Frantisek Kupka, Mme Kupka Among Verticals, 1910-11
I finally managed to make it to visit the Museum of Modern Art in New York the other week; even though the place was packed, I managed to stake out a spot inside the Inventing Abstraction exhibit in front of this work by Czech painter Frantisek Kupka. After a close call with a museum guard (whoops - no photos allowed!), I spent over 15 minutes in front of the painting, happy to take a breather in the presence of such a gorgeous artwork. Because I didn’t know much about the painter’s history or background, most of the initial observations I made were aesthetic: the green surrounding the woman’s mouth, the bright strip of light blue almost directly in the middle of the painting, the washed out oils that looked almost like watercolor. Taking the time to notice these formal qualities familiarized my eyes with the painting, letting me adjust to the color palette & get to know the brushstrokes; it was like I was discovering the painting along with the artist as I noticed the choices he made when composing the work.
After 5 minutes or so, I felt like I had seen everything I could see; this would be the point in my normal museum experience where I’d walk away. But I knew I wanted to challenge myself to look longer—so I stayed. Even though I thought I had seen enough, I hadn’t. My eyes continued to wander to different spots in the painting, noticing the evenness of the dark blue, how each line of color seemed to fit together in perfect harmony with the color next to it. Looking slowly allowed me to make connections about a work of art I knew nothing about, and it was like I was discovering the painting as the painter was painting it. I become aware and conscious of the immense amount of choice an artist has; line, color, form, brushstrokes, canvas size, the list goes on. For those 15 minutes, the crowded museum seemed to fade away as I concentrated only on the painting, and I came away from the experience feeling invigorated and ready to look slowly at other pieces within the exhibit.
