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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Profound... I went to the exhibit at the Getty yesterday and today I realized I was overwhelmed with all types of emotions and a lot more aware of the emotions of others as I observe them in conversation. Silence, Reflection. Sadness.
Thank You

I had two contradictory, unreconcilable reactions to the exhibition. One was an unsettling sense of the "emperor's new clothes." The work clearly was a labor of love for all concerned, technology and art brought to their highest pitch, yet the emotional payoff eluded me. I suppose it's related to my feeling that documentary film sometimes outshines works of fiction; I believed the actors were feeling something, but I longed for the context that Viola has said he purposefully doesn't provide.

In the days that followed, the images haunted my waking and dreaming. And so perhaps the painterly, even fussy constructions of fabric and skin and pliable emotion made an impact on me that I initially denied.

I suppose I'm still working it through.

I was instantly mesmerized.....I'm encouraging friends and co-workers to visit this exhibition. It's amazing.

Brilliant and profoundly moving. The first important show the Getty has produced. We need more shows like this!

Thank you for these powerful images that evoke a plethora of emotions from the well of my inner being. My adult daughter and I experienced your exibit at The Getty today and I feel a bond closer to her than I can describe in words.

I wanted to cry. Dang, these pieces are almost too emotion, and push those buttons that make you wanna tear your hair out, or weep, or smile, or dizzy... Whatever you see, you begin to feel it. Dang, I'm a new fan of Bill Viola! :)

I was deeply moved. It was beautiful. It is unbelievable that such a simple idea can be so moving... seeing them was an amazing experience.

You call this art??

I heard the interview on KPFA broadcasting from Palm Springs yesterday—when trying to relate Viola's work it all comes down to these single frames to represent what he is doing. He is duping you, himself and others. Why? Any art that can be duplicated is not art; a photo of a Rembrandt is not a Rembrandt. Anything dependant on electricity is dependant on that energy. A real work of art stands alone, not dependant on any other energy source—it's a circus trick, and you have been foiled by this temporary illusion. Real art you can look at and look at and never get tired of looking. All you need is one image to prove what you are saying. I'm so bored with his phony pretentious staged fakes.
Yoko Ono did it all in the early 60's with a smile—why repeat?

The art becomes artless and we find the extraordinary in the ordinary through Bill's work. Grounded and rooted, this man understands.

I just want to know why you don't have anyone smiling or laughing. The show is very depressing...Maybe you could include some happiness in your videos.

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