I recently listened to a segment from one of my favorite podcasts, “To The Best of Our Knowledge” (Wisconsin Public Radio), and was touched to hear Alain de Botton’s beautifully articulated ideas on the topic of looking at art. http://www.ttbook.org/book/art-therapy-alain-de-botton

Even though the word “therapy” is in the title, his thinking about how we might relate to art is anything but clinical. I’ve seldom heard a more passionate or succinct description of the relationship between artist, art and viewer.

Édouard Manet (French, 1832-1883). Bunch of Asparagus, 1880. Oil on canvas. 46 x 55 cm (18 1/16 x 21 5/8 in.). Wallraf-Richartz-Museum & Fondation Corboud, Köln