Did you realize that the average person spends only about 30 seconds looking at any one painting in an art gallery? Perhaps the artist spent hundreds of hours or even years on his piece. Can the painting really be appreciated in 3o seconds? 

Let's define the word appreciation: "To recognize the full worth, to understand, to value, to respect, to cherish." Clearly it would be difficult to really appreciate a piece of art in 30 seconds. There are so many things to consider such as the lighting, the color, the brush strokes, the texture, the composition, the meaning, the symbolism and the history to name some of them.

How Long Should It Take? With the proper guide, just a 90 second  explanation makes a big difference!

The National Gallery In London Can Help You To Appreciate Art!

One of my favorite places to visit is the National Gallery in London. Last May I went there for the third time and I thoroughly enjoyed the self guided audio tours that are available. Using headphones and a little device that you can clip onto your belt you can have any painting that you desire explained. Each painting has a number. Just input that number into your audio device and in just a few minutes that little education can help you to develop a new level of appreciation! 

Of course you could spend days and days looking at and appreciating the paintings but if you're short on time how about the 30 painting tour which contains some of the galleries most loved pieces!

About The National Gallery In London

  The National Gallery is located in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London. It was opened in  1824 and it contains a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. 

The gallery's art collection belongs to the public of the United Kingdom and entrance is free of charge!  It is one the most visited art museums in the world, after the Musée du Louvre, the British Museum, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

 "The Ambassadors" painted in 1533 by Hans Holbein the Younger.

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No doubt you can appreciate much here even at first glance but let's go deeper! Photo Credit: nationalgallery.org

Here's A Practical Example of Appreciating a Painting By Understanding It More!

Notice how watching the following 1.5 minute video enhances your appreciation of the this wonderful piece!

What you just saw in that video is an example of what you can learn from doing an audio tour at the National Gallery in London! If you get a chance to go..GO! Even young children will enjoy and benefit from such tours!

@lellabird60 is enjoying her self guided audio tour and learning about "The Hay Wain" from 1821 by John Constable

What Do You Think?

• Do you enjoy visiting galleries and museums?
• Do you enjoy guided tours?
• Have you been to the National Gallery in London?
• What galleries or museums do you enjoy?

I hope that you enjoyed this article on "How to Appreciate Art!"

Until next time,

@kus-knee (The Old Dog)

Remember, I reward the best comment(s) on each of my posts with my "The Old Dog is Throwing You a Bone" program! So please re-steem and follow so that we can spread the wealth!