I posit that a strong correlation exists between digital camera ownership and picture-taking of massive volume. The key concept being that publishing every shot is never in the picture.
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| Dancing Maenad, detail (Met Museum, New York) |
Since laying my hands on one of these infernal machines, I've taken to photography as if there were no tomorrow. My subjects de préférence are museum/gallery displays and architecture (including archaeological ruins).
I take it as given that snapshots are to objects of breathtaking beauty as potato chips are to snacking1. So my routine after the plain vanilla, straight-on shot, comprises looking down from above (interior shot), the underside, and from the right and/or left (this is usually an impeded view). In these days of cheap imitation, context is everything. I may snap a group of objects as evidence of relative size. A single item of interest may require a floor-to-ceiling dimensional spotlighting. The more the merrier encapsulates my overall theme.
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| The Three Graces. Roman copy of a Greek original. (Met Museum, New York) |
Years of pictorial self-struggle have at last borne fruit. I've finally come to accept a person or two in my composition. Not only do they lend veracity, they act as living yard sticks (metre sticks in Canada).
To say nothing of the dogged2 detail shots. My favourites are bits of drapery and the details that you wouldn't expect to see in a book. The type of thing you'd only see in, well, a museum.
Have you ever been to New York's Metropolitan Museum3? It's chock full of antiquities from around the world. If you've been, close your eyes and imagine the view into the Greek Galleries' classical statuary with your back to that huge chunk of fluted column behind you. Whatever you see, I've probably snapped it.
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| Lapith and Centaur, still at it. (British Museum) |
Perhaps the British Museum's Duveen Gallery is more your cup of tea. Been there? Then close those eyes. Yup, I've likely a snapshot of that too. Need convincing? I've spent so much time in the gallery's heady air staring at the Marbles4, that at one point, one appeared to quicken. If you've seen the dark grey copies in New York City's Onassis Cultural Center, you've only glimpsed a faint shadow. Without the marble, at best, they're dead meat. Sorry NYC.
I live within commuting distance of a city with a museum that's the pride and joy of many, or so I assume. Yet I find myself blasé. I rarely visit. I admit it: I'm spoilt rotten. Given the big picture (there's a finite quantity of quality antiquities), I'm disgracefully so.
Nevertheless, I'm unrepentant. If I can't spend an afternoon in the company of ancient statuary, jewellery, grave-goods et al, I'll take photographs in museums that live up to their name. Then I'll do my utmost to relive those moments.
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Notes
1 One is never enough.
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3 When visiting New York City, the Met is not to be missed. My favourites are the Greek and Roman Galleries, not just for their sculpture, but for their pottery, furniture and wall painting. I also enjoy the Egyptian and the Medieval galleries.
If you're planning a visit to NYC, why not take a look at these:
If you love museums, one day is never enough. The Metropolitan Museum of Art Guide is a great way to help you to prioritize and spend your time wisely.
It also makes a great souvenir. And better still, is an enticement to planning your next trip!
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If painting is more your style, you should love, 100 Best Paintings in New York by Deanna MacDonald and Geoffrey Smith. This handy guide will aid you in locating the best of the best. Take in the Frick Collection, the Guggenheim, the Met, MOMA, or wherever takes your fancy.
Apart from being a wonderful souvenir, this is another volume that will spur you into preparing your next visit to NYC.
4 Who wouldn't want a book on the Parthenon Marbles? Not anyone I'd want to rub shoulders with. Let's see now:
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The Parthenon (part of the Wonders of the World series) by Mary Beard is a gem of a book. Along with a short history, there are two "if you visit" sections -- the building (in Athens) and the Marbles (in London). A must for both the armchair and the airplane traveller.
I dare you to read it and then not be desperate to visit both Athens and London!
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The Parthenon Sculptures (aka The Parthenon Sculptures in the British Museum) by Ian Jenkins, Senior Curator in the British Museum's Department of Greek and Roman Antiquities, is primarily a coffee table tome. If you're looking for pictures, this is the one!
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The Parthenon and Its Sculptures by John Boardman, is a great book filled with detailed historical information about the building and the carvings. I found my copy at the British Museum on display in the main bookshop.
The book you want if you're after both pictures and history.
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| amazon.ca |
The Parthenon Marbles: The Case for Reunification is Christopher Hitchens' impassioned plea for their return to home. I bought the last edition on Berlin's Museum Island and enjoyed his arguments. I've been to Athens. It's expensive to get there and not an easy place for a retiringly polite Canadian. None of the marbles were on display at the new museum, despite having been crated up and moved months before. Nor would they available for many months to come. If I'd wanted to see copies, I'd have skipped the Athens subway and taken the bus to New York City. Self-centred, I know, but for now I'm with London on this one.
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Books mentioned
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