The Museum of Selfies is a project started upon a visit to the National Gallery of Denmark in Copenhagen. By simply holding a smartphone and positioning ones hand and arm correctly, these museum paintings looked as though they were taking the classic selfie in the mirror.
While these are really, really funny, there is a little something to be learned here.
But first, take a look at these museum selfies:
These are brilliant!
(See more at the Museum of Selfies.)
I just want to giggle at some of these, and a few of them require a double-take.
Here are two things that got me thinking regarding selfies:
- How will people 50 to 100 or 500 years from now view our catalogs of digital selfies on Instagram and Facebook?
- How is having a portrait painted of yourself any different than a selfie?
This second observation really got me thinking. How often do people walk the halls of the National Gallery of Denmark in Copenhagen and say,
“Sheesh, these people were so narcissistic!?! They sat for hours and had someone paint them!?!”
When you compare the effort that it takes to have a portrait painted with that of a smartphone photo in front of the bathroom mirror, suddenly all those selfies aren’t looking as narcissistic as everyone has tried to make them out to be…
Ken Rosentrater says
I have often thought about this: that selfies are nothing new. In fact I had the germ of an article to write. I guess that won’t be needed now. You covered it well.
Eric Dye says
Wow. Thank you. I would be interested in your take on it. I enjoy your posts, Ken. 🙂