Brody Week 12: The Abuse and Lack of Appreciation for True Art
Molly Malone Statue in Dublin, Ireland
Art is one of the main fundamentals of language. Through the many eras of history, from the renaissance to modern art, people have expressed beliefs, knowledge, history, and so many other things through forms like paintings, dance, music, writing. It is a very powerful tool in understanding people and our history, yet it’s constantly disrespected and undervalued in its significance.
One of if not the most famous painting of all time is the Mona Lisa painted by Leonardo da Vinci. It is visited daily by people wanting to take pictures to then post on social media to show everyone “I’ve seen the Mona Lisa.” The painting has lost its significance to humanity, now being recognized for its immense popularity as opposed to its true meaning. What it truly symbolizes is the idea of happiness, and the way it is captured through its soft, genuine smile is unique to any other piece of art. But most people don’t care about that, which is truly disheartening.
It isn’t just the Mona Lisa that is affected by this, but the paintings surrounding it in the Louvre are affected, as well. Due to the Mona Lisa’s popularity, its neighboring paintings have gained little to no recognition in recent years. One of these paintings being the Wedding of Cana which spreads nearly ten meters wide and over six meters in height lying directly across from the Mona Lisa. Even though it’s one of the largest, if not the largest, painting in the room, it’s almost entirely ignored by visitors, thus losing its significance.
Art has also been altered physically by tourists, which can have drastic effects on its meaning and symbolism.
Take the Molly Malone statue in Dublin, Ireland, for example. In meaning, the statue represents many things; poverty in seventeenth century Ireland, the struggle and hardship of working-class women, so many important things are symbolized through this statue. However, that isn’t what gained her global recognition. It’s become tradition for tourists in Ireland to rub the statue’s breasts as it is said to bring “good luck” (so says tour guides). It is because of this the statue presents a bronze appearance all-around, having only her breasts showcasing a shiny gold. That is what the Molly Malone statue is now known for. Not for her representation of working women struggling in tormenting conditions, not for her symbolism of poverty, but for the tourist tradition of groping her gold breasts. Her significance in Irish history has effectively been lost and is replaced with this uncanny act. I think Beth Collier’s article about this explains it best.
“Look at how discoloured her breasts are – that shows you how much they’ve been rubbed. But look at her face – this is not a happy woman asking to be groped. It’s a poor woman trying to survive” (Collier).
Hello, Brody! Right away, your blog captured my attention: anything that explores art in depth, I will read. I thought it was incredibly interesting how you explore the way tourism changes the way art is perceived, using first the case of Leonardo DaVinci’s Mona Lisa. I have actually been to the Louvre myself during the school’s France and Spain trip. Having seen the Wedding of Cana, therefore, I can ascertain that your grandeur description is nothing short of accurate: it was truly beautiful the artistic skill that was clearly represented as well as the effort that must have been required to pull off a piece so immense. The line for the Mona Lisa was incredibly long, so much so I was unable to get a clear view myself; I felt satisfied with the other beautiful and historical artworks I was able to experience nonetheless, but I can admit that I am guilty of trying to take that fated snap of the notorious painting. Although I was not able to see the Mona Lisa, it did not diminish my experience as I was able to spend more time with more of the other works. To continue, the Molly Malone statue is another unfortunate example of tourists changing the meaning of an artwork. The sculpture had once represented women in the labor market—now, she has become subject to mass fondling that is supposedly meant to bring “good luck.” It is saddening that this work of art has been reduced to the physical objectivity real women face in society. I genuinely enjoyed your blog this week and cannot wait to see what you do with the next and final blog theme of “Memory!”
