Magic
Will Seelman
A few days ago, I travelled up to the Art Institute of Chicago along with a couple of friends to check out what there was in store there. It was my first time at the Institute, but my friends are regulars, so they showed me the ropes. We made our way through the exhibits until we reached a certain painting that absolutely struck me. Going in, I wasn’t sure what medium I wanted to use for my Slow Looking Assignment. I personally do not have a background in art, so I do not have an in depth perspective when viewing art. However, I use my natural senses, and I see where that takes me. Red-Haired Girl by Emil Nolde is the piece that struck me the most. It is an oil painting on a regular canvas, but it was so unique that it absolutely captivated my attention. The array of warm colors put together by Nolde was the subject of my gaze for 45 straight minutes. I analyzed every single inch of the artwork. Everything from the frame consistency to the colors was ingrained into my brain.
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After about 10 minutes I already evaluated this painting. However, the next 35 minutes were used for dissecting it. I had already established that the picture was showing a girl who was constructed with an array of unclear physical features. However, when dissecting it, I realized the WHY in the painting. Nolde had to have used these colors for a certain reason, it didn’t happen by accident. The act of looking for such an extended period of time allows me to unlock this new perspective on the art. Going into the whole thing, I chose not to pre-plan what piece of art I was going to investigate because I truly wanted to allow myself to become ‘lost’ the art. The prompt gave us the option to research the artwork and its artwork if we would like. I decided against it because I wanted to be surprised and discover all I could with the art in 45