h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I'll tell you when I was at the Louvre, it wasn't American tourists in front of the Mona Lisa. Of course, I was just passing through myself to see the Caravaggios in the next room. Besides, everyone knows the Winged Victory of Samothrace is so much more impressive...

Me, I like the Shipwreck picture which is always being renovated when I go.

I fell asleep in the Louvre once. Not in front of the Mona Lisa, though, I have to confess.

It was stolen several years ago. And some people doubt it was the real one that came back. I also think the painting is nothing special, and I wouldn't be interested in it if it wasn't for the mystery. Even though I can see nothing special about the smile.

But actually Michelangelo also made a Mona Lisa like sketch.

Spent a short spell in the Louvre running round to see the Mona Lisa, (badly signposted with bits of paper) and drew these conclusions:

Why?

Can't we have some new debates like why Munch's Scream guy is so upset in the first place

And go see the Venus de Milo instead.

No! No! Anything but The Scream!
Such a terrifying picture.
So.... that must mean that it's a reflection of the subconscious reaction of the viewer, expressed in mad colours and screaming faces.
(I missed my art theory lesson today. So I'm making up for it now.)

There is a smeared quality to the perspective of the Scream (like Casper the friendly ghost stretching out a bit to fit through the crack of a barely opened window) that reminds of stepping in dogdo.


~jwf~ -slipsliding aweigh

Not having seen this "The Scream", I'll just have to build up a picture in my own mind of what it looks like...

The Mona Lisa is just about the most disappointing painting in the Louvre. I got all excited when I first went to Paris about going to see it. Hopeless, its surrounded by bullet proof glass and Japanese tourists and you can't get a reasonable look at all.

To make up for the disappointment I went to the Rodin museum, mainly because he was the only French sculpter I had ever heard of. Wow! That place just blew me away. I really recommend it to anyone visting the city.

Oh and that "ship wreck" painting is by Gericault. Its called "The Wreck of the Medusa".

Julian Barnes did an excellent chapter on 'The Raft of the Medusa' in his novel, 'A History of the World in 10½ Chapters', by the way.

Yes, that's the one. Not good with names. The Mona Lisa is really down in my mental store as "That Di' Capprio picture what everyone goes on about. Small, isn't it"...

That book is the reason why I wanted to see the original. No luck though. I have a feeling, though, that having acheived my ambition the comment would be "big, isn't it".

I don't know much about art...

Art's a funny business. I suspect it's famous only because a famous person painted it, and lots of people started telling themselves and each other that the painting was incredibly valuable, and thus it became valuable. Remember, an antique or piece of art is only worth as much as you can get someone to pay you for it...

I predict in 400 years the picture of dogs playing poker will become the world's most famous and valuable painting for no apparent reason.

Wampus

So basically Mona Lisa, like the emperor, has no clothes on?

Given that its behind so many barriers and bullet proof glass etc its rather hard to tell.

How big IS the Mona Lisa, since you all seem to be yakking on about it?

Hmm, I'd say about the size of a poster. But it could be all the small japanese tourists in front of it making it look bigger.

Ah, the size of a poster. Well, that makes it all clear then

That's odd. It fits exactly on a postcard.

And a postage stamp!!