2005 / march / 29
Mona Lisa Overdrive
In Paris, we didn't
see the Mona Lisa - but we did see the racket around her.
Look at this - it's a disaster zone:
Ten to fifteen lines in front of the painting.
Constant flashes from cameras - which people hold above
their heads.
A madhouse.
I wanted to have a look at the painting
you see on the right
(I don't quite remember what it was anymore - I think a Botticelli),
but an angry guard told me not to stand still.
To get there, you have to walk all the way down a long wing,
filled all the way with art from the Italian renaissance.
Some really beautiful works there. We took over an hour
to walk it slowly, you can see how the artists discover
perspective, how they refine their technique, the light
gets more vibrant and realistic, faces come to light.
And it's amazing how
many people just pass them by, on the way to that one
painting at the end.
So it seems we were there just before she moved back again
to a dedicated room.
A rare day off for the lady (WSJ - registration req.)
