Paintings as Mystery Puzzles
Men of the Docks (1912) by George Bellows
I was recently reading "Learning to Look at Paintings" by Mary Acton, which has been not only a great source on how to analyse a work of art regardless of its medium, but also had some mind-opening and profound words. The one that stuck with me the most is when she compared an art analyst to a crime detective.
(My dumb-arse didn’t highlight the quote and as a dyslexic imma need to read the whole book to find it again. I will update with the quote once I find it. Sorry!)
I couldn't help but agree with this. We're always looking for something when looking at art, whether it's a brushstroke or a well-posed figure. Our eyes are always connecting the strokes and the contextual dots while placed in front of an intriguing piece.
Ever since reading that sentence, I have been consciously investigating any design or art piece in front of me. Ads on the subway, billboards on the streets, magazine covers, framed artwork in public restrooms—you get the idea.
So, for this article, I thought I'd get you, my humble readers, to join the force of the great art detectives and investigate some paintings from the National Gallery museum. The aim is to guess what is happening in front of you and then read about the painting to see how much of it you managed to see.
This isn't to figure out whether you can "read" a painting or a work of art, but a simple practice that may change the way you look at the art world and its creations.
Some points to consider when looking at the paintings:
The title of the painting and its relation to the work
The year it was completed (this may give clues about social and historical events of the time)
The subject matter
The style of painting
The depth of field
The form
The colour
Men of the Docks (1912) by George Bellows
Croesus and Solon (about 1610) by Hendrick van Steenwyck the Younger and Follower of Jan Brueghel the Elder
After the Bath, Woman drying herself (1890-5) by Hilaire-Germain-Edgar Degas
Ophelia among the Flowers (1905-8) by Odilon Redon
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Let me know how you did. Often we over analyse the most basic things only because it is painted and displayed in from of us. On the other hand, sometimes, we nail it.
Image source: https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/
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