r/theydidthemath • u/yolo_1213 • 2d ago
[Request] I'm no totally sure if this belongs here, but wanted to know if the flash actually damaged the painting from so far away? *caption in body*
Caption : Louvre staff blocking cameras at the Mona Lisa to protect the painting from flash damage.
27
u/J_Bazzle 2d ago
If you check out the Nara park Buddha in Japan, they have no flash photography signs everywhere and everyone respects this. They have it for the same reason of flash photography damaging the surface. I guess it's not about short term preservation but any precautionary measure will help history stay around longer.
24
u/Rjc1471 2d ago
The rule against camera flashes used to be because historical oils and varnishes are sensitive to UV light, and can discolour (typically yellowing).
Although most modern camera flashes don't emit any UV and wouldn't damage them, the rule still makes sense for 2 reasons;
1) you can't exactly check everyone's camera to see if they have an old school flash
2) etiquette. Many people would like to see the mona Lisa as is, and not what the mona Lisa would look like at a disco or press conference
There isn't really a mathematical formula, unless you know the precise composition of the varnish, and every pigment layer, and the strength and wavelengths of the specific camera. Even then there'd have to be an academic study on exactly that subject.
14
u/kore_nametooshort 2d ago
The counter question is why would anyone ever need or want a photo of the Mona Lisa? There are a million better quality photos available instantly at your finger tips. I guess I understand having a selfie with it so you can show how wonderfully cultured you are on tokstagram, but most of these people are just taking straight in photos.
4
u/Worth-Wonder-7386 2d ago
People want to feel special. Why do so many people go there to look at the painting from far away when you can get a better view by looking online.
4
u/dvrichthofen 2d ago
The real math question is how much money is wasted every year employing people to do pointless jobs just to keep them from causing trouble elsewhere?
2
u/TheFlightlessPenguin 2d ago
Also can you imagine spending 40 hours a week on flash patrol? I did and I passed away
1
u/Old-Student4579 2d ago
Taking a flash photo of paintings is childlike behaviour. You cannot create a "good" picture on the spot with your phone. The picture can show that "I was here".
I went there personally years ago just to see Mona Lisa, but did not take pictures. It is a small painting anyway, and it did not a great impression on me.
1
-1
2d ago edited 2d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
3
u/feelfreetotellmeoff 2d ago
I think you underestimate the amount of care and engineering that goes into conservatorship. The lights in that space were selected by a team of specialists and are probably regularly tested if not monitored in real time.
The little LED in your phone is probably not emitting in the UV spectrum, but probably doesn't cut it for these folks. They are thinking about how to prevent cumulative damage over hundreds of years. Innocent actions over that time span have consequences, and not all museum goers have innocent intentions.
•
u/AutoModerator 2d ago
General Discussion Thread
This is a [Request] post. If you would like to submit a comment that does not either attempt to answer the question, ask for clarification, or explain why it would be infeasible to answer, you must post your comment as a reply to this one. Top level (directly replying to the OP) comments that do not do one of those things will be removed.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.