The Art of Seeing

Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I, 1907, Gustav Klimt

Last week my sister sent me a link to a New York Times article from their Focus Challenge series on looking at art. The piece, “10-Minute Challenge: Klimt’s Woman in Gold,” by Larry Buchanan, invites readers to closely observe the painting using three prompted questions. When you click on the image, the program times your viewing.

It struck me that dedicating ten minutes to looking at a single artwork is considered a challenge. When you think about how much time we spend consuming media on our devices every day, that feels like a telling commentary on our attention spans.

The exercise deepened my appreciation for the painting—one I’m familiar with and was fortunate to see in person a few years ago. Its richly detailed surface, with a mix of abstract and representational elements, and the embossed gold and silver patterning kept me fully engaged.

Prismascape, 2025, Claudia Shearer

After completing the challenge, I started thinking about my own quilts and the importance of creating work that holds a viewer’s attention beyond the initial visual impact. Texture created through quilting details such as quilting lines hand embellishment, movement suggested through play with color and value, and detailed compositions can all invite someone to spend more time with a piece. One reason I love lecturing to quilt guilds in person is bringing my quilts and letting folks come up and get a close look and touch them. The best photo in the world can never replace the experiencing of textiles in a tactile way.

The exercise had me reflecting on how I consume images as a visual artist who draws inspiration from the world around me. It’s a reminder to slow down and look deeper, moving beyond that first impression to see what else reveals itself over time.

To my readers: I’d love to hear from you and your thoughts of the Klimt Focus Challenge if you’ve given it a try.