How to Visit an Art Museum and Not Be Totally Overwhelmed

Museum Fatigue

Have you ever gone to an art museum and felt so overwhelmed and exhausted that you didn’t pay attention to much of anything? If you answered yes, you aren’t the only one. There is such a thing as museum fatigue, and even yours truly—who has a graduate degree in art history—experiences this phenomenon.

Over the years, I’ve developed a 7-step system for visiting museums that works for art novices and veterans alike. My system is simple but requires putting on your critical thinking hat and examining your feelings and opinions about art. It also involves seeing less art.

I know, I know – you paid a full-priced admissions ticket. You want to get what you paid for and see everything hanging on the walls. This, however, is what leads to museum fatigue. In most cases, you physically can’t see everything because the collection is so vast, and if you try, by the end of the day, all the artworks meld together in your brain. Ultimately, you leave the museum without experiencing the intellectual stimulation and emotional response only possible when you spend quality time with an artwork that tickles your fancy.

My 7-Step System for Visiting an Art Museum

1. Prepare to Look at Less

This step can be achieved in a couple of ways. The first is to do a bit of research beforehand to create a list of “must-sees” at the museum. You can search guidebooks, the museum’s website, or exhibition reviews. The second way is to go in blind. When choosing the latter option, I advise you to at least pick up a museum map when you get your ticket. Decide right then and there on a few galleries you’ll visit. For example, if you’re at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, select Egyptian Art, European Paintings, and Asian Art.

2. Be Choosy

If you have a list of “must-sees,” go directly to one of the artworks. If you don’t have a list, take a quick glance when you enter a gallery. Look no more than a few seconds at each piece—scope out the place. If anything catches your eye (for good or bad reasons), go to it. If not, move on to another gallery.

3. React

React to the artwork. Why did it catch your eye? Is it so aesthetically beautiful that it takes your breath away? Or is it so ugly and grotesque you couldn’t look away? Is the subject matter intriguing? Is there a political message or emotion shouting out to you? After you’ve sorted out your initial response to the work of art, examine it.

4. Really Look

Look at it. I mean, really look at it. Go long and take the whole thing in. Then get as up close and personal as you can without tripping the alarm and having a security guard yell at you. If it’s a painting, look at the brushstrokes and the texture of the paint. Examine the colors, highlights, and shadows. Look at the details, the small objects or flourishes that aren’t so obvious at first. Search for any marks or signatures of the artist. Seriously, get up in there. But don’t touch! I know it’s tempting, but you don’t want to be carted off as a potential art thief.

If the work is three-dimensional, walk around it. Many sculptures are meant to be experienced in the round, so go around them! Try to look for chisel or other tool marks. Can you figure out what it’s made of? Marble, limestone, or metal? Also, check out the material’s texture – are there small porous holes or veins? Is it smooth or rough? Did the artist paint it? Is it made of one piece or multiple pieces?

5. Reflect

After you’ve examined it more closely, question whether the work still interests you and gives you the feels. If you like it, great! Why do you like it? If you don’t like it, why not?

If you get emotional looking at it, what exactly are you feeling? Are there specific aspects of the artwork that make you emotional? Does it pique your curiosity? If so, what in particular is of interest? Is it the subject matter, the composition, the materials, or the techniques used?

If you find it beautiful, what makes it so? If it’s ugly, what exactly is the reason? Is it the colors, how figures are rendered, or even the lack of figures? Is it the arrangement of elements? If you don’t think you have the language to articulate this, think again. You don’t have to use jargon to talk about art.

I know this because I’ve been to countless art museums with people who didn’t study art. Whenever someone connected to a work of art, they felt they lacked the know-how to express themselves. They’d always say, well, you studied this, you tell me. Despite this being true, I refused to let them use me as their crutch. Instead, I encouraged them to talk about art in their own words and figure out exactly why they liked or didn’t like something. The following are two examples.

My madre¹ and El Greco

My mom and I have traveled the world together and visited some amazing art museums. No matter where we were, she always gravitated to paintings by El Greco. If there was an El Greco on the wall, I found her in front of it. The funny thing is, she never realized who the artist was until she read the label. The paintings just had this unnatural pull on her. She also never noticed this pattern of hers, but I sure did. One time, I asked her why she loves El Greco. She responded with the usual, I don’t know, I can’t express it. You studied art, you tell me.

Nay, mother. You tell me.

After much prodding and questioning, she finally figured out she was attracted to the emotional and otherworldly atmosphere El Greco created with the use of light, elongated figures, and dark yet brilliant colors.

My husband and Byzantine & Medieval Art

The second example is my husband, Matt, and his interest in Byzantine and Medieval Art. When visiting the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Matt was not impressed by geometric Islamic art. He was, however, in awe of the Byzantine Deesis mosaic depicting Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, and St. John the Baptist. Upon questioning, he was able to articulate that he preferred art with human figures. Additionally, he was in awe of celestial figures, often depicted on a grand scale and in front of a heavenly-like flat background of gold paint or mosaic.

6. Learn More (If You Want)

Ah, the exhibit label. I have a love-hate relationship with it. I know some folks who ALWAYS read exhibit labels and some who treat them like the plague. I’m somewhere in the middle. Exhibit labels can be great because they tell you tombstone information: name of the artwork, the artist, if known, the creation date, medium, and country/culture/style.

Additionally, there is typically text about the artwork written by a curator, explaining what it means or the history behind it. This can help in learning more information. So, if you are interested, read the label. But also know that you do not have to read the label if you don’t want to. You can experience art on your terms without a curator interjecting. If you do read the label, I advise you to wait until after you’ve looked at the artwork and formed your own opinion.

7. Rinse and Repeat

Do this for other artworks on your “must-see” list and in all the galleries you wander into.

Seeing Less at Art Museums

As an art lover, I know it may be strange telling you to see less, but what I’m really telling you is to see more in a smaller selection of art.

Finally, like what you like. It’s totally okay if you don’t like something. Don’t pretend to like it just because you think you’re supposed to, or people say you should. Form your own opinions and express yourself in your own words. The more you look at art, the easier it becomes.

Plus, if you want to learn some art terms as you advance to the next level of being an art viewer, check out WTF is…, a badass glossary that defines terms and concepts.  

Try out my 7-step system the next time you visit an art museum and let me know if you successfully avoided museum fatigue!

Footnotes

1. “mother” in Spanish. ↩︎