Lessons from staring at a painting for a full hour
Forcing yourself to focus on the same thing for a full hour has its benefits
Oliver Burkeman is a British journalist that writes about productivity and time management and is author of “Four Thousand Weeks.” In the book, the author tells a story about a professor that challengers her students to go to a museum and look at a painting or a sculpture for three hours, so we did a modified version of that. Plus, learn “run out.”
Also in Today's Lesson
Transcript
Here’s what it’s like to look at one painting for a full hour
Lesson summary
Hi there, I’m Jeff and this is Plain English lesson number 497. JR is the producer and he has uploaded today’s full content to PlainEnglish.com/497.
Earlier this year, I read a book called “Four Thousand Weeks” by the British journalist Oliver Burkeman. For anyone struggling to “get it all done” or “find enough hours in the day,” I highly recommend the book. But that’s not what we’re talking about today.
In the book, the author tells a story about a professor of art at Harvard University, Jennifer Roberts. One of the assignments that Professor Roberts gives her students is this: go to a museum and look at a painting or a sculpture for three hours.
Oliver Burkeman takes the challenge in his book and I, too, decided to take a modified version of the challenge. I decided to look at a painting for one full hour. I’m not an art student whatsoever, so I think one hour for me is about the equivalent of three hours for an art student. In today’s lesson, I’ll tell you what it was like to look at a single painting for a full hour.
In the second half of today’s lesson, we’ll review the phrasal verb “run out,” and we have a song of the week. Let’s dive in.
Look at a painting for an hour
Three hours—or even just one hour—seems like an absurdly long time to look at just one painting. Think of the last time you were in a museum. What is the longest time you spent in front of any one object? Five minutes? So what could you possibly learn from a painting in an hour that you couldn’t get in, say , ten minutes?
Furthermore, the challenge is not to look at a painting for three hours, while also checking notifications on your phone, while also listening to music, while also getting something from the refrigerator, what have you. The idea is to look at a painting and study it, with no distractions.
I was recently in Kansas City, Missouri, a medium-sized city in the center of the country. While I was there, I visited the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. I chose a painting whose title I can’t pronounce—but here’s what I think it is: “The Garden of Les Mathurins at Pontoise,” (oh, I hope my high school French teacher isn’t listening) — “The Garden of Les Mathurins at Pontoise,” painted in 1876 by Camille Pissarro.
It’s an oil painting on a large canvas, about 165 centimeters across by 113 centimeters high. There was a bench in front of the painting in the museum. I took a seat and turned my phone’s notifications off. I set a timer for an hour.
I began by noticing everything that was going on in the painting: what things were depicted? After eleven minutes, I thought I had seen everything. What was I going to do for the next forty-nine minutes?
Then I decided to look at what I was seeing and study why I was seeing it. What did the artist do to make the leaves on a tree look like they were in motion? If the tree and the grass are both green, how did the artist show me what’s in the foreground and what’s in the background? There’s a brick path that wanders through a garden, but it’s hidden by the grass. How did I know, as a viewer, that the path continued if I couldn’t see it? What did the artist do to show me something that was obscured?
I looked at angles, I looked at colors, I looked at shadows, I looked at the direction of the brushstrokes—things I had never looked closely at before. I came to appreciate the planning, the techniques, the care that the artist put into his work.
And in the process of looking closely, I also found things that had not been visible to me before. More than thirty minutes into my hour, I noticed a dog in a window. After that, I noticed a railing that I hadn’t seen before, and what looked like a fountain.
During the hour, I would sit on the bench and look up. I would stand up and look closely at a specific part. I would step back, and sit down again. The museum that day wasn’t crowded, but there would occasionally be two or three other people looking alongside me. When that happened, I felt possessive, almost jealous; I felt like I didn’t want to share the painting with anyone else. One person spent about five minutes at the paining; the rest spent 15 to 30 seconds each. I bet nobody else saw the dog.
A funny thing happened at 48 minutes: I started to feel like my time was running out . When I started the exercise, an hour felt like an eternity. What was I going to do for sixty full minutes? But after 48 minutes, I felt the opposite. I didn’t want to leave; I wanted to take advantage of the twelve minutes that remained. In the end, I stayed a little longer than an hour.
If you’re a Harvard art student, the purpose of the exercise is to study the piece, to note your thoughts and observations during the three-hour assignment. I’m not an art student whatsoever, so for me the exercise had a different purpose. The purpose for me was to take a long time and just enjoy something for its own sake, without thinking about “getting through” the museum, or “seeing it all.” There are no boxes to check, no things to cross off a list, no plans to make, no time pressure at all. It was just a full hour—or however long I wanted—and one thing to enjoy, with no outside pressure.
