Outbursts (of anger) at the Cézanne and Renoir exhibition in Milan: too many disturbing clicks

Dear Schiavi,
I visited the beautiful Cézanne-Renoir exhibition at Palazzo Reale but I saw almost nothing, or very little. It was infested with people standing still for minutes in front of each painting, not to admire them but only to photograph them with their cell phones. Not a look at the masterpieces, but still with the screen pointed. Impossible for those behind to see the paintings. A nightmare visit. I propose the obligation to leave cell phones in the cloakroom. For civility.
Marco Vizzardelli

Dear Vizzardelli,
the memories of mobile phones are overflowing with useless, futile and meaningless images, such as the videos that badly record concerts and artistic performances that can also be seen and listened to again on the Internet, provided free of charge by those who perhaps took the same shots with more professionalism and better audio. In the case of exhibitions, the same images of paintings can be found in high definition on the Internet (free) on TV, in books and catalogues, but the law of digital consumerism has created sharing mechanisms that pass through the photo posted on Facebook or Instagram and the souvenir selfie. It is life manipulated by the internet, which the philosopher Byung Chul Han talks about: we are all infected. The freedom of shooting is not in question, a beautiful sunset, the waves of the sea or a breathtaking panorama are always a beautiful sight, but certain clicks at exhibitions are like the cell phone ringing at a concert: come on, let’s turn it off every now and then.

Piazza del Carmine is a wonderful little square in Brera unfortunately disfigured by the presence, now inevitable everywhere, of tables in some places. To prevent vehicle access there is an iron chain supported by two concrete pillars; now one of these has been damaged, partially torn away from the asphalt and tilted inwards so the chain no longer remains taut but crawls at ground level. Result: the vans that supply the premises happily pass it, enter the small square and unload the goods. It is urgent to see local police officers supervising maintenance and people’s behavior.
Francesco Pettinaroli

Piazza del Carmine is one of the magical places in Milan. It deserves due attention and should not need to be reminded.