Hi! I'm applying to art school and any help editing would be very much appreciated! Thank you.
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Droves of people flocked to a Van Gogh exhibition on a holiday weekend. There, a procession of people wrapped around the inner walls of the gallery. And with mechanism, each person would look at a painting for a few seconds and then move forward in line. I was dazed and disturbed by this. If Van Gogh can't hold a person's attention for more than a brief moment, what hope is there for anyone? I decided to go back another weekend and this time, research. I spent that afternoon observing the movements of the observers, counting the span of their attention. On average, people would only look at a piece of art for six seconds. There were few outliers.
After this, I made it my intention to design a museum layout or a piece of art that could hold a person's attention. My first thought was a room without distractions. Each artwork would have its own tiny room, where it alone would be the focus. Then, thinking about how inefficient and annoying this would be, discarded the idea. Then, I envisioned a modern Sistine Chapel- with a mural on the ceiling and a large, mattress-like fainting sofa on which people could lie down. Then, the patron could truly immerse themselves in the experience and take the time to really look. I thought this was it, a painting on the ceiling would hold someone's attention. Not only that, but it would give tired museum goers a space to relax in.
Since then, my perspective has changed. In a moment of fate, I stumbled upon a video on the philosophy of La Rochefoucauld. La Rochefoucauld wrote a small book stuffed with keen observations on human nature. However, each idea was written in a concise sentence or two, which made it accessible to the distracted modern man. Before Twitter, La Rochefoucauld knew the power of brevity. A few seconds of attention is all you have.
So, I have given up trying to get your attention. In the brief minute that it takes you to read this essay (statement) I want you to know how I think. I want you to know I love to paint and illustrate. I love fluid lines and movement and symmetry. I love the emotion a face can convey and I like the challenge of capturing it. I love to use charcoal because it is soft, messy and forgiving. I love to use acrylic because it is bright, fast-drying and it feels modern to be painting with plastic. I love to experiment with spices, fire and mirror scraps because I want to come up with new methods and madness. I love to research biographies, philosophy, and strange history because I am fascinated by people. I love to learn and I love to observe. And finally, I want to go to school to become a better artist. I want to go to school to learn how to communicate with clarity so that I can make the most of my six seconds.
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Droves of people flocked to a Van Gogh exhibition on a holiday weekend. There, a procession of people wrapped around the inner walls of the gallery. And with mechanism, each person would look at a painting for a few seconds and then move forward in line. I was dazed and disturbed by this. If Van Gogh can't hold a person's attention for more than a brief moment, what hope is there for anyone? I decided to go back another weekend and this time, research. I spent that afternoon observing the movements of the observers, counting the span of their attention. On average, people would only look at a piece of art for six seconds. There were few outliers.
After this, I made it my intention to design a museum layout or a piece of art that could hold a person's attention. My first thought was a room without distractions. Each artwork would have its own tiny room, where it alone would be the focus. Then, thinking about how inefficient and annoying this would be, discarded the idea. Then, I envisioned a modern Sistine Chapel- with a mural on the ceiling and a large, mattress-like fainting sofa on which people could lie down. Then, the patron could truly immerse themselves in the experience and take the time to really look. I thought this was it, a painting on the ceiling would hold someone's attention. Not only that, but it would give tired museum goers a space to relax in.
Since then, my perspective has changed. In a moment of fate, I stumbled upon a video on the philosophy of La Rochefoucauld. La Rochefoucauld wrote a small book stuffed with keen observations on human nature. However, each idea was written in a concise sentence or two, which made it accessible to the distracted modern man. Before Twitter, La Rochefoucauld knew the power of brevity. A few seconds of attention is all you have.
So, I have given up trying to get your attention. In the brief minute that it takes you to read this essay (statement) I want you to know how I think. I want you to know I love to paint and illustrate. I love fluid lines and movement and symmetry. I love the emotion a face can convey and I like the challenge of capturing it. I love to use charcoal because it is soft, messy and forgiving. I love to use acrylic because it is bright, fast-drying and it feels modern to be painting with plastic. I love to experiment with spices, fire and mirror scraps because I want to come up with new methods and madness. I love to research biographies, philosophy, and strange history because I am fascinated by people. I love to learn and I love to observe. And finally, I want to go to school to become a better artist. I want to go to school to learn how to communicate with clarity so that I can make the most of my six seconds.
