Slow Looking can help us see art in new ways and connect with ourselves. It’s an invitation to use all of our senses to experience art in the most expansive way possible. Slow Looking is an approach and practice that can refine our capacity to observe, process, think, relate, and create personal meaning. It can also fuel curiosity, inspiration, and confidence in engaging with art.
You have everything you need to go on this journey. What discoveries might you make along the way?
David Smith, Head 👤
Floor 5, Gallery 500
Circle around this sculpture or imagine yourself circling around it. Take it in from all sides, paying attention to its shapes, edges, and surfaces. What do you notice? What images come into your head as you consider the form of this work? Imagine this sculpture could move. How would it move? What would its movement look and feel like? Does it make any sounds as it moves? What shadows would it cast if it were in motion?
Paul Signac, Opus 217. Against the Enamel of a Background Rhythmic with Beats and Angles, Tones, and Tints, Portrait of M. Félix Fénéon in 1890 🎩
Floor 5, Gallery 501
The Alfred H. Barr, Jr. Galleries
What piques your curiosity about this painting? Let your gaze follow the outline of the figure and the folds in his clothing. What details add character to this figure? Now consider the figure along with the background. What symbols and shapes do you notice in the background? How do the figure and the background come together? Paul Signac used tiny colored dots to create this painting. Zoom in on one band of color to explore his technique. See how looking at this painting from close up and far back changes your perception. What more do you notice? If this painting had a soundscape, what would that be?
Sonia Delaunay, Portuguese Market 🇵🇹
Floor 5, Gallery 503
The Alfred H. Barr, Jr. Galleries
Let your eyes make their way through the shapes and colors of this work. What path do they take? What energy or mood does this painting suggest to you? Pause to lean into this energy. Is it an energy you enjoy or one that you dislike? The painting is titled Portuguese Market. Imagine yourself moving through this bustling and vibrant market. What sights, smells, textures, and sounds do you encounter? How does it feel in your body to be in this market? Does this painting call to mind any familiar experiences?
Arthur Dove, Willows 🌿
Floor 5, Gallery 509
The David Geffen Wing
Slowly scan this painting from left to right and then imagine drawing a line down the center. Compare one side to the other. What stands out to you? What shapes fill the canvas?
There is a lot of green in this painting. How would you describe each shade of green you see? What other colors do you notice? Now, spend a moment taking in the work in its entirety. If you were to place yourself in this painting, from what perspective would you be viewing this scene? What real or imagined spaces does this work transport you to?
Christopher Cozier, Tropical Night 💃
Floor 5, Gallery 520
The Alfred H. Barr, Jr. Galleries
Take a moment to take in this installation in its entirety. You’ll notice it is made of many separate images, making it a great opportunity to try sorting through stimuli. First, notice all of the images that contain a human figure. What do you notice about those? How are they similar or different from one another? Next, choose the one that sparks your interest the most. What are the visual details that hold your attention? Try taking on the figure’s pose or visualize yourself doing so. If you were to move or position your body to match the figure in this image, what would that look and feel like? Is there a particular motion or rhythm? Notice any emotions or sensations that arise within you. How would you describe the energy of this particular image? How does it connect to the larger installation? Take time to reflect on any interpretations you make of this work.
Judit Reigl, Guano-Round 🌑
Floor 4, Gallery 401
The David Geffen Galleries
Imagine wrapping your arms around the circle dominating this canvas. Does the shape have an energy or frequency? If you were to push your hands into the shape, how hot or cold do you imagine it would feel? Do you notice any textures? Allow your eyes to find a pathway around and through this circle, tracing over lines and other marks. What comes to mind as you do this? Imagine this circle becoming three-dimensional, lifting off the canvas and joining you in the gallery. Does anything change in the way you perceive this work or how you experience it in your body? As you continue to take in this work, what questions, thoughts, sensations, or emotions linger?
