Some people hate reading, some love it, but it’s no secret that the lovers of books have an edge on the others when it comes to intellectual matters. Reading opens the mind and allows us to learn facts and words as well as refresh our vocabulary.

There are tons of art-related books, as proven by the bookstore at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, for example. Visiting the Met gives one the opportunity to not only view wonderful works of art but also to read about them after the fact. You can find books about any artist and any time period as well as books specifically describing certain movements or pieces that were significant to art as a whole. It’s pretty much a book lover’s dream, and if you’re an art lover on top of that, then you’ll probably find yourself spending hours in there.

Keeping art vocabulary terms fresh in the brain is really important. The words can help both professionally and as students, where we use terms during critique to describe aspects of one’s work and give helpful suggestions.

Absorbing information through reading has always been what I’ve considered the best way to gain knowledge, but you don’t even need to travel to the Met Museum to do that! If you have a local or campus library nearby, chances are you can find excellent books on material of your choosing there as well.

Don’t be afraid to keep learning, and keep reteaching yourself too! Find a comfy chair, a good book, and dive in. Happy reading!