Fazal Sheikh, photographer, poses in his flat in Zurich, Switzerland, Friday, September 16, 2005. (Keystone/Alessandro Della Bella)
Smriti S.
Amy Herman is a lawyer and art historian who designed a program that uses works of art to improve observation, analysis, and communication skills. Her book Visual intelligence: sharpen your perception, change your life was on both new York Times And Washington Post has entered the bestseller list. Recently she visited the city’s Museum of Art and Photography, where she is a member of the international board.
While in Bangalore, Amy conducted sessions on a program called Art of Perception based on ‘Visual Intelligence’. According to her, Visual Intelligence is the ability to see what others cannot by gaining clarity from multiple perspectives.
“I teach people how to look at works of art to help them improve their visual intelligence, recognize what should be there and what shouldn’t, and understand the importance of multiple perspectives. Art is the medium we use to do this.”
Amy Harman | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Initially a legal practitioner, Amy saw great value in legal education and training, even if she did not find it inspiring. She created a new path that creatively combined legal and visual analysis. This resulted in the development of the program, which was first designed in 2000.
Amy’s training adapts art-based observation techniques to suit different occupational groups – nurses, intelligence officers, military personnel and others. She selects artworks to address the specific challenges faced by each group. Although specific artworks vary, the core methodology focuses on enhancing communication skills.
While most participants are already accomplished leaders, Amy provides new perspectives using the arts, guided by her principle of teaching people to “see differently to see better.” This approach helps people see situations from new angles and improve their communication. Amy’s expertise has seen her provide training to members of the White House, NATO Defense College, Scotland Yard, New York City Police Department, FBI, Interpol, French National Police, and numerous Fortune 500 companies.
In the early days, Amy faced skepticism from police officers and other professionals who questioned how studying art could be beneficial to their work. By seeing and understanding more deeply, individuals can gain new perspectives about their partner, children, and family. Ultimately, many found that this increased perception significantly strengthened their relationships and gave them a new depth.
Amy sees art as “a powerful reminder of human creativity and our ability to solve problems and excel at our work.”
Talking about her foray into writing, Amy says, “I never dreamed I would ever write a book.” She remembers a conversation she had on a flight in February 2012 with a co-passenger who was a literary agent. On learning about Amy’s work, he said, “I’m going to be your agent. You’ll write a book for me, and I’ll get it on the bestseller list.”
At the time Amy thought this was a big claim, but she has since written three books that have not only been on the bestseller lists, but have also been translated into 14 languages.
MAP founder Abhishek Poddar read her books and met Amy over coffee while she was in New York and invited her to MAP. She admits, “I didn’t know much about Indian art before joining the international board at MAP, but seeing art made in India and by Indian artists helped me see the world through their eyes.”
Johannes Vermeer’s Milkmaid | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
From a New York Times article in 2021 | Photo credit: special arrangement
Of all the artworks presented at MAP, there were two photographs that she liked the most, “One was by Fazal Sheikh. He took pictures of widows which I found incredible. The other was from Anoli Perera’s project, who took pictures of women with wigs on their faces; they were amazing.”
According to Amy, people should visit museums and art exhibitions for two reasons. “Art unleashes human creativity and reminds us of our potential. Museums also provide a change in environment, which can change your perspective and thinking.”
She has mixed feelings about digital art. While grateful for museums that have digitized their collections and made them accessible to the world, Amy is skeptical of art produced by AI. Still, she has a deep passion for photography.
“A photographer’s perspective shapes the images we see and photography can help us reframe our view of the world. We all have a camera lens in our eyes – when we see that photography can capture so many different things, it reminds us to think about what we are capturing and what we are looking at.”
Amy remembers how an image of 2021 new York Times The image of an elderly woman in eastern Ukraine cooking in her kitchen while bombs explode around her reminds her of a poem by Johannes Vermeer.milkmaid(1655). “There was a gap of more than 350 years between that painting and the photograph, and it seemed as if there was not a minute’s difference between them.”
“I believe art is the greatest historian of our world – war, economy, disease, celebration, mankind. All of this has existed since the beginning of time. Art is a window to the world and helps us explain things we cannot explain otherwise.”
