Art - Best Viewed Alone or With Friends?

[ChrissyM]

I was just thinking that viewing art is something of an experience..
some people like to do it alone and form their own opinions..
quietly contemplating the pieces they are taking in..

while other like to view art with others...
discussing their views and opinions and being influenced by each others' thoughts..

How do you like to see art?
Alone or with friends etc?

I think I personally go both ways..

While studying abroad in London a few years ago I spent a lot of time exploring the museums there (because I love art and it was pretty much the only free thing to do with my weak dollar )

I often went alone and really enjoyed strolling through the museums at my own pace..
lingering over the pieces that caught my eye and forming my own thoughts and opinions..
paying attention to my reactions and seeing how these things made me feel..

I loved just strolling through the quiet rooms, not saying a word to anyone all day..
it was very peaceful and just a great experience..
I look upon those days at museums as some of my fondest memories of London..

 

[adorefaith]

good question...this came up as a question the other day with some friends..
we were at a concert- not really art...but the same concept i think..
and we were discussing whether we prefer to see shows alone or with friends..

most of the time i prefer to go alone...
cinema...art...music....they all can be a really intense, intimate experience for me..
i find that for that 2 hours in a cinema, i am transported to another world...and if someone is beside me chatting away and commenting and asking questions, i get distracted and frustrated...it pulls me back into my world, where i'm conscious of myself and those around me, and i'd rather be lost in the story and the emotions..

art can go both ways for me...mainly because if i am with someone who is thoughtful and appreciative, i really like to hear their commentary and talk about the work with them..
unlike film or music, i quite like to talk about the art while i'm viewing it...i dont feel like i need to stand there in silence until i leave the gallery (but i do feel like this about good movies!)....

one of my closest girlfriends is an artist and though we dont always have the same taste, i really like having her around at a gallery or an exhibition....probably because i dont feel like i have to 'babysit' her or rush through the gallery...i know she is enjoying it as much as i am and so i can relax and take it all in...
** there is nothing worse than going to a gallery, movie, concert etc and having to 'coach' someone through it, you know?....i remember taking a friend to the art gallery and having to rush through because they were yawning and fidgeting....eventually we had to leave and go for lunch because it was so painfully obvious that they didnt want to be there....that just ruins the entire experience for me..

 

[masquerade]

i think i will have to agree that it goes both ways. personally, i like to experience art by myself initially, but i like to talk about with others too. Sometimes when i am in a museum by myself i feel compelled to just discuss something and then there is no one. But at the same time, viewing it with other people can be frustrating, especially if they have radically different opinions on the work than you do. Nothing is worse than looking a piece you love and having a friend go "thats awful".

I think you need someone on your level, both in knowledge and taste in art, to make it really worth the discussion. That sounds kinda mean, but i think its true. One of my closest friends is also an art history major and she loves Northern Renaissance and Baroque art. Personally, while i think they are talented, i am uninspired Rembrandt or Vermeer. But i love contemporary art. She doesn't. When we have gone to museums together, it can get kinda frustrating. But with someone who likes the same things you do, it can be a really good experience.

Still, I like experiencing art myself. But i think if it is a really good work, it doesn't matter if everyone you know is in the room with you, you can have an amazing, intimate experience with it

 

[ChrissyM]

i think you've both made some good points..
i just realized i never made an argument for seeing art with people

but i agree that the experience can definitely be enhanced if you are with the right person...
ideally someone who is observant and has similar interests..
and if not similar interests then at least someone who can explain their point of view articulately and can have a discussion with you about what you're looking at..

i learned that going to museums with people i didn't know or had just met (new friends from study abroad etc) you never really know what to expect because of course you don't know what they like..

i remember wasting time in rooms i wasn't interested in and feeling rushed in others because the other person just didn't care or vise versa..
it can really ruin the experience..
it puts you in a bad mood and just ruins your state of mind so that you can't even properly appreciate something that you might otherwise have thought was extraordinary...

I think if you are with someone it also has to be someone you trust and feel completely comfortable discussing things with...
if the art is graphic you shouldn't feel like you need to avert your eyes because the person might think you're weird for wanting to examine it...
you could miss out on some really interesting discussions that way...

