Despite the time we’ve dedicated to exploring museums this trip, I still have a hard time deciphering what is ethical to sell in gift stores and what is deemed inappropriate. The standards I used to complete this assignment followed as such: Am I able to recognize the artwork on the object? How useful is the object? And will the artwork be tarnished in use?
The first object I examined, and deemed unethical, was the kaleidoscope. While the purpose of the kaleidoscope is fun and interesting, its function is the appeal of the object and takes away from the art. Additionally, kaleidoscopes aren’t used in everyday life, and because of this it might collect dust in a drawer post purchase. I also thought that the art wasn’t very recognizable on the kaleidoscope. I found the designer chose a piece of Monet’s Water lilies that didn’t actually depict any water lilies, and while it is a beautiful portion of the painting, if you weren’t in the L’Orangerie gift shop you probably wouldn’t recognize the artwork.
The second item I examined was the fan, which I deemed to be appropriate. I find that the fan recognizably depicts Monet’s Water Lillies, showing portions of the painting with the lilies and the water in a landscape format similar to the actual painting. It is a functional item that will benefit the consumer on a day to day basis, especially in the Parisian summer heat.