How to Visit an Art Gallery

Step-by-Step Guide

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   Step 1: Determine how much time you want to spend in a venue in a single session.

   For example, all the works in the Philadelphia Art Museum can be casually and comfortably browsed in 2-3 hours.
   
   A local gallery store-front can be browsed in 5 or 10 minutes.
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   Step 2: Determine what primary art mediums you are interested in: Painting

   This will help you figure out which venues to visit. , You might also find which time periods and movements you fancy as well. , If you live in a place like New York, try the Metropolitan Art Museum in NYC for your first visit.
   
   This museum has one of the greatest variety of styles and artists and cover a wide range of art history.
   
   You can find all the venues in the Yellow Pages or museum and gallery directory, if you can find one.
   
   The Internet is also a great resource. , Develop a plan of what order you will visit each gallery in the museum.
   
   Then finish off that floor and move up to the next floor, and so on. , In fact, if you find some art that particularly pleases you, you might want to spend 10 or 20 minutes with it to absorb all the meaning.
   
   See it from a distance and as close as the guards will allow. , See the brush strokes
   - how do they flow? Capture the overall design of the artwork.
   
   Does it seem to have sections? How about the colors? Are they spectacular or dull? If it is a portrait does it seem to send you a message? Sometimes in a painting a few red or orange specs of color make the painting very exciting.
   
   If it is a modern painting or sculpture can you tell the theme without looking at the nameplate? What shades of blue did the artist use? Some shades affect our circadian cycles and put us in a good frame of mind (perhaps to sleep). , How does the real version compare? , This will encourage your brain to remember.
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   Step 3: sculpture

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   Step 4: watercolors

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   Step 5: modern

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   Step 6: realism

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   Step 7: representational

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   Step 8: classical

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   Step 9: and so on.

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    Step 10: To figure out which mediums you have an interest in

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    Step 11: browse through art history books

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    Step 12: magazines

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    Step 13: and find out which ones look aesthetically pleasing.

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    Step 14: Most major cities have multiple venues for viewing art.

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    Step 15: On your first visit

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    Step 16: get a map of the museum collection (from the front desk - they always have one) and become familiar with where things are.

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    Step 17: Take more time with the art work that especially interests you.

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    Step 18: Take some time to answer these questions.

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    Step 19: As you go through the museum

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    Step 20: do you recognize any art from the art books you looked at to get ready for the visit?

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    Step 21: At the end of the tour

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    Step 22: try to re-visualize what you saw.

Detailed Guide

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