October 17, 2025
Thanks to Alissa Simon, HMU Tutor, for today’s post.
In Macbeth, King Duncan says, “There’s no art to find the mind’s construction in the face.” To put it bluntly, the King laments the fact that we cannot know what’s below the surface. Below the surface, underneath the skin, humans buzz with thoughts, emotions, and questions. These hidden things act as motivation for our actions. In Macbeth, King Duncan’s unfortunate lack of insight is his undoing.
Furthermore, Henry David Thoreau writes, “The question is not what you look at, but what you see.” In other words, observation plays a key role in our reality also. Using Thoreau’s statement as the premise for our series on art, HMU Tutor Gary Schoepfel arranged various quotes and paintings for an inquiry-based discussion series. Thought-provoking and insightful, each discussion explored connections between art and reality. What do painters see that makes them paint a subject in the way that they do? What does the viewer see?
Gary opened each conversation with a close reading of a quote or poem which connected directly to a painting, as in the case of “Musée des Beaux Arts” by W. H. Auden and Pieter Brueghel the Elder’s painting Landscape with the Fall of Icarus. At the bottom right corner of the painting, you might happen to notice a pair of legs splashing into the ocean. Or you might not. Apparent in the painting, however, life continues at its regular pace, despite the tremendous fall of Icarus. As the shepherd and plowman trudge on, Icarus lands head first in the ocean. Why didn’t Breughel place Icarus in the center? What is the focus of this painting?
During our discussions, Gary reminded us that it doesn’t matter what the painter intended. What matters is what you see. And honestly, with nearly every painting, the more we looked, the more we saw. As with an onion, nuances such as body position, head tilt, shades and shadows, color contrasts, angles, spacial features, etc. increased our emotional response or added context.
As we viewed a series of portraits, we compared and contrasted the paintings, but more than that, we offered our own personal opinions. Not scholarly in any technical sense, Gary gave us the freedom to explore our own emotions. He asked: would we approach this person? Is the painter interested or involved with the subject or is this a disinterested representation? In what way(s) do portraits participate with beauty? With truth?
In my mind, portraits offer this wonderful bridge between subjective and objective. Though we are looking at an individual, the painter wishes to express something universal. In other words, the painting’s subject, like all of us, transcends the personal. Rather the painter wants to demonstrate something of universal value.
Although I was only able to attend a couple of these discussions, I am immensely grateful to Gary Schoepfel for organizing the series. I’m also grateful to the rest of the participants for offering such stunning commentary. I learned as much about myself as I did the paintings, and I am grateful for the time to both look and see.
Photo credits: Shutterstock/ Gorodenkoff
Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Landscape with the Fall of Icarus, public domain
