Too much of a good thing

I told some friends how buildings make me cry, and my friend Sam Bennett reminded me of something called Stendahl Syndrome, which a headline writer for Psychology Today wittily dubbed “Having an Art Attack.”

I’ve never had a work of art render me catatonic, or require hospitalization, although I think Florence, Italy, could overwhelm anyone. I’ve only visited briefly, but even at the tender age of 9 I remember it as wall-to-wall art. Heck, they didn’t even need walls. They’ve got art everywhere. I even remembered having seen Michelangelo’s David in a plaza somewhere, although every photograph clearly places him indoors. Not so! Apparently Florence is so besotted by the statue they’ve put replicas everywhere (second from the bottom is the one I remember).

Kind of like the Statue of Liberty replicas you see in every tourist area of New York City.

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Anyway, if Stendahl Syndrome doesn’t prove that it’s possible to have too much of a good thing, I think the photo above definitely does.

I don’t cry every time I see a work of art. But I definitely cuss up a storm when I run into selfie-snappie tourists in Times Square.

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