Sunday, August 22, 2010

the height of futility

Just what is up with these people who take pictures of paintings at museums? I mean, it's one thing to snap a shot of the Mona Lisa if you're at the Louvre - you're kind of obligated to do it, almost - but another thing entirely to take pictures of every damn Monet at the MOMA. And you want to know what's even more looney than that? Having someone take a picture of you, *next to* the painting. What's up with that? You don't have a good potrait shot of yourself, because everyone's like, "Hey, is that a Monet next to you?" And at the same time, you don't have a good photo of the Monet, because your ordinariness and mortality are presented in stark contrast to the timeless masterpiece next to you, thus diminishing its aesthetic impact.

I saw this happen time and again while I was in New York City. And you know who the biggest offenders were? Yep, you guessed it: Japanese tourists.

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