Often, if we go to a museum, we think that we need the knowledge of an expert or a written explanation to understand an artwork. Sometimes you can observe visitors looking for a split second at the artwork, then they read the text and go to the next piece. It seems that we do not think we are competent enough to understand the artwork. After visiting museums for more than 30 years, I have learned that there is a way to do it differently. There is a kind of systematic observation, which very often leads to a moment where you can decipher the artwork and find its own point of view. Following this path builds competency and trust in our own approach of looking. It all starts with careful observation of the "facts" of an artwork, such as colours, figures, forms, format and construction. The leading question is: What can truly be observed? It is astonishing to see how deep you can go and the quality of understanding you can achieve through visual exploration.

For example, the famous painting "Venus with the organ player", by Titan 1550 shows at first glance, a simple story: an organ player is looking at a nude, a goddess.

A second, closer look reveals the secrets of the painting.

Simply following the construction lines shows the intensive interaction of all parts of the artwork. There is a straight line from the instrument - to the ear - to the eye (of the organ player) - to the little angel (Cupido) on the right side, who whispers into the ear of the Venus. All parts are well arranged. The result is a balanced composition.

"Reading" the artwork and the interrelatedness of its elements opens a door to a much more profound understanding. The art theorist of the Renaissance, Leone Battista Alberti, compared an artwork as a window to reality. Using this approach,Titian's painting unfolds as a whole story about dreams, music, the role of imagination, vision and eros. This process is highly self educating. It shows how we relate to a painting, object or situation. We learn who we are, the way we look at things. Is this way of looking to art an exclusive experience? Can we apply the learning to other situations? Imagine, if we exchange the work of art with an organizational situation. Following this same process of observation would lead to a different, more detailed understanding. It would become even more effective if we did this as a collective dialogue approach.