I have never been much of an art person. I find myself scrutinizing paintings till my eyes water to find something of significance. My appreciation seldom moves beyond the aesthetics of a painting and the fact that I usually have something to say about a painting is down to verbal dexterity rather than artistic temperament. I wonder what it feels like to be transfixed by a painting or sculpture, or even moved to tears.
But since it is obligatory to visit the most famous museum of the city you are visiting, I found myself in the Prado museum in Madrid. The museum is a labyrinth of caverns and we never held hope of covering even most of it. We decided to stick to just one of its three wings.
Even with such low expectations, we felt overwhelmed by the amount of art that was on display. It didn't help that my nephews made no secret of their wish to leave as soon as possible. But, today, I felt like I was able to appreciate art more than ever before. Some paintings, especially Goya's Black Paintings, stirred something in me, although I can't find the words to express those stirrings. While looking at some paintings, I felt for a few seconds like I had almost entered the painting. I also found myself drawn to the backgrounds of paintings, particularly the skies. Questions such as how does an artist decide about the lighting in her paintings and keep that consistent throughout the painting kept popping up. Also, which vantage point to use and can there be multiple vantage points in a single painting? I found myself transfixed with the sculpted folds of cloth and the calves of the sculptures. I feel calves are the most difficult to sculpt as they are featureless, yet have a distinctive form.
But, despite my newfound artistic sensibility, I had had enough after about two hours of browsing. I will stick to being moved to tears by prose and poetry, and the rare song.
But since it is obligatory to visit the most famous museum of the city you are visiting, I found myself in the Prado museum in Madrid. The museum is a labyrinth of caverns and we never held hope of covering even most of it. We decided to stick to just one of its three wings.
Even with such low expectations, we felt overwhelmed by the amount of art that was on display. It didn't help that my nephews made no secret of their wish to leave as soon as possible. But, today, I felt like I was able to appreciate art more than ever before. Some paintings, especially Goya's Black Paintings, stirred something in me, although I can't find the words to express those stirrings. While looking at some paintings, I felt for a few seconds like I had almost entered the painting. I also found myself drawn to the backgrounds of paintings, particularly the skies. Questions such as how does an artist decide about the lighting in her paintings and keep that consistent throughout the painting kept popping up. Also, which vantage point to use and can there be multiple vantage points in a single painting? I found myself transfixed with the sculpted folds of cloth and the calves of the sculptures. I feel calves are the most difficult to sculpt as they are featureless, yet have a distinctive form.
But, despite my newfound artistic sensibility, I had had enough after about two hours of browsing. I will stick to being moved to tears by prose and poetry, and the rare song.
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