Most public works of art get between 2 and 30 seconds of viewing time.

That’s it. 30 seconds. Wether it’s the Mona Lisa, or aunty Mildreds watercolour hanging in the local Library.

This is the amount of time it takes to create a first impression. The first time you viewed a piece, you decided, “I like it” or “I don’t like it”.

Now, we have been raised with a few funny notions about time. “Time rushes by”. “Time is precious”. “There’s not enough time”.

This is not true. Time is a measuring instrument created my man. It’s not a dynamic changing force. It is a constant.

What is true is that your thinking rushes by, you are precious, and that there is not enough attention to now.

Difficult to accept? Maybe.

But you are precious. And by you… I mean YOU. Who you really are.

You are not your mind. You are not your body. You are not your feelings. You are more than that.

Your thoughts are rushing by as we speak. Watch them. Watch them now. What are your thoughts doing? Are you thinking what you want to think?

If you are finding that your thoughts are freewheeling away from you, and if you would like to experience a rich moment in your life….and if you want to experience more of who you really are then try this:

∞

Sit or stand in front of the work of art.

Relax your body. Take a few deep breaths.

Now, observe the image.

Pay attention to it.

Watch your thoughts.

Become aware that you are watching your thoughts.

Now, as you look at the piece, follow your breath. Go into your body.

Let your thoughts go.

Pay fierce attention to the image.

Feel the image that you are observing.

If there is a human form in the image, place your self in the form. Embody it.

What do you experience now?

Remain in silence for two minutes.

∞

This is the first step in contemplating any piece of artwork well.

On one level, it is just oil paint on material. If you allow your mind to only operate on a material level, then this is all that you will perceive. To truly sense the artists intention for you, for you to get the greatest benefit from a work of art, you must be in the same place that the piece was painted from.

All great works of art have been created a from a place beyond thought. A Master Artist will stare at a blank canvas, then pick up a brush and .. just create. Often there is sense of being “painted through”. If you wish to experience the best of this, then clear your mind, and practise stillness.

Not all artwork is designed to uplift and inspire. Some artists don’t really create, they just want to sell you a product. Others paint from a dark place, or a place of anger. So be careful what you chose to contemplate.

There is a fine line between empowerment and idolatry. If you get a sense of your own true power from contemplating a work of art, then that is a beautiful thing.

If any image dominates your thinking, and reduces who you are to a disempowering thought, then ditch it. It is not for you. You are far greater than any image.

Remember: any power you experience can only mean one thing: that that power is inside you.

How can it be any other way? It is impossible you for you to experience something that is outside of your possibility.

If it possible for you, then you can experience it.

Enjoy contemplating art with soul!

 louis's blog | add new comment »