What is it called when someone is utterly absorbed in a piece of art?












1















At one art workshop, the lecturer was describing the state of being when one is fully absorbed in a piece of art.



It is paired with losing a sense of time for a brief moment and sometimes followed by an emotional reaction caused by a particular work.



An example would be when one is looking at paintings and they burst into tears.



I know that there is a word for this state of being. The word could be taken from another language.










share|improve this question









New contributor




Kamil Folwarczny is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.





















  • Please include the research you have done.

    – JJJ
    yesterday











  • And give us a sample sentence please.

    – lbf
    yesterday











  • A term for a general state of absorption (i.e. not restricted to looking at a piece of art) is flow, coined by Hungarian psychologist Csikszentmihalyi. Here is a brief extract from the Wikipedia article: "In essence, flow is characterized by complete absorption in what one does, and a resulting loss in one's sense of space and time".

    – Shoe
    23 hours ago
















1















At one art workshop, the lecturer was describing the state of being when one is fully absorbed in a piece of art.



It is paired with losing a sense of time for a brief moment and sometimes followed by an emotional reaction caused by a particular work.



An example would be when one is looking at paintings and they burst into tears.



I know that there is a word for this state of being. The word could be taken from another language.










share|improve this question









New contributor




Kamil Folwarczny is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.





















  • Please include the research you have done.

    – JJJ
    yesterday











  • And give us a sample sentence please.

    – lbf
    yesterday











  • A term for a general state of absorption (i.e. not restricted to looking at a piece of art) is flow, coined by Hungarian psychologist Csikszentmihalyi. Here is a brief extract from the Wikipedia article: "In essence, flow is characterized by complete absorption in what one does, and a resulting loss in one's sense of space and time".

    – Shoe
    23 hours ago














1












1








1








At one art workshop, the lecturer was describing the state of being when one is fully absorbed in a piece of art.



It is paired with losing a sense of time for a brief moment and sometimes followed by an emotional reaction caused by a particular work.



An example would be when one is looking at paintings and they burst into tears.



I know that there is a word for this state of being. The word could be taken from another language.










share|improve this question









New contributor




Kamil Folwarczny is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.












At one art workshop, the lecturer was describing the state of being when one is fully absorbed in a piece of art.



It is paired with losing a sense of time for a brief moment and sometimes followed by an emotional reaction caused by a particular work.



An example would be when one is looking at paintings and they burst into tears.



I know that there is a word for this state of being. The word could be taken from another language.







single-word-requests






share|improve this question









New contributor




Kamil Folwarczny is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.











share|improve this question









New contributor




Kamil Folwarczny is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.









share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited yesterday









Mitch

52.4k15105220




52.4k15105220






New contributor




Kamil Folwarczny is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.









asked yesterday









Kamil FolwarcznyKamil Folwarczny

1061




1061




New contributor




Kamil Folwarczny is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.





New contributor





Kamil Folwarczny is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.






Kamil Folwarczny is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.













  • Please include the research you have done.

    – JJJ
    yesterday











  • And give us a sample sentence please.

    – lbf
    yesterday











  • A term for a general state of absorption (i.e. not restricted to looking at a piece of art) is flow, coined by Hungarian psychologist Csikszentmihalyi. Here is a brief extract from the Wikipedia article: "In essence, flow is characterized by complete absorption in what one does, and a resulting loss in one's sense of space and time".

    – Shoe
    23 hours ago



















  • Please include the research you have done.

    – JJJ
    yesterday











  • And give us a sample sentence please.

    – lbf
    yesterday











  • A term for a general state of absorption (i.e. not restricted to looking at a piece of art) is flow, coined by Hungarian psychologist Csikszentmihalyi. Here is a brief extract from the Wikipedia article: "In essence, flow is characterized by complete absorption in what one does, and a resulting loss in one's sense of space and time".

    – Shoe
    23 hours ago

















Please include the research you have done.

– JJJ
yesterday





Please include the research you have done.

– JJJ
yesterday













And give us a sample sentence please.

– lbf
yesterday





And give us a sample sentence please.

– lbf
yesterday













A term for a general state of absorption (i.e. not restricted to looking at a piece of art) is flow, coined by Hungarian psychologist Csikszentmihalyi. Here is a brief extract from the Wikipedia article: "In essence, flow is characterized by complete absorption in what one does, and a resulting loss in one's sense of space and time".

– Shoe
23 hours ago





A term for a general state of absorption (i.e. not restricted to looking at a piece of art) is flow, coined by Hungarian psychologist Csikszentmihalyi. Here is a brief extract from the Wikipedia article: "In essence, flow is characterized by complete absorption in what one does, and a resulting loss in one's sense of space and time".

