By: Julian Lander

Julian Lander — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 14:35:14 +0000

I don’t know if it’s entirely a matter of being substantial. There’s also a visual acuity issue here, at least for me. All but the smallest of paintings are meant to be seen from a distance, so the security measures taken by museums don’t generally affect my ability to see them. This might not be true if I were educated enough to want to pick out brushstrokes and such, I realize. But drawings are generally behind glass, often in a glass case, and you can’t get very close to them. They’re also generally shown in dim rooms to preserve them. Those two factors, and my failing eyesight, make it hard for me to see the drawings at all well, so I can’t see them to the same level of detail as I can see a painting.

Comments on: Ink on paper vs. paint on canvas

By: Julian Lander