In the last decades the training of the eye has been promoted to a major objective of all educational activities that take place in museum, galleries and archaeological sites; it has also becomes a serious concern of all professionals who are interested in the effective instruction of art and civilization in every grade of education from kindergarten to university. The book of the poet and painter Henri Michaux En rêvant à partir des peintures énigmatiques offers a successful paradigm of the initiation of this eye to the perception of visual arts. Apart from its undeniable literary merit, the book offers an exemplary description of works of art, a literary category known even since Antiquity, as well as a proposal of creative perception of various visual forms. Its careful reading reveals that neither previous relevant knowledge of or information on the work of art nor specific terminology are the crucial prerequisites for communicating with it, but mainly receptivity and trained senses. In this article we analyze the main components of Henri Michaux’s approach that enhance his book and make it a suitable model for museum, school and even personal education.
Training the Eye in Henri Michaux’s Way
30 Aug 2012
by Archaeology Newsroom
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