Robert Frank, Tree, London 🌳
Floor 4, Gallery 402
The David Geffen Galleries
What are your initial impressions of this photograph? Does it evoke a particular mood? Set a timer for spending five minutes looking at this photo. If other thoughts or concerns enter your mind, try gently redirecting yourself back to the photo. After the time is up, notice if anything about your perceptions of this photo have changed. What do you notice now that you didn’t before? Do any descriptive words come to mind? You may wish to note them in your phone or on a slip of paper. Try arranging the words and seeing if a poem emerges.
Lygia Clark, Sundial ☀️
Floor 4, Gallery 413
The David Geffen Wing
Choose one side or angle to begin your exploration of this work. What catches your attention? Trace the curves and lines of its shape with your eyes. Consider how its surfaces might feel to touch. Circle around the artwork, taking it in from all sides. What do you notice? How is this piece held together? Can you imagine moving this artwork? What would that look and feel like? Try turning this artwork over in your mind, spinning it on different sides. What more do you notice about the artwork as you engage with it in this way? Do any descriptive words enter into your mind about this artwork?
Ken Okiishi, gesture/data 📺🖌️
Floor 2, Gallery 201
What is the first thing you notice about this work? Does one side of this work draw you in more than the other? What gestures do you think created the marks on the left side? What about the right side? Choose one side and follow a brushstroke from top to bottom, either in your mind or by tracing with your finger in the air. Do you feel a particular rhythm or any sensation as you do this?
What feels similar and what feels different between the two sides of this work? Try closing your eyes or turning away from the artwork. Imagine wiping both panels clear of all brushstrokes. Can you recreate the marks in your mind? What pressure would you use? How slow or fast would you paint the marks? How would that feel in your body? After you reopen your eyes, look back to the artwork and see if the marks in your mind match what you see before you.
Kerry James Marshall, Study for Blue Water 🧜🏿♂️
Floor 2, Gallery 208
The David Geffen Wing
What do you wonder about as you gaze at this artwork? Let your curiosity guide you. Do you sense a particular mood or energy? Take your time studying the figure in this work. Start by focusing on their head and face and slowly work your way down. Notice where the figure’s body meets the water. Based on their expression, what do you imagine they are thinking or feeling? Try positioning your shoulders and arms in the same pose or taking on that pose in your mind. How does it feel to try on this pose? Does it give you any insights into what this figure might be feeling? Is there a story forming in your mind about what you see? If so, what would the next scene in this story look like?
Walter Price, Races on the Sea 🏃♂️
Floor 2, Gallery 209
The David Geffen Wing
Give yourself a moment to take in this work, allowing your eyes to wander across the canvas and linger where they want to. Try slowly reading this painting from left to right. Now start from the top and move to the bottom, taking everything in. You may find it helpful to envision this painting in layers, peeling back one after another.
What colors do you notice? What symbols and imagery stand out? Place your attention on the running figures on the right side of the painting. What do you notice about them? Imagine yourself taking on their pose, your body in motion. How might it feel to cut through the waves with your body? What other kinds of movement do you notice in this work? Do you sense places of tension and ease, both in the painting and yourself?
Tips for Slow Looking
- Give yourself time to notice, consider, and reflect. Set a timer for five minutes, then increase this time incrementally the more you look.
- Notice where your attention goes. Take descriptive notes about what you see. Set aside any need you feel to read the wall label, at least for now.
- Take your time moving through the artwork, from top to bottom, side to side. Focus on elements—such as colors, shapes, lines, textures, or figures—one at a time.
- Try looking at art from different vantage points or angles and notice how your perspective changes. This could include moving your body, tilting your head, covering one eye, looking away and then back again, moving closer, or stepping back.
- Pay attention, without judging or assigning meaning, to any bodily sensations you experience as you look at art. Notice and name emotions that an artwork evokes for you.
- Be curious. What draws you in? What makes you look away? What do you wonder about? What thoughts or questions enter your mind as you look?