The Detail In Art
The detailed observation of a work of art, in this case, paintings, allows us to glimpse the process of creation and to gather clues about the tale of the artwork.
When one approaches a work of art, in the case of paintings, two things can happen: we may be utterly unimpressed by the painting hanging on a wall, or we may suddenly experience a great reaction within ourselves.
Beyond that intimate and unique conversation between the painting and the viewer, these works of art have the virtue of being passive objects on which an infinite number of analyses can be made.
One can investigate the symbology, the composition, the pure narrative of the painting, and the narrative behind the creation of the picture. And many more layers.
Of this range of approaches, the one that is perhaps least common among art lovers is the literal approach: going directly to the detail, to the particle of the painting.
It is true that until now, there was only one option for this type of analysis, which consisted of visiting a museum and being able to get physically close enough to fix our gaze just a few centimeters from the canvas to observe a particular part of the painting in detail.
