Be Good Looking (at art): Tips for Seeing Art in Museums

If you ever feel overwhelmed in art museums, you’re not alone. That is an area where I sometimes struggle, too. I hate leaving a museum feeling like I didn’t absorb as much as I could have, especially since I don’t get to visit one every day. It’s best to go slow, be in the moment, and pay attention to details, but that’s difficult when there’s so much to see and you’re trying to make sense of it all. While I definitely don’t have all the answers, here are a few things I’ve discovered about the best ways to see art in museums.

One size doesn’t fit all

Despite all the differing advice out there, I’ve come to the conclusion that there is no single best way to look at art. The ideal formula/technique/mindset definitely varies based on the individual’s personality and interests, or even depending on the situation or day. I don’t necessarily gravitate towards the same works, tackle a museum the same way, or find the same art-viewing techniques helpful every time. Thus, consider the following to be guidance based on my experiences, not any kind of dogma.

Expert guidance for your next art museum adventure

You can’t see everything

I totally understand the instinct to rush around trying to see the entire museum. You’ve invested time, energy, and money to visit, you want to see as much as you possibly can. However, that always leaves me feeling overwhelmed and unsatisfied. The truth is, you simply cannot give every artwork the time and attention it deserves, and you’ll likely only scratch the surface of what you can observe during your visit. Time and mental energy are both limited resources. In a large museum, you really can only see a fraction of what’s on display; even in a smaller place, you can’t linger over every artwork for an extended period of time. That’s not all bad, since it makes returning to the same museums and artworks continuously rewarding.

How you choose where to place your valuable attention is up to you. I’m a big fan of browsing – walking around, looking casually, and stopping to spend more time whenever something catches your eye. This way, I get to sample my options, stay open to new discoveries, and make passing acquaintance with other works along the way. Plus, it really helps conquor museum FOMO. If I’m especially interested in a certain exhibition or collection area, I’ll certainly put more focus there. But I still don’t give every single work an equal amount of attention. I’ll always stop by a few favorites, but the same works won’t necessarily make the cut every time. And I definitely recommend spending some time with less familiar artworks. You never know what you’ll enjoy, and making discoveries is one of my favorite parts of a museum trip.

Unless you’re an art history student, you don’t have to spend time with any particular artwork, especially one that you’d rather not. Feel free to pass by or stay with any work for any reason. It’s totally up to you.

Don’t try too hard

Spending a long time in front of an artwork doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll pick up everything. If your mind is elsewhere, it’s possible to stare at something for ages without actually seeing it. However, I’ve found that trying really hard to actively look can actually be counterproductive and distracting. It’s a bit like meditation, where you have to open your mind and be receptive but not force it. On the bright side, this means that art viewing can have some of the same positive benefits as meditation. On the downside, it means that the optimal frame of mind can be elusive and individual. I’m still discovering mine.

Similarly, don’t overthink it! As a champion over-thinker myself, I realize this is a big ask, but thinking too hard about what to see or what it means is super counterproductive to having a good experience. Instead, try to stay open-minded and ready to see, enjoy, and discover whatever grabs your attention. And don’t make it a chore. This is supposed to be fun and rewarding, not homework. Any art appreciation technique that starts to feel like an obligation isn’t right for you at the moment or perhaps you’re forcing it. Remember that you don’t always have to stick with the same strategy and use it every time.

Sometimes, even (or maybe especially) I don’t want to think really hard about the art I see. After a bit of contemplation, I’ve decided that’s okay, even though I wouldn’t want to be a passive art viewer all the time.

A little knowledge goes a long way

There’s a lot of debate about whether you need any knowledge to enjoy art and whether things like wall texts and audio guides help or hinder your experience. This is a topic I go back and forth on personally. On the one hand, I believe that anybody with eyesight and a little patience can have really meaningful encounters with art, regardless of prior knowledge or the availability of interpretive aides. After all, connecting with art is a fundamental part of who we are as humans. I also recognize that it’s all too easy to let these outside sources do the thinking and looking for you rather than having your own personal experiences. (We want to avoid this.)

Learn to think like an art historian.

That said, it seems silly to deny that some extra information can really help by giving you context, suggesting different perspectives, and even just pointing out details you wouldn’t have noticed on your own. Labels and guides can also teach us something we didn’t know before and satisfy the innate curiosity that I think attracts many of us to art in the first place. It’s completely understandable to want guidance, and expecting people to completely ignore a professional interpretation that is right there in front of them is not reasonable in my opinion. Plus, focusing solely on our own experience with the art to the exclusion of all other perspectives isn’t exactly broadening our minds.

As someone who’s particularly interested in how art connects to history and culture, I would miss so much if I never read the wall texts, though I tend to be happiest when I do so in moderation. Of course, I have tons of art history knowledge to guide me, and I’ve found that the more I learn, the more I notice and appreciate. But all these extra thoughts can also cause their own issues, and I sometimes envy people who can visit museums a clean mental slate. I guess I’m saying that there are good and bad points either way.