November 4th, 2011 / 5:48 pm
 Mean

“I’ve seen with growing disgust…”

“The Mona Lisa Curse,” by Robert Hughes. Part one of six.

UPDATE: “Apart from drugs, Art is the biggest unregulated market in the world.”

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8 Comments

  1. November 4th, 2011 / 8:06 pm EC—

      I’ve grown with seeing disgust.

  2. November 5th, 2011 / 12:11 am Ethan—

      Interesting. I’m not a huge Andy Warhol fan, but his quip about why not just make a copy of the Mona Lisa actually seems kinda valid. Books are copies. I don’t feel the need to read the original version of a book. I like live music and acting, but mostly I consume music and acting that’s been recorded. So why’s there so much emphasis on consuming the unique original when it comes to paintings?

      I saw the Mona Lisa once when I was in Paris, and I did sort of feel like I was seeing it just to have seen it. I was more amazed by how amazed all the other tourists were to be in its presence. I mean, sure, it’s a nice painting. It was smaller than I thought it’d be. Mona Lisa does have a mysterious smile. And her eyes do sort of follow you, but not like the paintings on Scooby-Doo.

  3. November 5th, 2011 / 12:12 am George—

      lol

  4. November 5th, 2011 / 1:59 am Matthew Simmons—

      Me, too.

  5. November 5th, 2011 / 8:21 am postitbreakup—

      I’ve seen stranger things, man / I’ve seen that tree of smoke 

  6. November 5th, 2011 / 11:53 am Scottmcclanahan—

      Robert Hughes is a great writer.   His book on Goya is amazing.

  7. November 6th, 2011 / 9:53 pm Youngjoseph21—

      some nice ideas floating around in here but all but inundated by hysteria, hyperbole, and golden-eyed nostalgia.

      “this curse affects the entire art world.” c’mon, dude.

  8. November 7th, 2011 / 1:46 am rawbbie—

      I love you Matthew Simmons.