In the best-selling novel The Goldfinch by US writer Donna Tartt, protagonist Theo developed a special relationship with a small oil painting of a chained goldfinch created by Dutch master Carel Fabritius. The painting touches him, transfixes him, dredges up memories of the past, and even seems to be communicating with him whenever he looks at it. Of course, not all of us art lovers can have a famous painting in our private possession like Theo does, but when we go to a museum, how many of us truly spend time marveling at pieces of art?
在唐娜•塔特所著的畅销小说《金丝雀》中，主人公西奥与一幅名为《金丝雀》的油画产生了特别的感情。这幅油画出自荷兰著名画家卡尔•法布里蒂乌斯之手，画中是一只被拴住的金丝雀。这幅画触动了西奥的内心，令他如痴如醉，勾起了他种种的回忆，甚至不论西奥何时看到它，都觉得这画在和自己说话。当然，我们这些艺术爱好者并非人人都能像西奥一样拥有如此有名的私藏。但是，当我们走进博物馆的时候，又有多少人真正驻足于每一幅作品，花时间感受它带来的震撼？

The typical museumgoer grabs a map and spends the next two or three hours tracking down each exhibit’s highlights. They dart from one masterpiece to the next, battling the crowd for a better view, maybe taking a selfie or two, and then checking the item off their bucket list.
博物馆游览者最典型的形象就是：手握地图，用一两个小时苦苦寻找每个展区的“亮点”，然后在名作之间飞奔，从拥挤的人群中努力寻得一处尚佳的角度，留下一两张自拍，最后在自己的“遗愿清单”上划掉此项。
But once they’ve left the museum, can they really say much about the artwork they’ve seen? Do they have any lasting impressions?
但是，当他们离开博物馆时，谁又能真得对自己看过的艺术作品说出一二？或者对哪幅作品印象深刻？
Look deep
“深情”对望
A recent New York Times article suggest we slow down and truly spend time appreciating artwork that draws us in, not analyzing so-called masterpieces just for the sake of appearances.
《纽约时报》最近的一篇文章就建议人们真正花点时间来慢慢品味艺术作品，而不只是对那些所谓名作的外观评头品足。
According to museum researchers, the article says, the average museumgoer spends only 15 to 30 seconds in front of a work of art.
在这篇文章中，研究人员指出，游览博物馆的人在每幅作品前停留的平均时间只有15至30秒左右。
The New York Times interviewed James O. Pawelski, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania who studies connections between psychology and the arts.
《纽约时报》为此采访了宾夕法尼亚大学的教授詹姆斯•帕维斯基，他专门从事心理学与艺术作品间联系的研究。
When you go to the library, you don’t walk along the shelves looking at the spines of the books and on your way out tweet to your friends, ‘I read 100 books today!’, Pawelski said.
帕维斯基教授说，当你走进图书馆时，你匆匆走过一座座书架，都来不及浏览架上图书的书脊，但是当你走出图书馆时，你会立刻在微博上@你的好友们，并写到“我今天又读了100本书！”
Yet that’s exactly how many of us experience museums. “They see as much of art as you see spines on books,” said Pawelski. “You can’t really see a painting as you’re walking by it.”
我们中的很多人也正是这样参观博物馆的。帕维斯基教授说，“他们看艺术作品就像看书架上的书脊一样，如果你只是匆匆走过，你是不可能真正看懂一幅画的。”
Pawelski said that if you do choose to slow down — to find a piece of art that speaks to you and observe it for minutes rather than seconds — you are more likely to connect with the art, and maybe even with yourself.
他还说，如果你能放慢脚步，找到一幅对与你胃口的作品，细细欣赏几分钟而不是几秒钟的匆匆一瞥，那么你也许会与艺术作品有更多的交流，甚至与自己能有更多的沟通。