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Smaller works of art draw the viewer in. There’s no standing back to see the whole image. Details emerge. You’ll want to step closer to get a better look.

"Public Good" by David Opdyke 12" x 12" x 6"

Some smaller pieces of art were never meant to hang on a wall. In fact, many have been created for the eyes of a loved one only. This velvet-lined self-portrait is pocket-sized. It was painted on ivory in 1828 by Sarah Goodridge, for her the man in her life—the famous American statesman Daniel Webster.

Beauty Revealed, Sarah Goodridge, Watercolor on ivory, 2 5/8" x 3 1/8"

Daniel Webster, looking cranky despite the pretty picture in his pocket. Stock Montage/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Other less intimate but equally diminutive pieces work quite nicely on a bookshelf. This one—a 4″-square landscape from New Zealand—graces mine:

4"-square landscape painting by New Zealand artist Lianne Adams-Tull on bookshelf

Some smaller pieces of art really need to be seen on the wall to get their full effect. Look at this close-cropped portrait of Robert De Niro on Zatista’s virtual room to see the great impact even the most diminutive portrait can have:

Heat 2, by Michael Davis, Acrylic, 9.8 ” x 7.9 ”

(Coincidentally, De Niro’s father, Robert De Niro, Sr. was a famous abstract expressionist painter.)

If you like the idea of famous people in small packages, there’s a show of Polaroids shot by Andy Warhol from the 70’s and 80’s of legendary athletes (Pelé, Dorothy Hamill, and Muhammad Ali, to name a few) at Danziger Projects in New York City through December 12.

What tiny works of art appeal to you?

It’s easy to think of images of death as macabre and morbid, as looking on the dark side of life. But in art, images of death have often had a more vivifying role—to remind us that we are in the midst of life’s fleeting brightness, and not to let it pass by. If you’ve been to Prague, you’ve most likely seen the famous fifteenth-century clock with a skeleton perched by its side, flipping an hourglass every hour to remind us that time is running out:

Granted, in Medieval Europe the idea was that you were to think of your impending judgment in the afterlife. But thankfully, this is art. It’s beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and this beholder chooses to see the depiction of death in art as very life affirming—to remind me that life will end, and to make something of it while it lasts.

This painting follows the Dutch still-life style called vanitas, which would often include skulls as symbols of impermanence:

But often the still life would include subtler symbolism. This one employs a bouquet of flowers with a few stems beginning to wilt and wither:

Of course, Europeans aren’t the only ones to depict death beautifully. Here’s a Japanese nineteenth century wood block print that just might be my favorite:

And of course there are the many contributions of modern-day popular culture. Here are some from the punk and heavy-metal music scenes:

The list wouldn’t be complete without Eddie, Iron Maiden’s poster boy, drawn by the illustrator Derick Riggs:

Do you have any favorite images to help remind you that the clock is ticking?

The sad truth is, pigeons may have an easier time discerning “good” art than us human beings do. And I’d say one reason is they’re not hampered by what Kurt Vonnegut Jr. called “those great big brains.” A pigeon doesn’t look at a painting and worry about what it says about them. Instead, they see it as either a bad piece of art or a good piece of art. Take the avian approach, and you’ll never second-guess your taste in art again.

Here’s a young man taking a very unpigeon-like approach to art appreciation:

He’s not looking at the Mona Lisa, perhaps the most famous painting in the world. Instead, he’s having his picture taken in front of it. Clearly he knows he should appreciate it. It’s important to him that his friends and family see him next to that woman and her mysterious smile. It shows he has Good Taste—that he can embrace the subtle genius of Leonardo da Vinci. But does he really? Or is it just that he knows he’s supposed to like it?

If you’re thinking of throwing some art up on the wall, forget about what you’re supposed to like. Don’t think about what it says about you. Instead, channel your inner pigeon. If your frontal lobe takes over and starts chattering about how impressed the neighbors will be, well forget it. Instead, does the image make your mind sing? Do you fall into a mini trance? Then you’re on the right path. Here are a few examples of pieces of art that work for me:

Liza2 by Francois Chartier

Nobscusset Light by Shawn Nelson

What art works for you? Not sure? Well, channel your inner bird brain and you’ll start to find out.