Yesterday I spent the day in London visiting the Royal Academy and the National Gallery. It was a cold day but fun nonetheless, however this is not the point of this post. Over the past three years I have visited many, and I mean many, exhibitions and galleries all over the country and so am now well able to pass on these words of wisdom to anyone wishing to visit an exhibition or gallery but not really sure how to do it.
For me there is only one lesson – don’t rush and try and pack in too much. Of course if you are time limited then this can seem to be frivolous …’ I’ve only got one day so I must pack in as much as I can…’ For me this is an understandable attitude but a big mistake. Part of the deep joy of visiting art galleries and exhibitions is the ability to ruminate on what you have seen. Now if you try and pack too much in then everything starts to become a blur and much of the joy is lost.
To this end the cafe or restaurant is as much a part of the visit as the actual art. Having a cup of tea/coffee etc and contemplating what you have seen is vital. As you memory fades, for some of us much quicker than others, then you start to forget but sitting down and discussing things helps to cement the memories. In fact the reflect element of this cannot be overstated and if this all sound so very bourgeois it is not. You really need the time to reflect otherwise the whole thing becomes a jumble. This is all the more true at galleries like the National which has masterpieces on every wall.
Well that is my view and I’m sure it is not the way a lot of people visit galleries and exhibitions but this works for me.
Simon Marchini
Simon's Blog 