We have yet another idiot destroying and ruining art — in the service of their “cause”.
The portrait that was spray-painted and slashed was of Lord Balfour, the former British Prime Minister. This took place at Trinity College in Cambridge by a “pro-Palestinian protester”.
Cultural vandalism
We have seen this happen to the poor Van Gogh pieces in the National Gallery, or the ‘Mona Lisa’ in Paris; and I think symptomatic of our times: throwing a temper tantrums and vandalising art in museums.
I must admit: I don’t have any special concern for this particular painting. It seems a conventional portrait. What angers me is the fact that anyone can destroy art, of any type.
This kind of vandalism creates a culture that normalises the targeting art for mere self-indulgence. It’s the self-preening attempt to strike the pose as a “great revolutionary”.
I think the very notion of threatening or attacking art and artists — as a mode of political speech — is cultural poison. This rotten stupidity is becoming a regular thing now. Every maniac — acquiped with what they perceive as a political grievance — feels entitled to use works of art to project their anger.
Yet, these are vertible cultural artifacts; and we have a duty to preserve them for future generations. Works are held in the public trust. This kind of vandalism isn’t anything new; and I really hate it. It’s such arrogance and ignorance.
I’ve always wondered how many books and how much art was collected and then burned in the “Bonfire of the Vanities” in Florence. We can only imagine. It’s said that over 90% of all religious art was destroyed during the English Civil War. Years ago, Daesh destroyed parts of a Roman Amphitheater in the ancient city of Palmyra. In all cases, society has robbed its progeny of pieces of our common heritage and history.
These vandalisms impose a cost on the gallery visitors.
Museums now respond with barriers, wires and fences that make loud horrible noises when triggered. There are guards and alarms. When we go into a museum and see a beautiful work of art; we now see it through a pane of glass/perspex. It creates an artificial barrier between the art and the viewer. It’s an extra separation between the art and someone — like myself — trying to admire it.
It’s a necessary evil that is separating us from really “touching” and “feeling” every artwork. I regularly find myself distracted by the pane of perspex distorting the imagine or reflecting the museum’s often bright lights into the painting. It’s so irritating. And to think earlier generations could just walk into the Louvre and see a Da Vinci without any separation. This is also not confined to the most iconic pieces. This ridiculous levels of security is a huge expense to often threadbare budgets (often consumed by conservation costs). Nowadays, in some cases, the actual real objects are not even shown anymore. A facsimile is presented for the masses. And, we all have to be strip-searched just to get into a museum.
Moreover, with some of the soup-splashing; they invariably damage the centuries-old gold-gilded frames which can often be valuable work of art in themselves. Fashioned from antique wood and plaster, they don’t respond well to moisture and acidity.
Then, we must ask, who cares about Lord Balfour in the painting?
We care about the art. We care about who painted it, why, the technique used by the artist, and how it influenced other artworks. The wealthy have always been commissioning artists to do their portraits for centuries, so they can be immortalised. This is an act of disrespect towards the artist and to the history of art itself. Art is a window into contemporaneous perspectives.
It is also the arrogance of declaring that my personal modern perspective on history allows me to censor art at my discretion. Except we’ve seen examples in history where the contemporary political environment tarnishes a piece of art because of the values of the period. Then, the political environment evolves and changes; and for that censorship to be looked at unfavorably through a longer historical lens. We shouldn’t destroy pieces of historical art because of our current political environment.
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Update: 12 March 2024 — In today’s Daily Telegraph, there is an interesting letter from the Earl of Balfour which I enjoyed reading:
Such a crying shame someone did that to the portrait. I agree with what you have written and fortunately here on the Island we don't have that trouble as yet in our galleries. We do however have an odd weird person spray with paint our statues of noted people from the past.
ReplyDeleteAll is history and what we see in the artists work is the way they perceive things, and without artists we would know doubt not know what people or landscapes looked like back then.
These people who deface should be made accountable.
Take care.
Indeed, well said Margaret.
DeleteI think Lord Balfour WAS important and his portrait was elegant. But even if I didn't, the thugs who destroy paintings, sculptures or buildings should be gaoled for a very long time.
ReplyDeleteIf they want to protest for their cause, whatever it is, let them cut off their own vital bits and send them to Parliament. Don't destroy community treasures.
Hels
Art and Architecture, mainly
Well said, as always Hels.
Delete"community treasures" indeed.
This is another vandalism in the name of an irrelevant topic. I love arts even more after seeing fellow bloggers talk about them with passion
ReplyDeleteSo true. It really is vandalism.
DeleteI agree. What pomposity these 'protesters' display. How arrogant and self-serving they are.
ReplyDeleteExactly, the arrogance. Thanks for posting. :)
DeleteThe world is a nasty place. Many portraits and statues remember those who kept it away so we could live cushioned lives. We need to remember this.
ReplyDeleteEntirely agree with you. Attacking art works in the name of some fashionable cause is despicable. A shame so many art works have to be behind glass, but that's the only way to protect them. It meant The Sower and Sunflowers weren't seriously damaged.
ReplyDeleteYoung man I made a comment concerning your last post on "nickherenow" blog I am a long time reader of his blog and exchange very good and interesting opinions with him and I recommend you to read a bit about the statements concerning Gaza from Omer Bartov.
ReplyDeleteHannah