An investigation into the modern gallery space "constructed along laws as rigorous as those for building a medieval church". The art gallery becomes similar to a church – a sanctified space devoted to the appreciation of art. According to O’Doherty the outside world is cut off from the gallery space, the walls are usually white and the ceiling acts as the light source. He paints a picture of the white cube gallery space that we have all become conditioned towards when viewing modern art, the Ikon gallery in Birmingham could be viewed as such a space for example.
I cannot help but agree with O’Doherty when he states, “We have now reached a point where we see not the art but the space first”, (O’Doherty 1976:14) when I visit a gallery the first thing I notice is the space in which the art is seen. The space becomes intrinsically linked to the work, having the ability to dramatically change the effect the work can have upon the viewer whilst in that area. Although I have not read the text in depth through my initial reading it is clear that the gallery space is not passive. Unconsciously or consciously (in some exhibitions) the space effects how we view a piece of work, therefore it can be viewed with the same level of importance as the work itself!
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