 

[gius]

usually my friends and i will split up (at a gallery, shop, anywhere)
and then meet up when finished
it's nice because if they find something you might like, they'll run and find you
and also at the end, you can talk about what you found interesting
it's more like a sharing thing

but definitely, i wouldn't bring anyone with me anywhere who would be a drag

but there is always something nice about doing things by yourself

 

[ChrissyM]

^^i think that's definitely good and easy to do when you are in smaller spaces like galleries or looking at a certain exhibit, retrospective or whatever..

if it's a concentrated sort of "show" then you can discuss your impressions after you've all taken a look, discuss your favorites etc..

i think that can be a more difficult thing to do if you are going to spend the day at a museum...
doing the big things.. you should definitely reserve that for people that really enjoy spending time with and can have a nice in-depth intelligent conversation with..

or, you can go to a museum with someone, set a time and place to meet then explore at your leisure..
when you're done it can be fun to sit in the museum coffee shops and just sort of relay your day back to the other person and let them do the same..
it can be interesting to hear about how different your experiences were even though you were roaming around the same spaces

 

[masquerade]

Tomorrow I am going to go to my school's museum with one of my professors. This topic has me thinking about it. Of course it isn't the same as going with your friends, but it is a bit intimidating to go through a museum w/ a phd. sorry, just a random musing

 

[ChrissyM]

^^ i think that can definitely be intimidating..
being put on the spot to make an intelligent statement about art in front of someone you admire, someone who specializes on the topic and someone you respect can sometimes make your mind draw a blank..
or my mind at least

i can usually come up with something to say but i definitely don't like being put on the spot...

 

[gius]

let me say i really don't like going to exhibitions with a class
you stand in front of a work, your prof gives a speech (more like lecture) and it goes on for ages

once though, with a different teacher, we went into a textiles gallery and we all sat down to sketch out works we liked, in a sort of analytic kind of way
it was a design class
that was fun

and i love that galleries are always right next to coffeeshops

 

[masquerade]

^^ i think that can definitely be intimidating..
being put on the spot to make an intelligent statement about art in front of someone you admire, someone who specializes on the topic and someone you respect can sometimes make your mind draw a blank..
or my mind at least

i can usually come up with something to say but i definitely don't like being put on the spot...

exactly the expectation is what is worrying me. if there is any relief from the stress of it, my professor is a modern art historian and we are going to a contemporary exhibit. at least we aren't looking at dada works or something

 

[gius]

any reason why you have to go with your prof? ^
If I went with mine, i guess it would be hard too
i can go with any of my other professors though.. they'd understand what i'd go for
I tend to pay attention to colours, texture, things like that.. My history teacher would be into well yes, history and the story behind the works I suppose or connections to other works in timeline

 

[masquerade]

^Im doing an independent study on female artists (mostly postmodern) and he is my advisor. Right now at our school museum, coincidentally, there is an exhibit on contemporary female artists and printmaking and they have some Barbara Kruger and Kara Walker, both of whom I studied. so we are going to go through the exhibit and discuss the work.

 

[snowqueen]

It depends if the friend is equally as infusiastic as i am then i will go with them ..
Sometimes friends and i will go together but doesnt mean we look at every piece together well wonder off seperately and meet up etc.

SOme times if its for college work ill go with friends and college class .. but then 9 times out of 10 i end up going back by myself at a later date

SOmetimes i like just being by myself .. you can form your own opinion and take your own time etc.

 

[Uchina]

Best viewed with SELECT friends. Some friends are just useless when it comes to art... lol!

Although seriously, there are pros and cons. The good:
Being there with friends means you can be introduced to new art that would never interest you otherwise. Likewise, it can be fun to go to some of your favorite artists and play tour guide for two minutes. Even if you disagree about an artist, debating about it can be a lot of fun.

The bad: If you go with your alpha/stubborn friends, you'll never get to see the Bosch exhibit you've been dying to go to because the Renaissance is "irrelevant." : Sometimes you just need to hoof it alone.

 

[Street_a_Licious]

art sometimes needs a lot of interpretation and since nearly all my friends aren't too much into that, i tend to go alone.

but it'd be awesome to have someone to talk about the direction, history and intesity of colors, details, etc.

 

[travis_nw8]

alone as my friend and i tend to get into arguments...

 

[tangerine]

I prefer to go by myself the first time I see a show, and if I like it, I try to bring a friend to see it with.

The first time, though, I like to be able to move at my own speed and really lose myself in whatever catches my fancy.

 

[Cindysaurus]

it definitely depends on the types of friends you have!
nearly all of my friends are immature, so i'd much rather view art alone.

 

[MUXU]

i go with friends that is actually interested in going or else i go alone

usually how it happens is we go there together, but once we are inside we are on our own terms and talk about it after when we go out of the gallery or museum

 

[oceanharlot]

I go all ways on this subject... I tend to go to the opening with friends, have a speed round of critique, catch up, have some wine & cheese. But I will usually go back to the gallery if the work is interesting and deserves a bit more contemplation on my own.

I ask certain friends to accompany me on occasion, most my friends are artists too, so it's always fun to go with a good critiquer and tear up the work together.