Visiting a large museum, art or otherwise, can be exhausting. It takes energy and focus to absorb visual information and it's easy to become visually exhausted after a few hours of walking around a museum. Know your limits of how much art you can look at and plan your museum trip accordingly. There are strategies that may be employed so that you don't develop visual fatigue and have an "art attack".
Art Triage
Plan your museum trip. If the museum that you want to visit is large there is no way that you are able to see the whole thing in one day. Go online and look at the maps and exhibitions that are available and plan which works of art are a priority for you to see.
For example, when I visit the Philadelphia Museum of Art I generally like to head to the contemporary art galleries first. The PMA has the contemporary artwork of Joseph Cornell, Sol Lewitt, Anselm Kiefer, Richard Diebenkorn, and Marcel Duchamp. I also enjoy visiting the small folk art gallery that includes the weird artwork of Edward Hicks and his peaceable kingdoms.
Don't try to force feed the art into your eye and brain. If you really want to see the entire Philadelphia Museum of Art or the Metropolitan Museum of Art, take at least two or three days to explore and savor.
Take a Break
Many museums have outdoor courtyards where visitors may enjoy a brief respite. After an hour or two, take a break from walking around the museum to step outside and enjoy some natural sunlight and fresh air.
Many museums also have cute little gift shops or a cafe. Take some time to sit for a few minutes to eat lunch or have a cup of coffee. Close your eyes for awhile to give them a break. Take some deep breaths and relax.
Have a Seat
Take advantage of well-placed benches or chairs to take a break from walking around the museum. Often, this is a great opportunity for some casual people watching, or to take several minutes to visually absorb a work of art.
Experiment with how long you look at a work of art. Hold the painting in your gaze and walk in to take a closer look at the surface, the texture, and the brush strokes. It is impossible to examine each painting closely. I have learned to scan a wall to almost mine for gems that hold my attention. The paintings that catch the eye may also be examined more closely, as if examining a new face for memorization or familiarity.
How Long is Too Long?
My personal theory from years of museum-going is that after several hours your eyes and your brain simply cannot absorb more visual information and they shut off. This is what I have termed having an "art attack", an acute form of visual exhaustion. It's not like you go blind, but while you can continue to push yourself through a museum, the quality of what you can truly see and digest drops to a bare minimum. At this point the best thing to do is to call it a day and go home, or, go out to dinner and discuss what you have seen.
So what period of time may bring visual fatigue on the art viewer? In my own personal experience, my eyes are exhausted after three hours or so, for others, this time might be longer or shorter. Regardless of how long one spends in an art museum, allow ample time for digestion and recovery from such an intense, aesthetic experience.
Mary Rayme - Mary Rayme is a graphic designer and arts educator with a BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore.
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