thoughts thunk

So, before I left the Getty, I went to the giftshop and purchased and 11×14 print of “Christ’s Entry into Brussels in 1889″ to hang on my wall at home. The print’s colors are duller and darker than the paintings, the dimensions outrageously (and neccessarily) different. You can actually see the color difference when comparing the Getty’s image of the painting and the image of the poster. The poster also crops the painting slightly at the edges, and the bottom section makes up for the painting’s inability to fit comfortably within standard poster size. I chose to by the smaller print because it conveyed the painting in a more truthful way, allowing empty space above and below the image’s scaled down dimensions.

My little reproductive print is a mnemonic device that recalls the generalities of the original and my experience of seeing the original. I was compelled to purchase it despite all its flaws.