Famous art to skip on your next trip to Europe

The Scream by Edvard Munch is displayed in Oslo, Norway
(Photo: Munch Museum -- Public Domain)

EUROPE — Evaluating art in the modern world is frequently a challenging process. how is the average person supposed to know that he or she isn't being duped purely because a particular painting or sculpture is famous?

Strength and power in Moses by Michelangelo
(Courtesy: Italia.it -- Public Domain)

Art is, and always will be, subjective at best. Down through the ages artistic movements have chronicled man's evolution from simple cave drawings to religious art that influenced illiterate masses, to humanistic representations to Impressionism, Expressionism and contemporary works where virtually anything goes.

Certain technological and cultural advances have played a major role in the artistic evolutionary artistic process such as the printing press, photography and computers to mention a few.

Jackson Pollock became famous by splashing liquid household paint on a canvas 
(Photo: National Gallery of Australia -- Public Domain)

Take the works of Jackson Pollack, for example, who was became famous for his technique of  splashing liquid household paint onto a horizontal surface.  Also called ‘action painting’ because he used the force of his entire body to paint, critics were divided by Pollack's abstract style. Some applauded the immediacy and fluidity of his work, while others criticized its randomness.

Regardless of whether the bright splashes of color on Pollock's canvasses were appealing to viewers or not, perhaps the bigger, and more subtle, question would be "Is it really art?"

Cynical observers might simply view a Pollack piece and ask "where was the talent, skill or creativity to 'paint' such a work?"

It's a fair question since most people believe that anyone could throw paint on a white surface and achieve the same result.

Thus, in 2016, when Pollock's painting titled Number 17A reportedly fetched $200 million in a private purchase, one has to wonder about the validity of art and how to interpret its value. Consider that the work was so abstract in nature that Pollack had to give it a number rather than a name.

The David by Michelangelo in Florence does not disappoint and demonstrates the true genius of the artist  (Photo: Public Domain)

As a curator at an exhibition in Switzerland once pointed out, "the artist doesn't really care whether you like his work or not, or even understand it. What he desires most is that patrons respond to it in one way or another. That is the key."

With that background in mind, which famous works of art are worth the trouble for travelers to actually witness for themselves when they are traveling? Are these well-known artistic endeavors really worth the time and effort to stand in long lines or deal with hordes of other tourists to see them?

Here's a list of art and architectural works you might want to skip on your next trip. Not necessarily because of their merit, but rather, whether they live up to expectations and "hype" enough to relinquish valuable time to see them when, for most travelers, time is of the essence.

In the case of these examples, it should be noted that "size" is a primary source of disappointment over the quality of the work.

The Little Mermaid in Copenhagen lives up to its title because
it is definitely "little"  (Courtesy: Pixabay)

Edvard Eriksen’s The Little Mermaid: Perched on a waterside rock in Copenhagen Harbor is the city's tribute to native son Hans Christian Andersen. The bronze sculpture of The Little Mermaid attracts visitors from around the world each year despite being rated "the world's worst attraction."

As mentioned above, the operative word is "small." The "Little" Mermaid clearly lives up to its title with its Lilliputian size, making the effort to view it a major disappointment almost as quickly as it comes into view.

Da Vinci's Mona Lisa is one of the most famous paintings
in the world, but it is about the size of a postage stamp
(Courtesy: Pixabay)

 Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa: This one is tough given the genius behind its creator, but again the problem has to do with scale more than the artistic accomplishment. Imagine placing a single postage stamp on a white 8" x 11" mailer and you begin to get the sense of frustration many visitors have when they witness da Vinci's masterpiece.

Combined with the protective barrier and the hordes of people pushing and shoving to get a glimpse, you have to wonder if the effort is really worth it, unless there is some major compelling reason to claim you have seen it.

Manneken Pis in Brussels is fun if you stumble upon it,
but it is hardly worth the time to seek it out
(Courtesy: Pixabay)

Jerôme Duquesnoy’s Manneken Pis: In the Belgian hamlet of Brussels, the question is "To pee or not to pee."

The city symbol of a small boy urinating into a pool of water is an amusing attention-getter and most certainly a photo op provided you accidentally stumble upon the fountain. Whether or not it's worth the effort to seek it out is another matter entirely.

As with the two works mentioned above, the statue is diminutive in size and shares a similar label with its cousin in Copenhagen as Europe's "most disappointing sight."

Picasso, himself, regarded Guernica as one of his most important works of art (Photo: Laura Estefania --licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0
 International license)

Pablo Picasso’s Guernica: Another toughy thanks to its creator who was one of the most prolific artists in history. Size is not a factor with Picasso’s Guernica which is nearly 12 feet by 26 feet. Adding to the debate is that Picasso, himself, regarded this as one of his true masterpieces, particularly because he was so personally affected by the Spanish Civil War.

Here's where artistic subjectivity comes into play because many critics believe that Picasso created numerous other pieces that are more outstanding and worthy of attention. If that is your standard as well, there are plenty of other places in the world to see Picassos.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is over-run with tacky touristic souvenirs 
(Courtesy: Pixabay)

The Leaning Tower of Pisa: Certainly one of the best known architectural structures in the world, the 12th century Leaning Tower of Pisa began its famous tilt during construction due to soft ground on one side, which was unable to properly support the structure's weight.

At nearly 185-feet in height, the saddest aspect of this landmark is its Coney Island atmosphere. With so many junky souvenir stands and tacky shops in the area, seeing the tower is almost a sidebar event as you try to avoid the hawkers and scam artists.

Plymouth Rock is little more than a stepping stone in Massachusetts  
(Courtesy: Pixabay)

These are just five to skip if you're in Europe. The US has its share of disappointments as well. Again returning to the magnitude of their history compared with the actual size two that quickly come to mind are the Alamo and Plymouth Rock which are both tiny compared to their image.

As in so many aspects of life, tourism included, "size really does matter."

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