Is it worth it all?

      I've been away for a week on vacation to Europe.  A few of those days were spent in Paris.  The Louvre was a must do on the list.  I later began to re-think that decision.

      As evident from the start of the grand museum, the Mona Lisa is one of the biggest attractions.  Signs are posted every twenty feet directing you to the destination.  It's difficult to miss, even in the giant maze they have built.  You finally arrive at the room, and the words start coming into your brain, "Is it worth it all?"

      Is this really a mob of fans I have to fight through to see the Mona Lisa?  Have they dreamed of the moment they got to see the Mona Lisa up close (or within fifteen feet)?  Or are they doing it just to say they saw it?

     Like many things in pop culture, the idea of the Mona Lisa has grown far better than the painting.  It's no longer about seeing the painting for yourself.  It's about fighting through the crowd, earning that front row spot.  

     The grueling crowd allows little movement.  A handful of people will even get to second base by the time you make it to the front and back.  And it's all for the glory of taking a picture.  Again, "Is that worth it all?"

     I've seen the Mona Lisa hundreds of times.  Heck, I saw it a dozen times on my walk to the room.  The only difference in image quality was... this one was less?  It's the original.  I get it.  But in the day and age of copy and paste where does original really fit in?  

     Popularity has killed the museum experience.  So many paintings are lost because there is no space to simply soak in what you are looking at.  The crowds rumble in your ear, body heat warms the entire area, and every second somebody is having their picture taken in front of the picture you want to look at.  

     If you ever get the chance at a museum, find paintings you've never heard of before.  Discover something new.  Don't struggle against the crowds because the popular painting is around.  Take a look at it sure, but don't forget that there are hundreds of works of art that can tickle your fancy, and with some luck there will be fewer people so you can actually enjoy yourself.  Discovering art is meant to evoke wonderful emotions in yourself, not make you want to rip somebody's camera out of their hand because they smell when their arm is lifted.

    Never be afraid to look at the less beaten paths in art.  You may find something you like.

p.s. one of my favorites of the day.  The Monkey Painter by Alexandre Gabriel-Decamps