Reading a painting

Standing in front of a painting for the first time can feel like being asked a question you did not prepare for. A simple method helps, and it works for photographs, posters and film stills too.

Start with what is physically there, before any interpretation. What is the size? A painting two metres high was made to be seen across a room by many people; a small one was made for a single viewer standing close. What materials were used, and are they expensive? Gold and certain blues were once worth more than the painter's fee, and their presence tells you who paid.

Next, follow your own eyes. Where do they go first, and why? Artists control this with light, with lines that point, and with faces, which human beings cannot ignore. Notice what is in shadow or cut off at the edge: what a picture leaves out is a decision too.

Only then ask what it means. Meaning arrives from three directions: the subject itself, the time it was made, and the use it was made for. A portrait of a merchant surrounded by goods is partly an advertisement. A religious scene in a public church is partly an instruction.

Finally, allow a judgement, and separate two kinds. Is it well made — are the hands right, does the composition hold together? And does it work on you? These are different questions, and confusing them is the commonest mistake in a gallery, just as confusing a high score with a good system is the commonest mistake in reading a league table.