– Shoe
23 hours ago










2 Answers
2






active

oldest

votes


















1














A couple ideas come to mind. This one can be a bit difficult since being absorbed in something seems to require focus, yet it also seems involuntary.



The first word that came to my mind is transfixed.
Transfix is a transitive verb defined by Merriam-Webster as




: to hold motionless by or as if by piercing




This one makes a good bit of sense as its second definition deals with being physically impaled. The art, in this case, is almost forcing you to stop. However, a drawback to this word is that it does not imply much emotion.



Another word that came to mind is entranced.
Entrance is also a transitive verb. It is defined as




: to put into a trance




This one has a bit less force to it, but it more accurately describes that sensation in an emotional sense.



Similar to entranced, you could use enthralled.
Enthrall is another transitive verb. It is defined as




: to hold spellbound : Charm




This one is very similar to entrance.



A fourth word worth thinking about is selah.
Selah is a Hebrew word found throughout the Bible in the book of Psalms. It is generally understood by the context to be a sort of musical direction. Here's an example:




1 O LORD, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me;
2 many are saying of my soul, there is no salvation for him in God. Selah
3 But you, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.
4 I cried aloud to the LORD, and he answered me from his holy hill. Selah




Nobody actually knows the true meaning of the word; however, many suggest that it means something like "stop and listen". This could be something related to that sense of being absorbed in something. Here is the link to the Wikipedia article for the word: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selah



I hope this answered your question!






share|improve this answer








New contributor




Tawiskaru is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.





















  • Already ready up-voted (+1) :) Please add Merriam Webster dictionary links. Good luck !

    – Ubi hatt
    18 hours ago



















1














I'd suggest the word rapt. It means, "carried away in an ecstatic trance" from Latin raptus, past participle of rapere "seize, carry off". A figurative sense, the notion is of "carried up into Heaven (bodily or in a dream)".



Oxford dictionary defines it as,




Completely fascinated or absorbed by what one is seeing or hearing.




The children sat rapt as the puppets danced.



The old guy was seeing the painting with the rapt attention.








share|improve this answer























    Your Answer








    StackExchange.ready(function() {
    var channelOptions = {
    tags: "".split(" "),
    id: "97"
    };
    initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);

    StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function() {
    // Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
    if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled) {
    StackExchange.using("snippets", function() {
    createEditor();
    });
    }
    else {
    createEditor();
    }
    });

    function createEditor() {
    StackExchange.prepareEditor({
    heartbeatType: 'answer',
    autoActivateHeartbeat: false,
    convertImagesToLinks: false,
    noModals: true,
    showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
    reputationToPostImages: null,
    bindNavPrevention: true,
    postfix: "",
    imageUploader: {
    brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
    contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"u003ecc by-sa 3.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
    allowUrls: true
    },
    noCode: true, onDemand: true,
    discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
    ,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
    });


    }
    });






    Kamil Folwarczny is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.










    draft saved

    draft discarded


















    StackExchange.ready(
    function () {
    StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fenglish.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f491137%2fwhat-is-it-called-when-someone-is-utterly-absorbed-in-a-piece-of-art%23new-answer', 'question_page');
    }
    );

    Post as a guest















    Required, but never shown

























    2 Answers
    2






    active

    oldest

    votes








    2 Answers
    2






    active

    oldest

    votes









    active

    oldest

    votes






    active

    oldest

    votes









    1














    A couple ideas come to mind. This one can be a bit difficult since being absorbed in something seems to require focus, yet it also seems involuntary.



    The first word that came to my mind is transfixed.
    Transfix is a transitive verb defined by Merriam-Webster as




    : to hold motionless by or as if by piercing




    This one makes a good bit of sense as its second definition deals with being physically impaled. The art, in this case, is almost forcing you to stop. However, a drawback to this word is that it does not imply much emotion.



    Another word that came to mind is entranced.
    Entrance is also a transitive verb. It is defined as




    : to put into a trance




    This one has a bit less force to it, but it more accurately describes that sensation in an emotional sense.



    Similar to entranced, you could use enthralled.
    Enthrall is another transitive verb. It is defined as




    : to hold spellbound : Charm




    This one is very similar to entrance.



    A fourth word worth thinking about is selah.
    Selah is a Hebrew word found throughout the Bible in the book of Psalms. It is generally understood by the context to be a sort of musical direction. Here's an example:




    1 O LORD, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me;
    2 many are saying of my soul, there is no salvation for him in God. Selah
    3 But you, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.
    4 I cried aloud to the LORD, and he answered me from his holy hill. Selah




    Nobody actually knows the true meaning of the word; however, many suggest that it means something like "stop and listen". This could be something related to that sense of being absorbed in something. Here is the link to the Wikipedia article for the word: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selah



    I hope this answered your question!






    share|improve this answer








    New contributor




    Tawiskaru is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
    Check out our Code of Conduct.





















