Watching Paint Dry

980 Words2 Pages

The cliché, “It was as boring as watching paint dry,” does not describe the event, which was hosted at the University of North Florida’s Art Gallery. In synopsis, the exhibition titled, “Watching Paint Dry: A Performance Event,” was free and opened to the public, and featured a large piece of canvas upon which paint was drying. The Being Bored: The Art of Ennui literature visited the gallery as a group, since the experience is required to be one of our journal entries.
The students were actively engaged in the process of watching paint, dry. Some who attended the viewing wrote about in their notebooks, took photographs, or conversed about the artwork, as they listened to (repetitive) music. It was evident by the looks on my classmates faces …show more content…

The general public was attracted to this event along with students. Art displays often attract art lovers from all walks of life. This is perhaps the reason for the some of the public’s presence. From my observation, the attendees appeared not to be bored. From the video, it was noted that people from the public as well as students were engaged in this performance event. On the video as well as being physically in the gallery, the patrons were studying the piece of art, speaking to one another about it, writing and photographing the canvas. The audience was captivated by the eccentric work, perhaps because they had never experienced anything like. This is different from watching paint dry on the walls of a home, this watching paint dry is for pleasure, enjoyment, and one’s curiosity. As for the enjoyment of the uncommon art, it is safe to speculate that from the looks on people’s faces many enjoyed the work; however, more were perplexed by it. This bewilderment could be from wondering why and how they came to view such an …show more content…

Mentally, the tune gave depth to the art, creating relaxation and openness of mind. This depth was mental in capacity in that after listening to it for a while, assisted in making someone think about the canvas to the point that melody became relaxing ambient noise. As the piece played it helped to clear the mind. It is possible that it enabled some to take the paint drying experience for what it was; a form of artistic expression. At some point during the viewing, some students complained that the volume was too high, but for most who gathered, the accompaniment was fitting for watching paint dry. In Madame Bovary, music aided Emma in that the, “anxiety soon vanished and swaying to the rhythm of the orchestra, [people] glided forward with gentle motions” (Flaubert 43). It appeared as though the literature class was initially surprised by the instrumental piece. However, for some, their concerns turned to enjoyment as they watched the canvas

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