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Art May Hold the Key to Reclaiming Focus in a Hyper-Accelerated World

In an age of overstimulation, artist Gail Wegodsky argues that lingering in front of a painting can be a radical act of presence.

In the modern world, driven by social media and short attention spans, living never seems to slow down let alone stop. We’re flooded with information and images that vanish just as fast. Attention is fleeting; we’re pulled from screen to screen and headline to headline. My husband and I were recently talking about how much the experience of watching TV has changed since I was a child. Back then, it was all black and white with only three channels to choose from, and all of them went off the air at midnight. Today we’re faced with an endless array of channels screaming at us for attention 24/7. Art remains one of the few things left that still challenges this contemporary reality. In fact, it could be the key to reclaiming our ability to slow down, focus and truly understand the world around us.

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Now, even network television programs are often interrupted with clutter. Moving images and graphics jump and float across the bottom of the screen promoting the next program in the lineup, all designed to pull the eye away from what is already being watched. Even something as simple as watching The Andy Griffith Show no longer feels like a calming experience. The screen is overcrowded, chock full of visual disruptions and long commercial breaks. Stillness and storylines........

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