    • Already ready up-voted (+1) :) Please add Merriam Webster dictionary links. Good luck !

      – Ubi hatt
      18 hours ago
















    1














    A couple ideas come to mind. This one can be a bit difficult since being absorbed in something seems to require focus, yet it also seems involuntary.



    The first word that came to my mind is transfixed.
    Transfix is a transitive verb defined by Merriam-Webster as




    : to hold motionless by or as if by piercing




    This one makes a good bit of sense as its second definition deals with being physically impaled. The art, in this case, is almost forcing you to stop. However, a drawback to this word is that it does not imply much emotion.



    Another word that came to mind is entranced.
    Entrance is also a transitive verb. It is defined as




    : to put into a trance




    This one has a bit less force to it, but it more accurately describes that sensation in an emotional sense.



    Similar to entranced, you could use enthralled.
    Enthrall is another transitive verb. It is defined as




    : to hold spellbound : Charm




    This one is very similar to entrance.



    A fourth word worth thinking about is selah.
    Selah is a Hebrew word found throughout the Bible in the book of Psalms. It is generally understood by the context to be a sort of musical direction. Here's an example:




    1 O LORD, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me;
    2 many are saying of my soul, there is no salvation for him in God. Selah
    3 But you, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.
    4 I cried aloud to the LORD, and he answered me from his holy hill. Selah




    Nobody actually knows the true meaning of the word; however, many suggest that it means something like "stop and listen". This could be something related to that sense of being absorbed in something. Here is the link to the Wikipedia article for the word: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selah



    I hope this answered your question!






    share|improve this answer








    New contributor




    Tawiskaru is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
    Check out our Code of Conduct.





















    • Already ready up-voted (+1) :) Please add Merriam Webster dictionary links. Good luck !

      – Ubi hatt
      18 hours ago














    1












    1








    1







    A couple ideas come to mind. This one can be a bit difficult since being absorbed in something seems to require focus, yet it also seems involuntary.



    The first word that came to my mind is transfixed.
    Transfix is a transitive verb defined by Merriam-Webster as




    : to hold motionless by or as if by piercing




    This one makes a good bit of sense as its second definition deals with being physically impaled. The art, in this case, is almost forcing you to stop. However, a drawback to this word is that it does not imply much emotion.



    Another word that came to mind is entranced.
    Entrance is also a transitive verb. It is defined as




    : to put into a trance




    This one has a bit less force to it, but it more accurately describes that sensation in an emotional sense.



    Similar to entranced, you could use enthralled.
    Enthrall is another transitive verb. It is defined as




    : to hold spellbound : Charm




    This one is very similar to entrance.



    A fourth word worth thinking about is selah.
    Selah is a Hebrew word found throughout the Bible in the book of Psalms. It is generally understood by the context to be a sort of musical direction. Here's an example:




    1 O LORD, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me;
    2 many are saying of my soul, there is no salvation for him in God. Selah
    3 But you, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.
    4 I cried aloud to the LORD, and he answered me from his holy hill. Selah




    Nobody actually knows the true meaning of the word; however, many suggest that it means something like "stop and listen". This could be something related to that sense of being absorbed in something. Here is the link to the Wikipedia article for the word: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selah



    I hope this answered your question!






    share|improve this answer








    New contributor




    Tawiskaru is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
    Check out our Code of Conduct.










    A couple ideas come to mind. This one can be a bit difficult since being absorbed in something seems to require focus, yet it also seems involuntary.



    The first word that came to my mind is transfixed.
    Transfix is a transitive verb defined by Merriam-Webster as




    : to hold motionless by or as if by piercing




    This one makes a good bit of sense as its second definition deals with being physically impaled. The art, in this case, is almost forcing you to stop. However, a drawback to this word is that it does not imply much emotion.



    Another word that came to mind is entranced.
    Entrance is also a transitive verb. It is defined as




    : to put into a trance




    This one has a bit less force to it, but it more accurately describes that sensation in an emotional sense.



    Similar to entranced, you could use enthralled.
    Enthrall is another transitive verb. It is defined as




    : to hold spellbound : Charm




    This one is very similar to entrance.



