People who enjoy paintings are sometimes reluctant to analyse them for fear of spoiling the richness and spontaneity of their experience It has been suggested that some of the work done by art historians whose concern is with theory rather than practice ignores and indeed denies the aesthetic experience the fundamental pleasure of looking as well as the very special act of artistic creativity This view is a bit like the notion that knowing the ingredients of the recipe recognising the method of cooking and seeing the utensils employed detracts from the taste of the dish