Environmental activists against works of art: the questionable protest of a just battle

Monet, Van Gogh, Constable, Boccioni, Vermeer, Goya: they are the illustrious victims of the

in recent months against paintings, sculptures, extraordinary works of inestimable value hit by activists for the climate and for environmental protection.

Masterpieces of art history, kept in museums or exhibited in temporary exhibitions, targeted by young militants (the groups are

,

and its Italian "division"

).

It is a transversal, European movement, made up of champions lined up - meritoriously - for environmentalism and ecology.

However, the young people involved in the demonstration actions found

rather

and certainly controversial form

and protest against the inaction of governments.

We can also share the idea that there is an objective inertia to a radical change of pace in lifestyles, in political choices, in the involvement of everyone to reverse the trend against a deterioration of the planet now defined as "irreversible" by scientists.

To smudge (or at least try to do it), deface, damage the canvases where the geniuses of painting have spread their inimitable brushstrokes what does it refer to?

What form of protest, of rebellion, of subversion does it want to lead?

How does hitting a Van Gogh or a Monet help others to reflect - and act - for the defense of the planet and the protection of its ecosystems?

Judging by the skepticism with which these actions have been received, it is legitimate to have more than a doubt.

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The Mona Lisa defaced by a cake

The demonstration actions of the last summer

The environmental protest began last

in Paris, where some young activists, shouting “Let's save the planet”, threw a

on

Leonardo da Vinci's

Accident without consequences, like almost all the others that followed.

Usually, in fact, or at least in most cases, these masterpieces are protected by armored glass, which protects the works from any form of damage.

However, this does not concern the frames, which are also sometimes valuable pieces of art.

In July, a series of British museums entered the crosshairs of Just Stop Oil, an environmental group protesting against the use of fossil fuels.

London's

and

were targeted

.

But it is in the

of the British capital that the most serious episode took place: the painting to which the young activists are glued,

by

, is

, as communicated by the management of the museum.

GettyImages

Uffizi, the environmentalists' blitz in front of Botticelli's "Primavera"

Also in July, on the 22nd, the protest movement arrives in Italy, the country in the world with the greatest artistic and historical-cultural heritage: in the Botticelli room of the

in

a banner is displayed with the words "Ultima Generazione, No Gas No Coal".

The young people then glued themselves to the glass that protects

.

No damage to the famous painting, due to the presence of a special glass.

Also in Tuscany, a few days earlier (on July 16), three environmentalists had chained themselves with a padlock to a balustrade during the interval of the opera

, at the Puccini Theater in Torre del Lago (Lucca).

On

the latest generation activists go to

in

and glue themselves to the structure that supports the sculpture

.

On

, at the

in

, two young people - once again of the latest generation - tie themselves to the base of the statue of

, displaying a banner against the use of gas and coal.

Three days pass and in

, in

, three activists unroll a banner with anti-Co2 slogans, while two others are attached with steel chains to the handrail that delimits the visit area, in the room of the most important Giotto cycle, the one dedicated to the life of Jesus and Mary.

ANSA / NICOLA FOSSELLA

The latest generation activists in the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua

As we can see, it is not always a question of demonstrative actions whose purpose is to damage (even if only attempted) a painting or a figurative work of art.

Which could lead us to say that their protest is reasonable, sensible, shareable in these forms and in these ways.

, conflicting reactions are aroused and a heartfelt issue of public interest is brought to the attention of public opinion.

But everything changes when you try to deface the beauty of a painting, according to a practice that borders on vandalism.

A term rejected by those directly concerned, who are keen to clarify that they are not "environmentalists" but "activists": "Ours is not vandalism, but the cry of alarm of desperate citizens who do not resign themselves to facing the destruction of the Planet and, with it, of his own life ".

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Just Stop Oil's action against the famous Van Gogh at the National Gallery in London

The latest attacks: Van Gogh, Monet, Goya

October was a "hot" month: on the 14th the Just Stop Oil environmental activists, engaged in the anti-oil protest campaign, launched a liquid, according to initial information an

edible

Vincent Van Gogh

's

, guarded in

at the

.

On the 23rd it was the turn of a

,

, hit by two last generation activists at

in

, Germany, throwing

.

's masterpiece is hit

,

, exhibited at the

museum

.

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Activists smear "Girl with a Pearl Earring" painting

Finally, the last two blitzes.

Yesterday, against another Van Gogh, this time exhibited in

at

as part of an exhibition dedicated to the Dutch painter: two girls threw a vegetable soup against

(the organizer announced that the work will be exhibited again tomorrow).

While, it is today the news of the two components of

museum in

Madrid

glued to the frames of the paintings of

and

.

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The demonstration act yesterday in Rome

So far, in short, no irreparable damage, either for the protective glass, or for the intention of the demonstrators, reaffirmed on every occasion, not to have the real intention of damaging the paintings but only to sensitize the public.

But are the youngsters of the latest generation sure to be able to achieve their goals in this way?

Doesn't it touch them the suspicion that by doing so they attract criticism and the lack of solidarity of those who - while sharing their battle - would not like to see a masterpiece of world art "offended" in that way?

At this rate, moreover, it is legitimate to fear much more serious risks for fragile works, over a hundred years old, to be preserved and protected.

How would we react, in fact, if unfortunately one day a canvas were to be irreversibly damaged?

With the'

@leorodriguezd

Two activists cling to the frames of "Las Majas de Goya" in the Prado Museum in Madrid