ReplyDeleteHi Brody! I really appreciate how you brought up the fact that the Mona Lisa is now valued, unfortunately, for its popularity above its artistic significance. I fully agree—like the Kardashians, the Mona Lisa has become somewhat of a joke in our cultural consciousness, famous because of its fame. You expertly connected how the Mona Lisa is perceived to the objectification of women demonstrated by the tarnish on the breasts of the Molly Malone statue. After reading your blog, I did some more research on the subject, and there is a statue in Verona of Shakespeare's Juliet (who is thirteen in the play!), whose breast is also discolored from people touching it. A Reddit exchange I saw about it sums up the discourse on these statues: one commenter asked why there were people up in arms about "arbitrary ages" applied to a "polished rock" and declared that the statue of Juliet was not a real teenage girl, to which another responded with, "How is it funny to grope an image of a child?" You chose an incredibly thought-provoking topic and explained it in a way that makes me want to know more. Thank you for a fascinating read!
ReplyDeleteHi Brody, from the first glance at your thumbnail, I knew I wanted to read the article, as I thought the statue was some piece on display in a museum, and your post would be about the lack of appreciation people have for museums and art. I wasn’t really that far off, and I enjoyed this post about how art is losing its significance these days. I’ve been to the Louvre once, and I did see the Mona Lisa. It felt like that entire wing was dedicated only to the Mona Lisa, as almost every hall had a sign saying “Mona Lisa this way.” Even in the room itself, there were so many grand paintings across all the walls, but it was so packed full of people that you couldn’t see much. And the Mona Lisa itself? It was EXTREMELY underwhelming. The painting itself is fairly small, then the guards established a ~20 foot perimeter around it that nobody can enter, and then the crowds were so dense that you couldn’t see anything from far away and couldn’t easily come within 10 feet of the railings. On top of that, there was a MANAGED PATHWAY where they only allowed people to look for a short amount of time before asking them to go down a one way lane blocked by rails, where the other side said “No Entry.” Hardly anyone in the room was actually admiring the art. I enjoyed your blog, and I agree with your comments on people’s value of art. I really enjoy learning about an artwork’s history, meaning, and subtleties, and I hope more people would too. Overall, if you were to improve your blog, I would recommend adding a potential solution to this problem.
ReplyDeleteHey Brody! This idea of art being abused is something I've only ever considered from time to time, as I am never recommended this content very much. However, I found it fascinating that it is such a prominent issue within the industry. I did immediately recognize the statue though, and I was aware of groping act that made her a famous tourist attraction, but I'll come back to that. I never knew that idea you said about the Mona Lisa though; I suppose it makes the most sense though. I think we unfortunately live in a time where we are prone to capturing everything, and ironically being able to, only to post it somewhere. It is almost as if it must be acknowledged that we did this for us to feel somewhat validated, and that seems pretty ridiculous when you realize that this is all on some random apps. I think what causes this wide disinterest, or even disrespect, for art is a lack of education. Though we know of it of course, and most likely all befriend and know people that are painters or sculptors or artists of some kind, it requires a certain historical context. Not that I can truly defend them though considering that all the information we need is literally a click away. But I think this piece is most definitely a step forward, and an amazing way to start the conversation. I enjoyed the way you added a distinct tonality to this piece and I look forward to reading more of your work!
ReplyDeleteHey Brody! I’ve never really considered art as something that captures a feeling or moment, so your interpretation of art is something I haven’t considered and should really reflect on! Now that I think about it, breathtaking statues I’ve seen in America and overseas embody the emotion better than a piece of art in my opinion, since with paintings it’s always a 2D experience: it doesn’t matter if you’re looking at it online or in person. However, with statues, seeing something towering over you in real life evokes feelings of pride or sends chills down your back which really reflect the power of art.
ReplyDeleteHowever it’s saddening that even 3D sculptures like the Molly Malone that you talked about are slowly losing their meaning to silly and inappropriate tourist behavior. It’s super degrading for not only the artist but for women and also the real struggles that people had to go through doing that time period. Sometimes degradation of art such as the aging of the Statue of Liberty gives it more meaning and icon, but in this case it’s just saddening honestly.
Thank you for providing a multitude of examples in your blog; although I’ve heard of the Mona Lisa, the other art pieces are completely new to me and have deepened my understanding of the art world. I appreciate your blog and look forward to reading your next one!