Artwork is Your Mirror

Using Awareness to explore the museum of our mind's eye

Welcome back to The Workaround. I’m Bob 👋

You’re a paid subscriber. Thank you for indulging me in some divergent thoughts…

A piece in my friend Jeff’s home. I wish I could see how your mind processes this.

It took me +50 years to realize that a piece of art hanging on a wall is not really about the colors, shapes, characters, or whoever’s signature is on it.

It’s really about the artwork that each human subject creates in response to the object before them.

Here’s what I mean: When we view a piece of art—like really give it focused attention—photons bounce off the work and into our optic nerve. From there, images are routed to various parts of our brain. This, in turn, triggers thoughts and emotions that are unique to each of us. We don’t even see colors the same way.

We are reminded of things in our life experiences; we erupt in likes and dislikes; and we may compare this work to others we have observed. If we are well-versed in the craft, we may notice the elements of style that the art…