Slow Art Tours
What is slow looking?
Slow looking is the act of conscious, prolonged contemplation of a work of art. The average time a visitor usually spends looking at a work of art in a museum is 27 seconds, even less when looking at a work of art through a screen. In contrast, the 5-10 minutes spent looking at works in the Madden Collection during the Madden Museum’s Slow Art Tours allows for a longer, more intentional viewing session. This activity encourages and facilitates slow looking through focused prompts and timed viewing sessions.
Although the activity is online now, we hope you come visit us with your new slow looking skills when we are able to reopen.
Slow Art Day with the Madden Museum
Every year on April 4th, art museums around the country come together and celebrate Slow Art Day. Due to COVID-19, Slow Art Day was celebrated online this year. To see how the Madden Museum celebrated Slow Art Day, check out @maddenmuseum on Instagram and click “Slow Art Day” in the pinned Instagram Stories.
Slow Art Tours
Museum from home focuses on ways to make our collection accessible through activities and research, even while the Madden Museum is closed. Slow Art Tours is a way to get a close-up experience of works in our collection at home. The Images used are high-resolution, we encourage you to zoom-in and out of the images to gather more details from the works.
Time tracking: At Slow Art Day we would usually spend 10 minutes with each work. Due to the online format, we recommend spending anywhere between 5-10 minutes with each work, as well as taking a 2 minute screen-break between viewings.
Thomas Hart Benton, American, 1889-1975, Missouri Spring (Study of Spring on the Missouri), 1938, Acrylic on Panel, 15.75x17.875 in., The Madden Collection at the University of Denver 2016.1.4.
START A 5-10 MINUTE TIMER
Prompts:
This painting by Thomas Hart Benton is full of action. As you’re looking, try to find movement within the work. How does Benton create movement?
Follow the brushstrokes with your eyes, where do they take you?
Make up the scene in your mind, who are they? What are they fleeing from? Think about the relationship between humans and the land in this work, what do you think it shows about this relationship?
Take one last look at the painting, making sure to absorb every detail—no matter how small.
After looking questions:
How did slow looking change what you saw in the work? Did your understanding of the work
change? Why/Why not?
TAKE 2 MINUTES
Raymond Knaub, Summer Waterhold, Sanhills Nebraska, 2009, Oil on Canvas, 35.5 x 39.5 in., University of Denver, 2016.1.92.
START A 5-10 MINUTE TIMER
Prompts:
As you’re looking at the painting, register all the different colors—taking note of each gradation in color. Pick out your favorite color, why do you like it?
Put yourself in this serene place. Imagine the warm sky, calm water, and the noises of animals. Think of the ways the artist conveyed this relaxed atmosphere in the composition.
What animals do you recognize?
After looking questions:
How can slow looking help you to better understand a landscape painting?
How did spending more time with the landscape help you to change your looking experience?
TAKE 2 MINUTES
Plinio Nomellini, Italian, 1886-1943, Figura del Bosco (Figure in a Forest), 1910, Oil on Canvas, 47x59in, Madden Collection at the University of Denver, 2016.1.52
START A 5-10 MINUTE TIMER
Prompts:
This is a challenging composition to take in. Take your time to register what is happening, think about the different choices the artist made in this work.
What color do you think is most powerful in the composition? What is your opinion on this color palette?
How do you think the composition would change if the palette was different, for instance what if it was a pale palette? How would it change the painting? Think about the ways that color functions in this work.
Create the scene in your mind, who is the woman? Where is she? What is she doing?
After looking questions:
Did zooming in and out of the image help you to enhance your slow looking experience with this image?
TAKE 2 MINUTES
Peter Anton, American, Cosmic Assortment, 2016, Mixed Media Sculpture, 48x36x5in, Madden Collection at the University of Denver, 2016.1.1
START A 5-10 MINUTE TIME
Prompts:
This is a sculpture; how does the 3D quality of the large candies change your experience with this work?
Try to take in each detail on every piece of candy, come up with flavors for each one!
Which candy is your favorite? What flavor is it?
Register the most powerful colors in the work, how can color draw your eye across the box?
After looking questions:
This artist is known for his playful creation of out-of-scale sweets. They looks convincingly real until you recognize the scale! How does the scale change the way you think about this work?