Seven Days in the Art World

1005 Words3 Pages

Sarah Thornton has described, in detail, various people during her experience in the art world. Her description of each individual is supposed to be of an unbiased opinion. While reading, it is shown that such writing is not always presented; leading the readers to have a biased opinion formed for them. This is shown as she stumbled on Hans Ulrich Obrist; an art curator, historian, and critic. Thornton quickly jumped to a conclusion of Obrist’s attitude towards the art world; making her “nonjudgmental participant observer” (Thornton 256) hard to come by.

Right from the beginning statement of Hans Ulrich Obrist, it is obvious that Thornton thinks positively of him. “The swiftest conversation I had in Venice was with Hans Ulrich Obrist” (249). Thornton uses the word ‘swiftest,’ which can be denoted as quickly. Looking deeper, it seems that when she uses the word ‘swiftest,’ she really means that it went smoothly, and Obrist was indeed a clever man. Such a word seems very nonchalant in context, but the way Sarah Thornton uses it has much more meaning. Obrist was very personable, and it shows that he left a strong impression on Thornton. Things become a little more skeptical as one continues reading; Thornton explains that, at first, she was negatively affected by Obrist. “The first time I met Obrist, I thought he was a manic visitor from another planet, but now I relish his creative common sense” (249). Thornton describes Obrist in an abstract and awkward way, later realizing his creative judgment. Examining the words ‘manic visitor,’ in detail, it can be perceived that Thornton felt out of place; uncomfortable with Obrist’s different personality. While growing to know him, Thornton realizes that he is just more outgoing than any...

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...ay positively. Typically, such a phrase would be considered rude, as stated. However, Thornton seems to be blinded by her already biased opinion on Obrist, and therefore writes it as a positive trait. This example shows the difficulty writer’s face while trying to describe individuals in an unbiased manner.

The narration that Sarah Thornton uses to describe Hans Ulrich Obrist is portrayed in an optimistic way. Such writing directly effects readers, making them unable to form their own idea of a person. The struggle that nonfiction author’s face while trying to sketch out the characteristics of a person, without trying to seem biased, is a very difficult challenge. Meeting someone, and seeing how they interact with other people, leads to a self-conclusive opinion of that person. This makes it hard not to bring certain tones while writing about such an individual.

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