Learning to look

I gave myself a simple exercise: pick one painting and stay in front of it for ten minutes. No phone, no reading the label first. Just look.

The first two minutes were fine. The next three were boredom, almost embarrassment. And then something shifted — I started noticing decisions. Why that color exactly there? Why does my eye keep returning to the same corner?

I still can't tell you much about the technique. But I left with questions, and I'm starting to think that's the actual skill: not knowing how it's painted, but noticing what it does to you.