Pictures of Paintings: Cheapening Art

Photo Courtesy of Danika Jensen

Taking photographs of artwork during a visit to an art museum has become as ubiquitous as purchasing a postcard or other souvenir from the gift shop. Within the halls of any institution, guests are using their phones, cameras, even iPads and game consoles, in order to capture images of their museum visit. This increasingly popular trend raises some interesting questions regarding the visitor experience, as well as the respect for and ownership of art. With many institutions offering high quality images of their artwork on their websites, or even in the gift shops on postcards, magnets, and other tchotchke, why do visitors feel the need to reproduce or obtain their own images? This often occurs at the risk of being reprimanded by security, being forced to hold the camera at an angle, or making due with a blurry photo taken over someone’s shoulder, among other difficulties. With such nuisances involved, why do these personal images play such an integral role in the modern museum experience? In addition, does an individual taking an iPhone picture as he or she admires a piece of art suggest that he or she is not truly looking at said piece of art? These questions still remain contested by those who study museums and how their guests interact with art. 

A recent article in the Washington Post discusses the prevalence of picture-taking in museums, and what this suggests about the ways in which people look at art. Anne Midgette, author of the article “On the Prowl for Memories, Museumgoers Resort to Snapshots,” acknowledges that taking photographs of art often suggests the idea of cheapening the image, as well as what museums stand for as institutions. This practice also raises the question of whether a guest is truly “seeing” the art through the lens of their camera, or if it is just a technological distraction, adulterating the purity of the museum experience. Without a camera, would a museum visitor be forced to see the art in a different or more meaningful way? As Midgette explains, “we should celebrate the sense of participation and excitement that the art may be inspiring in those people who looked at an artwork, and smiled at it, and took a picture. Because while the snapshot they take, the reproduction, closes the door on the dialogue between the viewer and the work of art, the act of photographing may, in some cases, open it.”

Photos Courtesy of Danika Jensen

Personally, in the pictures section of my iPhone, I have photos of two Monet paintings, a Frida self-portrait, a Diego Rivera painting, an installation by Nam June Paik, and multiple images of the architecture of the Library of Congress, among other artworks. Personally, I do not believe that my capturing these images with my phone detrimentally affected my appreciation of the art. Rather, I wanted celebrate these pieces by being able to relive them again, lest I never have another opportunity to see them in person. Similarly, in his essay “The Object of Art Museums,” James Cuno reflects “on the experience of engaging with works of art, especially in their most fundamental sense-- as objects, manufactured things making claims on our close and sustained attention” (53). While some may argue that photography takes away from the purity of experiencing art, it more often than not allows individuals to connect, appreciate, and interact with art in a way they may not otherwise have been able to. Ultimately, photography enables visitors to take art home with them and revisit these pieces time and again. 

Check out this link that helped inspire this entry of Museum Musings! 
Washington Post Article