Page 11 | To be rude to this woman in an art gallery

hengelian · 2023-07-05T21:22:44+00:00

I was in an exhibition in a large London gallery today, totally engrossed in the art works. I was staring at a painting and a woman interrupted me to ask me to take a photo of her in front of it. I did it but I was quite off with her about it and probably a bit rude (said 'umm.. ok', took one photo and walked away, didn't ask her if it was OK etc). I find it really rude that she interrupted me in an art gallery - to me this is like being interrupted in the middle of a movie at the cinema. I was experiencing a whole thought process which she dragged me out of so she could have a photo of a work she didn't even properly look at. Art galleries aren't there for photos, they are there for you to look and experience. AIBU?

Mojoj · 06/07/2023 17:02

Ah, get over yourself🤣🤣🤣🤣

bruffin · 06/07/2023 17:04

kungfupannda · 06/07/2023 16:48

Yes, it was! I enjoyed it far more than I expected - particularly the room with the dividers in for some reason. Very soothing.

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I was lucky enough to get free tickets . Everybody i know who has been loved it.

BodegaSushi · 06/07/2023 17:06

SapphireSeptember · 06/07/2023 16:55

Been there, although I was writing, not looking at a picture! I was minding my own business in the library when on old guy came along wanting to pick a fight with me and tried to push my stuff off the table. Apparently I was taking up too much room and I was being a selfish teenager. (I was in my late 20s at the time!) He then sat at the other end of the table and took up more space than I did with his newspaper. Couldn't get back into the flow, and was really pissed off. In hindsight I should have told one of the librarians. Utter cockwomble! I was impressed I didn't get upset, but stood my ground. He ended it with saying he didn't want to talk to me anymore, and I said he started it!

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not remotely comparable

Quiverer · 06/07/2023 17:11

ErrolTheDragon · 06/07/2023 09:07

But those are accidental disturbances, not deliberate interruptions.

I'm not surprised you were irritated, OP.

Tbh I'm surprised photography is allowed in galleries, if you want to look at an image of a painting on a screen, many are available online.

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Well no. If you go into a gallery and see someone lost in thought in front of a painting, then you are deliberately interrupting them if you go in front of them to look at the painting closely - also if you start talking loudly. But no-one would dream of saying either of those is wrong.

MysteriesOfTheOrganism · 06/07/2023 17:13

I'm going to the Rossettis exhibition tomorrow. Do I need to pack my taser?

ErrolTheDragon · 06/07/2023 17:23

Well no. If you go into a gallery and see someone lost in thought in front of a painting, then you are deliberately interrupting them if you go in front of them to look at the painting closely - also if you start talking loudly. But no-one would dream of saying either of those is wrong.

Wouldn't most people try to avoid doing either of those things? but they're not at the same level as asking the engrossed person to do something for you.

MarkWithaC · 06/07/2023 17:35

ThisWOMANWontWheesht · 06/07/2023 09:25

It’s interesting how exercised some people are getting about someone looking at an artwork and having a thought process.

The only "exercised" (if that's really what you mean) person on here is the OP.
But she's posted asking for opinions on her behaviour and she's getting them. Most are merely putting forward another view, others amused. No one is particularly perturbed by this!

Yes, I know people are giving their opinions. Some sound to me like they're angry/annoyed that someone is admitting to standing in front of a painting going through a thought process. I'm responding to those. I don't quite know what your point is.

2bazookas · 06/07/2023 17:44

I was experiencing a whole thought process which she dragged me out of

So awful for this to happen in London, right next to the centre of the universe.

MyrtlethePurpleTurtle · 06/07/2023 17:46

ZeldaWillTellYourFortune · 06/07/2023 16:58

Not everyone considers a selfish interruption by a stranger to be 'benign.'

But hardly the malevolent pushing stuff off a table 🤷‍♀️

MyrtlethePurpleTurtle · 06/07/2023 17:47

MysteriesOfTheOrganism · 06/07/2023 17:13

I'm going to the Rossettis exhibition tomorrow. Do I need to pack my taser?

