Weschler – Seeing Is Forgetting the Name of the Thing One Sees

Book page: weschler-seeing-is-forgetting

From: Quotes batch 26

---

Concept

“Irwin’s central concept was that art is not the object, but the experience of perception that happens in the viewer’s mind.” (p. 12)

Behavior

“The behavior of an artist should be a constant process of inquiry, a refusal to accept the world as it is commonly labeled.” (p. 84)

Game Theory

“The ‘art world’ is a game of naming and framing; Irwin won by refusing to play the game according to anyone else’s rules.” (p. 156)

Cognition

“True seeing requires a cognitive shift where you forget the ‘name’ of the thing so you can perceive its actual presence.” (p. 203)

Memory

“Our memory of a space is often a memory of its labels; to really see, you have to bypass the memory and live in the immediate light.” (p. 112)