It's all in the details
Learning to look
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I’ve walked past this painting for years, and never really looked at it. It hangs in the History Center in a place I pass by frequently.
I had an idea to record a short video of the painting for a History Buzz post. Sort of a walk down the country road. The video didn’t work out, but looking at the painting so closely I noticed that there is more to the scene than meets the eye with a casual viewing.
Can you see it in this close-up?
I never noticed the woman or the chickens.
Years ago, as a college art history student, one of the first reading assignments was the classic book “Learning to Look” by Joshua Taylor. The book and my art history studies taught me to love looking deeply into paintings to see what details lie there. But this one….this one I passed by almost daily for years without seeing it.
It’s a reminder for me to slow down and look.
To observe.
To find the things I might have missed.
What time of day was the artist depicting? It could be evening. Perhaps the woman is shaking out the tablecloth after a family meal. Taking a few minutes to breathe before returning to her busy household. Listening to the gentle cluck of the chickens.
What other stories could this painting tell?
Thanks for reading!
~Elaine
Just for fun, here are some happy chicken sounds.
Thanks for the reminder to stop and look and observe carefully!
Thank you for sharing. It's amazing what details can be found if you take the time to keep looking!