I dont think this really needs a hypothetical setup, but I’ll put one in a spoiler box for those who insist on such things. The wise will skip it, though; you can answer the question just as well without bothering with that silliness.
Some misanthropic madman has stolen the sun-killer bomb I keep in my basement*. (I really should have better security, but it’s too late now.) By the time the thief was apprehended by – oh, let’s say Seeley Booth-- the bomb had been primed and placed in Sol’s core. There’s no way to either get it out or prevent it from forcing a supernova. Anyone who agrees is free to die & fry trying.
Fortunately I’ve prepared for such a circumstance and have a fleet of warp-capable space arks ready to transport a few hundred million people to Tellus Secundus, an Earthlike planet about a month’s travel-time away. (Naturally all Dopers get a ticket.) But everyone is insisting on bringing their pets†, so space is at a premium; we have one measly cargo hold available for 100 paintings.
For emergencies, obviously. You never know when you’re going to need to destroy an inhabited solar system and when the time comes there’s no time to improvise.
† I was going to say that only cats were allowed, as I hate dogs, but then I realzied that I don’t care, as I, of course, will not be riding in the ark. Someone has to go ahead to [del]exterminate the burgeoning** australopithecine**[/del][del][SIZE=1] population of Secundus[/SIZE][/del][SIZE=1] make sure that the indoor plumbing and internet and other infrastructure are ready, so I’ll be going ahead in a [del]armada of gunships[/del] small fleet of engineering vessels to take care of that.
‡ The other two footnotes looked lonlely.
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What original paintings shall we take? Please explain why. It would be wise to link to a picture of the painting you’re championing.
Oh, and the reason the poll isn’t up yet is that there isn’t one. I’m not patient enough to list even 50 options, much less a hundred jillion.
Goya’s The Family on the Infante Don Luis. I just love this picture. The people are filled with personality and stories. I especially love the guy on the right looking right at you. Why the bandage?
Being a morbid bastard, I’d think that this one, Man Proposes, God Disposes by Sir Edwin Landseer should be on the list. Especially apropos when we’re having to evacuate because of a screw-up.
If you’re answering in terms of the absurd hypo, obviously not. Space is at a premium. Take the Sistine Chapel’s ceiling and there won’t be room for anything else, as is clearly implied by the phrase a single cargo hold with space for a hundred paintings.
I won’t argue with “Judith,” except to say that I had for some reason thought that was by Gerome. But even glancing at it shows I was wrong, wrong, wrong. It’s still beautiful though.
“Medusa” obviously has to come, but you need a more interesting Bougureau. And my tastes are old-fashioned, so I don’t want any Picasso crap. Likewise what’s-his-name who just threw paint splatters on canvas. I’m blocking his name out again out of disgust. Pollock.
Couldn’t you just digitize every work of art ever created, minus Dogs Playing Poker, and recreate them at the final whistle stop? You could use the freed storage space for beer.
But if you must insist on the originals, there’s gotta be at least one Brueghel in there. Or two. Or twenty—fuck everybody else. I’m partial to Jan Jr. myself.
You could, I suppose, but the actual painting is different than a print or digitized scan of it. If you’ve ever seen something like Starry Night or a Rothko in person, you’d know what this means. Rothko, in particular, is not very compelling to me as a reproduction. In person, though, his work–and I know this sounds all mystical and woo-like–is to me the closest a human has come to capturing spirituality on canvas.
I think you’re misunderstanding. I’m not saying that nothing will be digitized; only that we have only enough storage space for 100 original pieces. That’s part of the reason I insist on Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. The beauty of Seurrat’s technique does not translate to photographs.
There was an article in the Washington Post last month about the curator in charge of deciding which works from the National Gallery go into the emergency boxes in case of Bad Things Happening.
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