Browse the reactions of other viewers to Viola's work below.

These reactions were submitted to this site between January 17 and April 28, 2003. The site is now closed to new reactions.

The opinions presented here may have been edited and do not reflect the opinions of the Getty.

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After 2 hours in the exhibition I had to leave to get somewhere. I will go back to see it again. It is a new way of seeing and showing. Not a gimmick. Conceptual yes; but executed so well to withstand the scrutiny possible by this slow moving unfolding of the human experience. Bravo!

Deeply profound. I was moved immeasurably by Bill's work. Silent Mountain was the quintessential of four principles that Bill's work is based on:

1. Order
2. Discipline
3. Persistence
4. Intensity

It reminds me of a rare work a young Flemish artist named Patrick Forrest circa 16th century. A moving sentiment that echoes the thoughts "so true, so true."

Five Angels allows you to experience art in a new way. For me it was a sensation of experiencing dimensions in five different ways at the same time. Bravo, Viola, incredible work!

I think Viola's work continuously explores the trite caverns of the acceptable art domain. I do not believe his art reveals the unseen. I'm not affected at all by his work and I don't think he will figure out what's wrong with it either.

I just saw the show today. Emergence was awesome. It was all spectacular, even his older video works. Blew my mind. Fabulous, the whole thing. A must see... I plan to go back and see it again. :-)

I have never felt the seconds ripped so suddenly from the inner security of my mind. The painfully slow subtleties of emotion opened up in those silences only the observer—only in his or her own solitude—can even begin to take hold of. Quiet yet explosive, the anticipation of each frame made me savor what was before me, yet I could not help but yearn for the release and watch the scene repeat itself again.

I visited the Getty last weekend. My wife and I viewed the film on Bill Viola, Bill Viola and Emergence. I must say that I have never had much interest in Bill's form of art. But I walked out of the film fascinated by what I saw. I think what struck me was the simplicity of the pieces.
We rented that audio tour. I found myself listening to the comments associated with the pieces Bill talked about in the film.

It's not about the visible, and then it is.
It's not old, it's not new, and then it is.
It's not about religion, it's about spirituality.
These are paraphrases of some of Viola's ideas that I've found on this site as well as within the exhibition. It is this essential and constant contradiction that disturbs me more than large video screens with slo-mo divers.
Pablo Picasso once said, "art is a lie." From what I've seen, Bill Viola does seem to be very good at lying, while simultaneously revealing nothing.

[Translation from Spanish:] I saw the Bill Viola video in ARCO 2003 and I think it is one of those works with images that moves people. Viola fools visitors by making them believe that those people (in the video) are looking at something and suffering because they are witnessing something horrible, that we don't know what is. I am a journalist and a writer, and I have seen many videos in exhibitions and in art fairs. All of them look the same to me. Bill Viola surprises with his work, full of strength and delicacy, at the same time. Intriguing. Congratulations Bill for the PASSIONS that subtlety escapes from the plain art full of special effects that bores us and makes us sleep.

It was so captivating and brilliant. It is by far the best exhibit I have ever seen. It was very moving. It was somewhat of a turnoff finding out that they were just actors, but nonetheless, they did an amazing job! Silent Mountain and Emergence were my utmost favorites in the exhibit. I am definitely coming back and bringing some friends!

I was in awe. I've seen every piece of Viola's since the 70's when he'd come to lecture at Gene Youngblood's video art classes. When I saw The Greeting I thought that Viola had reached the zenith of his career. But I was wrong. Silent Mountain still resonates in me many days after seeing it. And if Silent Mountain resonates, then I don't even know what to call the feeling that Five Angels for the Millennium left me with! Transcendence maybe. The joy of knowing that man can be uplifted. Needless to say, I love this show.

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