Nah - just see you have Wi-Fi
/data so you can post your outrage about some infraction

ZeldaWillTellYourFortune · 06/07/2023 17:56

Quiverer · 06/07/2023 17:11

Well no. If you go into a gallery and see someone lost in thought in front of a painting, then you are deliberately interrupting them if you go in front of them to look at the painting closely - also if you start talking loudly. But no-one would dream of saying either of those is wrong.

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I would, and I'm sure many,many other people would agree!

ifIwerenotanandroid · 06/07/2023 18:21

TheWalrusdidbeseech · 06/07/2023 16:00

by all means, but only one of us seems to be disgruntled and angry about it, and that's not me.

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Oh do give over, it was just an anecdote on MN about a rude man. Don't take things so seriously.

catonalamppost · 06/07/2023 18:21

Placesto · 06/07/2023 09:51

I don’t understand why you feel that this poster couldn’t have looked at the painting and then taken a photo for her own enjoyment later. Sometimes there are too many in one exhibition that I would want a postcard of and are not available in a book that I usually can’t afford to buy. Sometimes I haven’t taken a photo intending to purchase one or two postcards of the paintings I’ve really enjoyed seeing in real life, only to find it’s not in the selection available. Plus some would hate me as, once years ago, I didn’t see that you could take photos until the end so rushed back in snapping at my favourites mindful of others of course. However I bet someone judged me seeing how all they saw was me snapping and moving on.

I too would hate someone interrupting my own enjoyment of a painting when they could do their own selfie. If this happened too often I’d be very unhappy.

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I don’t understand why you feel that this poster couldn’t have looked at the painting and then taken a photo for her own enjoyment later.

You can't look at the Mona Lisa and take a picture of it - you get moved along after about 10 seconds in front of it, so there is no time. You can do one or the other, not both.

Most people, when they get to the allocated spot at the front of the queue, quickly get a photo of themselves (facing away from it). They are then moved on before they've even turned around to look at the actual painting. When I went, I was the only person in a very long queue who didn't want a photo of myself in front of it, because I wanted to look at it.

I honestly don't see why you would queue for all that time so that you can post a selfie on social media of you standing in front of a painting that you didn't even look at.

catonalamppost · 06/07/2023 18:24

Quiverer · 06/07/2023 17:11

Well no. If you go into a gallery and see someone lost in thought in front of a painting, then you are deliberately interrupting them if you go in front of them to look at the painting closely - also if you start talking loudly. But no-one would dream of saying either of those is wrong.

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I wouldn't go and stand in front of someone who was lost in thought in front of a painting. I'd stand next to them or look at something else until they had moved. Standing in front of them deliberately would be really rude.

ARareKindaBear · 06/07/2023 18:30

catonalamppost · 06/07/2023 18:21

I don’t understand why you feel that this poster couldn’t have looked at the painting and then taken a photo for her own enjoyment later.

You can't look at the Mona Lisa and take a picture of it - you get moved along after about 10 seconds in front of it, so there is no time. You can do one or the other, not both.

Most people, when they get to the allocated spot at the front of the queue, quickly get a photo of themselves (facing away from it). They are then moved on before they've even turned around to look at the actual painting. When I went, I was the only person in a very long queue who didn't want a photo of myself in front of it, because I wanted to look at it.

I honestly don't see why you would queue for all that time so that you can post a selfie on social media of you standing in front of a painting that you didn't even look at.

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When we went there was no queue. I don’t know what was different about that day as I’ve heard it’s extremely unusual but we didn’t queue to get in the Louvre and we didn’t queue for the Mona Lisa. There was a gathering around it of course but we were still able to walk right upto it and stand for as long as we wanted to.

There was only a very short queue to get into the Notre Dame that day too. May.

catonalamppost · 06/07/2023 18:36

ARareKindaBear · 06/07/2023 18:30

When we went there was no queue. I don’t know what was different about that day as I’ve heard it’s extremely unusual but we didn’t queue to get in the Louvre and we didn’t queue for the Mona Lisa. There was a gathering around it of course but we were still able to walk right upto it and stand for as long as we wanted to.

