About

Welcome to Slow Art Online, an art viewer inspired by Slow Art Day, featuring art from The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Slow Art Day is an annual event that invites participants to look at art slowly, ideally spending at least five to ten minutes with each artwork.

You can use Slow Art Online to discover art you haven't seen before, to learn something new, to meditate, to spark ideas as a creative writing prompt, or to find an artwork to visit in person. You can explore the reading room. If you'd like, you can use the timer and try to stay with one artwork for at least five minutes.

Looking at art online isn't the same as looking at art in person. You don't get the same sense of its scale, texture, or physical presence. But you can observe color, composition, and subject matter. You can zoom in to get a closer look at details. You can reflect on how the artwork makes you feel (if anything), and why you think it has that effect. Does it make you ask any questions? And you don't have to just look! You can take notes or try sketching the art. Look away, then look back. Do you notice anything new?

What will you discover when you take your time?