Try it yourself
You can do this, too. It can be with a painting or a sculpture, like I described. But if you’re not into that, you can do it with something else, too. If you’re into nature, you can go on a hike, find a nice place to sit, and just observe the view for an hour. If you’re more into cities, you can sit on a city street corner and just observe what you see for an hour, two hours, whatever.
If you’re into music, it might be harder. If you want to try this with music, you should turn the lights off and just listen and concentrate on the same piece for an hour; play it a few times. The point is to eliminate distractions and just enjoy something pleasant for what seems like a very long time, with no pressure at all. See if you can do it!
¿Hablas español?
The transcript of this lesson is available with interactive translations into Spanish. In each lesson transcript, we select about one hundred difficult words, phrases , and expressions for translation.
How is this different than simply using a translation engine?
Translation engines are powerful tools for communicating in the modern world . However, they often miss the context and can either mislead you or leave you confused . Our human translators are here to make sure that you’re getting not only the correct definition, but also the full context .
How can I use the translations in my studies?
Most members use the translations as they are listening to the lesson and reading along . When you come across a word you don’t understand, you don’t have to press pause to discover the meaning . You can simply hover your mouse over the highlighted word . This lets you learn the definition of the word without having to press pause on the audio.
Do the translations work on mobile?
Yes! Instead of hovering over a highlighted word, just tap on it .
How can I access the translations?
Translations are included in two memberships: Plain English Plus+ and Starter. Choose a plan and get started today!
你说中国话？
The transcript of this lesson is available with interactive translations into your language. In each lesson transcript, we select about one hundred difficult words, phrases , and expressions for translation.
How is this different than simply using a translation engine?
Translation engines are powerful tools for communicating in the modern world . However, they often miss the context and can either mislead you or leave you confused . Our human translators are here to make sure that you’re getting not only the correct definition, but also the full context .How can I use the translations in my studies?
Most members use the translations as they are listening to the lesson and reading along . When you come across a word you don’t understand, you don’t have to press pause to discover the meaning . You can simply hover your mouse over the highlighted word . This lets you learn the definition of the word without having to press pause on the audio.
Do the translations work on mobile?
Yes! Instead of hovering over a highlighted word, just tap on it .
How can I access the translations?
Translations are included in two memberships: Plain English Plus+ and Starter. Choose a plan and get started today!
Parlez-vous français?
The transcript of this lesson is available with interactive translations into your language. In each lesson transcript, we select about one hundred difficult words, phrases , and expressions for translation.
How is this different than simply using a translation engine?
Translation engines are powerful tools for communicating in the modern world . However, they often miss the context and can either mislead you or leave you confused . Our human translators are here to make sure that you’re getting not only the correct definition, but also the full context .How can I use the translations in my studies?
Most members use the translations as they are listening to the lesson and reading along . When you come across a word you don’t understand, you don’t have to press pause to discover the meaning . You can simply hover your mouse over the highlighted word . This lets you learn the definition of the word without having to press pause on the audio.
Do the translations work on mobile?
Yes! Instead of hovering over a highlighted word, just tap on it .
Can I see a sample?
Yes, please visit PlainEnglish.com/sample to see a sample episode with the Spanish translations.
How can I access the translations?
Translations are included in two memberships: Plain English Plus+ and Starter. Choose a plan and get started today!
Você fala português?
The transcript of this lesson is available with interactive translations into your language. In each lesson transcript, we select about one hundred difficult words, phrases , and expressions for translation.
How is this different than simply using a translation engine?
Translation engines are powerful tools for communicating in the modern world . However, they often miss the context and can either mislead you or leave you confused . Our human translators are here to make sure that you’re getting not only the correct definition, but also the full context .How can I use the translations in my studies?
Most members use the translations as they are listening to the lesson and reading along . When you come across a word you don’t understand, you don’t have to press pause to discover the meaning . You can simply hover your mouse over the highlighted word . This lets you learn the definition of the word without having to press pause on the audio.
Do the translations work on mobile?
Yes! Instead of hovering over a highlighted word, just tap on it .
Can I see a sample?
Yes, please visit PlainEnglish.com/sample to see a sample episode with the Spanish translations.
How can I access the translations?
Translations are included in two memberships: Plain English Plus+ and Starter. Choose a plan and get started today!
日本語は話せますか？
The transcript of this lesson is available with interactive translations into your language. In each lesson transcript, we select about one hundred difficult words, phrases , and expressions for translation.
How is this different than simply using a translation engine?
Translation engines are powerful tools for communicating in the modern world . However, they often miss the context and can either mislead you or leave you confused . Our human translators are here to make sure that you’re getting not only the correct definition, but also the full context .How can I use the translations in my studies?
