Thursday, August 26, 2004

Flashing Mona Lisa When I visited the Louvre last November, there were signs up all around the gallery where the Mona Lisa is located telling you not to use a flash.  You could take all the pictures you wanted, but they didn't want you to use any sort of flash photography.  Of course you still got some people who couldn't figure out how to turn off the flash on their camera, but they still went ahead and took all the pictures their teensy little hearts desired.  They just didn't care. When we went back to the Louvre last month, there were different signs posted clearly stating that you could not use any sort of camera around the Mona Lisa.  Videocamera, digital camera, disposable, whatever -- no cameras allowed.  Perhaps this was in response to the people who couldn't or wouldn't turn off the flash on the cameras, but insisted on taking pictures anyway. So did these signs stop anyone?  No. I heeded the signs, so I have no photos of people taking pictures of the Mona Lisa, but in the five minutes or so that we stood there, dozens of people came up to the painting, several leaning over the railing in front of it as far as they could, and flashed away.  Here's a photo of people doing it last November, when it was ok to do so without a flash, and it looked just the same this summer. It was sad really.  Not only did all these people just ignore what the museum wanted, but they obviously didn't care if they were doing further damage to a painting that is obviously already faded from excessive exposure to light.  The selfishness on display was disgusting.  These people just had to have their crooked, out-of-focus, glare-bouncing-back-off-the-glass picture to take back home and show all their friends (like this guy's horrible picture).  These are the same people who talk through the movies you're trying to watch, stand in front of you in the eight items or less line with twenty pieces of useless crap, and whose kid keeps kicking the back of your seat all the way home on your flight from Paris. Related links: Mona Lisa's Not Smiling:  the painting is obviously not in great shape Fodors.com:  discussion of the display of the Mona Lisa and those who take flash photos of it 6:06:49 PM     |

© Copyright 2005 Alex L. Mauldin.