Notice what draws you in before trying to explain the picture
Slow looking means taking time to notice and enjoy what you see. The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) suggests setting the label aside at first, describing what you notice and looking at one element at a time, such as colour, shape, line or texture.[1]
You don’t need to know the artist or art history to try it. A patch of red that catches your eye is enough to begin.
Try three gentle passes over one picture
Choose a picture in a book or one you can view online. Give the whole picture a short look, explore one colour or line, then return to the whole; the card below offers a way to guide each pass.
- Take in the whole
Notice one place your attention goes first.
- Choose a colour or a line
Look for that colour elsewhere, or follow where the line leads.
- Return to the whole
Put into words anything that catches your attention differently now.
There is no score or required time.
For example, if a blue area catches your eye, look for blue elsewhere and compare how light or dark it seems. If you choose a line instead, notice whether it bends or runs straight.
Return to the picture after reading about it
Before reading a label or talking about the picture, put your impression into your own words: perhaps “the colours look bright” or “the line curves slowly.” Someone else might see it differently, and both impressions can sit side by side.
If you read about the picture, return afterwards to the first detail that caught your eye and notice the colour beside it.