Of all the ways available to visit a museum, there is one that particularly attracts attention: the way some people view the artwork only through the screen of their mobile phones. It is becoming more common. One usually passes through a cloud of arms with phones raised looking to take selfies or photograph what is in front of them, and thus the experience of going to contemplate the artistic changes: now it is difficult to stand in front of a work without someone standing in front of you to immortalize himself next to this painting or that sculpture. This, of course, only happens in museums that allow taking photos.
The Louvre Museum allows its visitors to take photographs (without… flash, Yes, really). About eight million people pass through its doors every year. Among them, and I witnessed this a few weeks ago, hundreds walk through their rooms without looking directly at the art: they encounter a solemn sight. victory Of Samothrace, click; They enter the room where he appears Freedom leads the people and jellyfish raft, Click. Upon arriving at the crowded room mona lisa, Competition for the best overall photo. The painting is not easy to see due to the number of people there and countless cell phones looking, tapping and clicking to photograph the painting. Many others, when they can get closer, instead of pausing for a few seconds to admire the work of Leonardo da Vinci, turn, stand and tap. Sylvie, now to the next room.
In his short article Don’t think, look. Before the artwork (Anagramma), Mercy Ebarz advocates taking photographs of art, but mainly to be able to perceive the details better: “Do we look at a painting in a museum and in an art gallery in the same way as we look at a print, a photo, a large or small screen, whether slides or not? No. Things get lost. But it’s not that important: I like to take pictures of the details of the work, with photography you see more, the camera helps you see more, to communicate more happily with the work.” The journalist points out that “looking directly is necessary, but taking pictures of the details (…) helps, as it exaggerates the appearance.”
Those who walk into the Louvre with their mobile phones raised, grabbing everything they find on their way, are not falling in love with art – in the literal sense – but rather standing in front of the museum. Mona Lisa Because it is one of the things you must see in Paris. And along the way, they may lose masterpieces like wedding at cana, From Veronese. It is clear that at the Louvre they are aware of the purpose of many, and in the tours they recommend on their website they try not to go unnoticed: “While you wait in line to come face to face with… Mona Lisayou can take the opportunity to take a look at wedding at cana, Right in front of you, even though you’ve already seen it this big. This painting has an area of about 70 square meters and is the largest in the Louvre Museum.
Architect Sonia Rayus criticizes this very thing on her Instagram account: “In the most visited room of the Louvre, everyone looks in the same direction. But not towards the largest, most scandalous, most illuminated painting. No. Everyone looks at a woman with a simple gesture, implied volume and a disputed smile: Mona Lisa. And here we are: cell phones raised, elbows, nudges, expectations inflated by centuries of mythology. As if seeing him in person would open a universal secret, because we are used to looking at what everyone else is looking at.
He adds: “I wonder how many people would be in the Louvre if the use of mobile phones were banned. If you pass through its rooms, you will find the room containing Rubens’s paintings empty.” It is true that the second floor of the museum houses authentic gems that can be enjoyed without crowds. Although it is likely that while you are confronted lace maker, For Vermeer, a painting barely 20 cm long, you are interrupted by someone with a camera, clicking, and moving to the next room.