why you cant use the flash in the louvre?

Answer 1

REPEATED exposure to strong light, can damage the paintings.
a single flash may be OK, but if they allow it for one member of the public, they would have to allow it for everyone,and that would cause the pigments in the paint to deteriorate

Answer 2

You can't use a flash in the Louvre or any other art museum or gallery because the flash destroys the pigment - i.e. the colour - in the paintings. You can, on the other hand, learn how to operate your camera properly so that you can switch off your flash and at the same time adjust the camera settings so that they will take pictures in the light inside the Louvre. Try putting the ISO at 400. Works for me.

Answer 3

The official reason appears to be that the strong light from flash bulbs can fade the paint pigment over a period of time. I'm sceptical that flash lights are a major problem. The real enemy is direct sunlight which is in a league of its own when it comes to pigment fading. I must , however, ask the question why people have this overwhelming desire to take photographs of beautiful paintings and sculpture? Is not just lingering for a while and seeing with your own eyes the magnificence of the original and then living on the memory of it, better than any photographic image which can never portray the magic of the real thing. It's like lots of things in life, you can rarely ever re-create the magic of the first experience, and almost certainly never with the aid of a photograph. Next time you go to an art gallery or museum, leave your camera at home and linger longer.

Best of luck.

Answer 4

Now you know that it will damage the paintings.

Many moons ago, (before the days of digital cameras) I was in the Louvre and had to change my film. The camera automatically went back to 'flash on' and it flashed. Well, all hell broke loose - a recorded message began to play in several different languages saying - don't use the flash, etc,etc, and everybody in my vicinity glared at me accusingly. After turning many different shades of red, I scuttled to another part of the room to resume ogling the paintings.

So, the real reason you can't use a flash in the Louvre is because it is horribly embarrasing if you get caught!!!!!!!

Answer 5

Last time I was in the louvre it was packed, particularly around a certain painting by Leonardo Da Vinci. It's bad enough having a constant stream of tourists virtually running in one direction when you're trying to contemplate great art without dozens of flashes going off as well.

oh, and the paintings might get damaged.

Answer 6

Not only in the Louvre, but at many other museums because it is bad for the paintings.

Answer 7

It's because thousands of camera flash lights would cause damage to to the paintings. They are very old and light damage can cause them to fade. Consequently they are lit enough for you to view them in the daytime and during the evening when the museum is closed there is low level lighting to enable security to patrol and the paintings to have a 'light rest'.

Answer 8

Because the extreme amount of light needed for a flash will depreciate the composition and durability of the paint, and ultimately ruin the painting. Just look what ordinary sunlight does if you leave one shoe in the window, and the other in its box.

Answer 9

The flash surely damage painting, but anyway you can take very good pictures without.

In most rooms there is plenty of light to take photos of paintings and of the people looking at them!

Answer 10

I think its obvious that flash must have an adverse effect on some of the old paintings so rather than chance it hence the ban