Most members use the translations as they are listening to the lesson and reading along . When you come across a word you don’t understand, you don’t have to press pause to discover the meaning . You can simply hover your mouse over the highlighted word . This lets you learn the definition of the word without having to press pause on the audio.
Do the translations work on mobile?
Yes! Instead of hovering over a highlighted word, just tap on it .
Can I see a sample?
Yes, please visit PlainEnglish.com/sample to see a sample episode with the Spanish translations.
How can I access the translations?
Translations are included in two memberships: Plain English Plus+ and Starter. Choose a plan and get started today!
Parli italiano?
The transcript of this lesson is available with interactive translations into your language. In each lesson transcript, we select about one hundred difficult words, phrases , and expressions for translation.
How is this different than simply using a translation engine?
Translation engines are powerful tools for communicating in the modern world . However, they often miss the context and can either mislead you or leave you confused . Our human translators are here to make sure that you’re getting not only the correct definition, but also the full context .How can I use the translations in my studies?
Most members use the translations as they are listening to the lesson and reading along . When you come across a word you don’t understand, you don’t have to press pause to discover the meaning . You can simply hover your mouse over the highlighted word . This lets you learn the definition of the word without having to press pause on the audio.
Do the translations work on mobile?
Yes! Instead of hovering over a highlighted word, just tap on it .
Can I see a sample?
Yes, please visit PlainEnglish.com/sample to see a sample episode with the Spanish translations.
How can I access the translations?
Translations are included in two memberships: Plain English Plus+ and Starter. Choose a plan and get started today!
Sprechen Sie Deutsch?
The transcript of this lesson is available with interactive translations into your language. In each lesson transcript, we select about one hundred difficult words, phrases , and expressions for translation.
How is this different than simply using a translation engine?
Translation engines are powerful tools for communicating in the modern world . However, they often miss the context and can either mislead you or leave you confused . Our human translators are here to make sure that you’re getting not only the correct definition, but also the full context .How can I use the translations in my studies?
Most members use the translations as they are listening to the lesson and reading along . When you come across a word you don’t understand, you don’t have to press pause to discover the meaning . You can simply hover your mouse over the highlighted word . This lets you learn the definition of the word without having to press pause on the audio.
Do the translations work on mobile?
Yes! Instead of hovering over a highlighted word, just tap on it .
Can I see a sample?
Yes, please visit PlainEnglish.com/sample to see a sample episode with the Spanish translations.
How can I access the translations?
Translations are included in two memberships: Plain English Plus+ and Starter. Choose a plan and get started today!
Sen Türkçe konuşmayı biliyor musun?
The transcripts of Plain English lessons are available with interactive translations into your language. In each lesson transcript, we select about one hundred difficult words, phrases , and expressions for translation. Turkish translations are available starting at Lesson 278.
How is this different than simply using a translation engine?
Translation engines are powerful tools for communicating in the modern world . However, they often miss the context and can either mislead you or leave you confused . Our human translators are here to make sure that you’re getting not only the correct definition, but also the full context .How can I use the translations in my studies?
Most members use the translations as they are listening to the lesson and reading along . When you come across a word you don’t understand, you don’t have to press pause to discover the meaning . You can simply hover your mouse over the highlighted word . This lets you learn the definition of the word without having to press pause on the audio.
Do the translations work on mobile?
Yes! Instead of hovering over a highlighted word, just tap on it .
Can I see a sample?
Yes, please visit PlainEnglish.com/sample to see a sample episode with the Spanish translations.
How can I access the translations?
Translations are included in two memberships: Plain English Plus+ and Starter. Choose a plan and get started today!
Mówisz po polsku?
The transcript of Plain English lessons are available with interactive translations into your language. In each lesson transcript, we select about one hundred difficult words, phrases , and expressions for translation. Polish translations are available starting at Lesson 278.
How is this different than simply using a translation engine?
Translation engines are powerful tools for communicating in the modern world . However, they often miss the context and can either mislead you or leave you confused . Our human translators are here to make sure that you’re getting not only the correct definition, but also the full context .How can I use the translations in my studies?
Most members use the translations as they are listening to the lesson and reading along . When you come across a word you don’t understand, you don’t have to press pause to discover the meaning . You can simply hover your mouse over the highlighted word . This lets you learn the definition of the word without having to press pause on the audio.
Do the translations work on mobile?
Yes! Instead of hovering over a highlighted word, just tap on it .
Can I see a sample?
Yes, please visit PlainEnglish.com/sample to see a sample episode with the Spanish translations.
How can I access the translations?
Translations are included in two memberships: Plain English Plus+ and Starter. Choose a plan and get started today!
Audio
The fast version of this lesson is available for subscribers of Plain English Plus+.
Download PDF