarly, Gerhard Richter pioneered an entire movement where he used an ordinary house painter's tool (the "mundane") to create vast abstract works [hence his "Squeegee method"]. Modern and contemporary art proved that people no longer had to attend art school to gain an artistic education, they could find inspiration to create anywhere đ¨
As someone who once told her mother "Art is not art if it's not in a frame!" (And then my mom gave me an inflatable gold frame for my birthday) đ I completely understand đŻ - then at university, I took a course on Modern and Contemporary Art - once you understand the theory, the stories behind each of the works and movements & the formative, rigid concepts that the "Beaux-Arts" [1 little art history term] was trying to maintain artists conform to, you'll learn to love it/understand đźď¸đŤ
Cool guidelines to dive deep into art gallery. Awesome! đŹâ¨
thank you Fanny !
Hey Julien! It's great to meet people on substack that see art through stories. As you, I never really studied art, but I my mom is an artist and I learned a lot from her. I recently created a substack to share my experiences with art along the years. I hope we can connect on substack! good luck on everything!!
Ovo mi se dopada veoma je lepo i zanimljivo
Is it possible to preview this complete article as a sample? I volunteer for a non-profit and I would like to show them this article and request for TSAT to get a multi membership for its employees/volunteers. Thank you for your consideration.
Please DM
My apologies. I believe your email might have gone to my spam folder. I am going to try to send you another email. Thank you for your patience.
I emailed you (@coolstoriesabout.art). Please let me know if you received. Thank you again for your consideration.
I couldn't add this onto the actual post about Van Gogh but I wonder if you've seen this clip from Dr Who
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1GfAb97jSL/
I have, and I will admit the museum scene gets me every time. Thank you for thinking of it.