    A fourth word worth thinking about is selah.
    Selah is a Hebrew word found throughout the Bible in the book of Psalms. It is generally understood by the context to be a sort of musical direction. Here's an example:




    1 O LORD, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me;
    2 many are saying of my soul, there is no salvation for him in God. Selah
    3 But you, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.
    4 I cried aloud to the LORD, and he answered me from his holy hill. Selah




    Nobody actually knows the true meaning of the word; however, many suggest that it means something like "stop and listen". This could be something related to that sense of being absorbed in something. Here is the link to the Wikipedia article for the word: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selah



    I hope this answered your question!







    share|improve this answer








    New contributor




    Tawiskaru is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
    Check out our Code of Conduct.









    share|improve this answer



    share|improve this answer






    New contributor




    Tawiskaru is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
    Check out our Code of Conduct.









    answered yesterday









    TawiskaruTawiskaru

    111




    111




    New contributor




    Tawiskaru is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
    Check out our Code of Conduct.





    New contributor





    Tawiskaru is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
    Check out our Code of Conduct.






    Tawiskaru is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
    Check out our Code of Conduct.













    • Already ready up-voted (+1) :) Please add Merriam Webster dictionary links. Good luck !

      – Ubi hatt
      18 hours ago



















    • Already ready up-voted (+1) :) Please add Merriam Webster dictionary links. Good luck !

      – Ubi hatt
      18 hours ago

















    Already ready up-voted (+1) :) Please add Merriam Webster dictionary links. Good luck !

    – Ubi hatt
    18 hours ago





    Already ready up-voted (+1) :) Please add Merriam Webster dictionary links. Good luck !

    – Ubi hatt
    18 hours ago













    1














    I'd suggest the word rapt. It means, "carried away in an ecstatic trance" from Latin raptus, past participle of rapere "seize, carry off". A figurative sense, the notion is of "carried up into Heaven (bodily or in a dream)".



    Oxford dictionary defines it as,




    Completely fascinated or absorbed by what one is seeing or hearing.




    The children sat rapt as the puppets danced.



    The old guy was seeing the painting with the rapt attention.








    share|improve this answer




























      1














      I'd suggest the word rapt. It means, "carried away in an ecstatic trance" from Latin raptus, past participle of rapere "seize, carry off". A figurative sense, the notion is of "carried up into Heaven (bodily or in a dream)".



      Oxford dictionary defines it as,




      Completely fascinated or absorbed by what one is seeing or hearing.




      The children sat rapt as the puppets danced.



      The old guy was seeing the painting with the rapt attention.








      share|improve this answer


























        1












        1








        1







        I'd suggest the word rapt. It means, "carried away in an ecstatic trance" from Latin raptus, past participle of rapere "seize, carry off". A figurative sense, the notion is of "carried up into Heaven (bodily or in a dream)".



        Oxford dictionary defines it as,




        Completely fascinated or absorbed by what one is seeing or hearing.




        The children sat rapt as the puppets danced.



        The old guy was seeing the painting with the rapt attention.








        share|improve this answer













        I'd suggest the word rapt. It means, "carried away in an ecstatic trance" from Latin raptus, past participle of rapere "seize, carry off". A figurative sense, the notion is of "carried up into Heaven (bodily or in a dream)".



        Oxford dictionary defines it as,




        Completely fascinated or absorbed by what one is seeing or hearing.




        The children sat rapt as the puppets danced.



        The old guy was seeing the painting with the rapt attention.









        share|improve this answer












        share|improve this answer



        share|improve this answer










        answered 21 hours ago









        Ubi hattUbi hatt

        3,378826




        3,378826






















            Kamil Folwarczny is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.










            draft saved

            draft discarded


















            Kamil Folwarczny is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.













            Kamil Folwarczny is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.












            Kamil Folwarczny is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
















            Thanks for contributing an answer to English Language & Usage Stack Exchange!


            • Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!

            But avoid



            • Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.

            • Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.


            To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.




            draft saved


            draft discarded














            StackExchange.ready(
            function () {
            StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fenglish.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f491137%2fwhat-is-it-called-when-someone-is-utterly-absorbed-in-a-piece-of-art%23new-answer', 'question_page');
            }
            );

            Post as a guest















            Required, but never shown





















































            Required, but never shown














            Required, but never shown












            Required, but never shown







            Required, but never shown

































            Required, but never shown














            Required, but never shown












            Required, but never shown







            Required, but never shown







            Popular posts from this blog

            Færeyskur hestur Heimild | Tengill | Tilvísanir | LeiðsagnarvalRossið - síða um færeyska hrossið á færeyskuGott ár hjá færeyska hestinum

            He _____ here since 1970 . Answer needed [closed]What does “since he was so high” mean?Meaning of “catch birds for”?How do I ensure “since” takes the meaning I want?“Who cares here” meaningWhat does “right round toward” mean?the time tense (had now been detected)What does the phrase “ring around the roses” mean here?Correct usage of “visited upon”Meaning of “foiled rail sabotage bid”It was the third time I had gone to Rome or It is the third time I had been to Rome

            Bunad