Art really is timeless—and that’s true across all mediums, be it photography, sculpture, or something like literature or movies. to determine what I mean about the timeless nature of art, look no further than books. Here, you’ll find works that would be a century old, two centuries, or maybe even older than that. And yet, we still read them today and obtain value from them.

That’s because these works are timeless. But what does that mean? within the most simple sense, it implies that there’s something in these books that, despite the passage of your time, still resonates with a contemporary audience. Stories of affection or stories of war, tales that feature strife and conflict—these are all things we experience today. Sure, we’ve got more technology, and our surroundings have changed quite drastically. But there are certain themes that we’ll always relate to. These are universal parts of the human condition that may always hold true regardless of the amount of your time.

That’s a method within which art is often timeless—by featuring themes that are eternally valid. But in a different way than art is timeless? Let’s use literature as an example again because it’s one in every of the simplest ways parenthetically the concept. Many people return to their favorite books over and over, rereading them every few years. And there’s an honest reason for that. It’s not only because these works are repeatedly enjoyable, but also because anytime we revisit them, there’s something unaccustomed be gained. It may well be details that you just missed the primary time around or meanings that you’d not seen before.

The interesting thing about art is that these laws of timelessness are even as applied to literature as they’re to the other sort, including photography. To my mind, timelessness is the foundational aspect that creates a photograph something we might consider art-worthy.

I’ve talked before about spending time with images instead of flipping through them rapidly as our online habits and our instant gratification culture tempt us to try and do. This can be the rationale why we should always spend time with the pictures that we enjoy. Because after you revisit them, there should be something new be gained. Sometimes, after you look again, you must be able to feel things you’d almost felt before, or see new meanings that weren’t evident until you happened to give some thought to the image in a different way from usual.

This is what makes art enriching. It’s not meant to be a fast experience during which we see a photograph, then smile and nod before moving on. Timeless art has depth, complexity, and elements that resonate with the audience regardless of where or once they are from. But it takes time to immerse during this depth and complexity. New thoughts and ideas are notorious for being slow to create. Take all the time you wish with a bit of art so as to really see it because it was meant to be.