Is there a right way to view art?

As I write this, I’m about halfway through the book Les Yeux de Mona by Thomas Schlesser. From France (with an English translation coming soon, I have no doubt), the book follows the young girl Mona and her grandfather as he introduces her to a different piece of artwork each week.

As the threat of blindness overhangs Mona, her grandfather wants to ensure she has the gift of viewing and understanding these masterpieces before she can never see them again. Standing in front of each piece in the museum, her grandfather tells her to study the work before she asks questions or he offers his own insight. This can last from a few minutes to upwards of 20.

This in-depth thought is not something I can overly relate to. In my own experiences with art museums, I’m usually travelling on vacation and accompanied by someone else. With the goal to view as many pieces as possible, I rarely pause to deeply consider any single one.

This made me think: is there any benefit to carefully considering a piece of artwork? Or is it okay to simply enjoy it fleetingly and casually?

If you want to reduce stress and anxiety and boost well-being, a study published in March 2024 in Frontiers in Psychiatry suggests that Mona and her grandfather may be on the right track.

Carried out by researchers in Montreal, Canada, from institutions like the Université de Montréal, the study involved bringing a group of senior-aged women into the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. There, sporting the snazzy headgear of functional near-infrared spectroscopy to measure brain activity, they did a couple of tours of six Baroque-style works of art. For example, they viewed the brilliantly coloured, shimmering dresses in “Presumed Portrait of Madame de Franqueville and Her Children” by François de Troy, an oil-painting produced in 1712, and took in a Parisian park in “Autumn” by Nicolas Lancret, another oil created a dozen or so years later.

Sometimes, the participants were asked to analyze the painting, such as considering its characters, landscapes and composition, and to try to provide a personal interpretation of its meaning. Other times, they were asked to simply visualize the painting: to look at it without any thoughts, focusing on its centre or an aspect like a specific dot of colour.

The results: during the “analysis” condition, the participants brains show increased activation in the left ventrolateral prefrontal region, typically associated with attentional and cognitive control. This wasn’t seen when they only “visualized” the painting.

Why does this matter? I’m no brain expert, but I read that engaging this region of the brain can have a stress-reducing effect for several reasons. For example, it can help us regulate negative emotions, see potentially stressful situations in a more positive or neutral light, and shift our attention away from stressful thoughts. All of which helps make stress melt away and gives us an emotional boost.

To see if this was the case during this experiment, the researchers had participants fill out questionnaires before and after the visit that measured their levels of stress, anxiety and well-being. Yup, stress and anxiety generally fell after their time at the museum, and well-being rose.

Now, I certainly never just focus on a painting’s one dot. But I often brush past art with little more than an appreciative pause. One day, I’d like to sit before a painting…and stay. Soak it in. Give it serious thought. Maybe, as this study suggests, I’d walk away feeling significantly brighter.

What do you think?

What’s your opinion on the value of considering a piece of artwork carefully versus enjoying it casually? Let me know! Email me at art@galadrielwatson.com or find me on Instagram.