There was only a very short queue to get into the Notre Dame that day too. May.

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OK. Good. That doesn't really change anything about what I said though.

When there is a queue and time is limited to 10 seconds, I can't understand people who just want to take a photo and move on instead of looking at it. They have a photo of themselves having an experience they didn't actually have. Really weird.

ARareKindaBear · 06/07/2023 18:50

catonalamppost · 06/07/2023 18:36

OK. Good. That doesn't really change anything about what I said though.

When there is a queue and time is limited to 10 seconds, I can't understand people who just want to take a photo and move on instead of looking at it. They have a photo of themselves having an experience they didn't actually have. Really weird.

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That wasn’t the case for us though was it? And the post being quoted a few quotes back is mine. So no, it’s not weird. Plus I never took a selfie. I took a photo of the painting.

catonalamppost · 06/07/2023 19:02

ARareKindaBear · 06/07/2023 18:50

That wasn’t the case for us though was it? And the post being quoted a few quotes back is mine. So no, it’s not weird. Plus I never took a selfie. I took a photo of the painting.

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If it wasn't the case for you then your posts are entirely irrelevant. I'm talking about people for whom that was the case and wondering why they would spend their 10 seconds taking a selfie instead of looking at the painting.

ARareKindaBear · 06/07/2023 19:23

catonalamppost · 06/07/2023 19:02

If it wasn't the case for you then your posts are entirely irrelevant. I'm talking about people for whom that was the case and wondering why they would spend their 10 seconds taking a selfie instead of looking at the painting.

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I don’t understand why you feel that this poster couldn’t have looked at the painting and then taken a photo for her own enjoyment later. - this quote was about me

You can't look at the Mona Lisa and take a picture of it - you get moved along after about 10 seconds in front of it, so there is no time. You can do one or the other, not both. - This was your reply ... Therefore you were suggesting I couldn’t have taken a photo and looked at it at the same time. You were wrong.

catonalamppost · 06/07/2023 19:36

ARareKindaBear · 06/07/2023 19:23

I don’t understand why you feel that this poster couldn’t have looked at the painting and then taken a photo for her own enjoyment later. - this quote was about me

You can't look at the Mona Lisa and take a picture of it - you get moved along after about 10 seconds in front of it, so there is no time. You can do one or the other, not both. - This was your reply ... Therefore you were suggesting I couldn’t have taken a photo and looked at it at the same time. You were wrong.

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Ah I'm with you, I didn't realise it was actually about you. Still, kind of irrelevant and the general point (and more relevant to the thread) is that it is pretty hard to get enough time to take a picture and look at the Mona Lisa.

To choose to use that 10 seconds to take a picture (of yourself 'looking') instead of actually looking... just seems extremely weird!

I8toys · 06/07/2023 19:42

This has defo got Sistine Chapel written all over it. Were you welling up?

ARareKindaBear · 06/07/2023 21:05

catonalamppost · 06/07/2023 19:36

Ah I'm with you, I didn't realise it was actually about you. Still, kind of irrelevant and the general point (and more relevant to the thread) is that it is pretty hard to get enough time to take a picture and look at the Mona Lisa.

To choose to use that 10 seconds to take a picture (of yourself 'looking') instead of actually looking... just seems extremely weird!

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I agree with you on that … I think we have got there in the end 😂 I just can’t believe how lucky we were that day.

MALJA · 06/07/2023 22:07

Is this honestly a real question? Hilarious!

Lineofbestfit · 06/07/2023 22:09

Lizzt2007 · 05/07/2023 22:26

Sorry but no you were not unreasonable. Who goes to a gallery to have a photo of themselves! Surely the whole point is to appreciate the art? And to disturb someone's else is just rude. If you must have a photo of themselves looking at the art then take a bloody selfie.

This.

CostelloJones · 07/07/2023 06:53

Rude and Pretentious

when I finally got to see a painting I’d wanted to see for real for over 20 years you can bet I got my picture with it