For the intellectually curious among my readers, discover five subject areas (besides art history) you can study to help you better understand art and architecture.
Tag: enjoy art
Visual Literacy: Art Appreciation in Everyday Life
Visual literacy, the ability to think critically about visual images, is one of the most important life skills you can acquire through art appreciation. Learn what it is and why it's so valuable.
Art History Skills: Subject Matter Analysis
In this video, a deleted scene from an early version of Art Appreciation for Beginners, I demonstrate one facet of art historical analysis by discussing the imagery on a Tibetan Buddhist crown.
Why See Art in Museums?
With the many (mostly free) virtual art-viewing opportunities that have sprang up since 2020, it's easier than ever to see artworks without ever leaving your home. Therefore, you may wonder if there's really any need to actually go to museums and see art in person. In my opinion, the answer is a resounding yes, since no app or video yet developed has managed to truly replicate the unique experience of being inside the museum. In this article, discover four main reasons to visit museums in person, as well as suggestions for how to make the most of each one.
Active Looking: the Most Important Skill for Every Art Lover
In my opinion, active looking is the most important skill any art lover can possibly cultivate. Find out why it's important and how to practice it in my new video.
Why You Should Visit Art Galleries
Art galleries provide often-overlooked free opportunities to see art in person. Their perceived snobbishness and exclusivity often stop people from taking advantage of them, but that attitude is not always accurate in my experience. Art galleries are basically stores that sell art, and they are generally a lot less intimidating than you might think.
Learn to evaluate museum exhibitions in this downloadable guide
I'm so pleased to announced the latest offering in my The Art Museum Insider online learning series. Be the Critic: How to Evaluate Museum Exhibitions is your guide to understanding the messages that art exhibitions share with their viewers.
Art Appreciation Activities Handout
Sign up to receive a handout with nine fun art appreciation activities for all ages. These games and challenges will help you connect with artworks and practice key art appreciation skills like attention to detail, comparison, and visual description in the process. I hope you'll have as much fun trying them as I had dreaming them up!
Prehistoric Art as a Fundamental Element of Humanity
Discoveries of artworks created up to 45,000 years ago prove that expressing and deriving meaning from visual images is an ancient and fundamental part of being human.
How Viewing Art is Good for Your Mental Health
Studies suggest that looking at art can be good for mental health. It can increase happiness, decrease stress and anxiety, and improve cognitive skills. Art can also help us be mindful and connect us to the past.
A Scholarly Skater 