Monet In Triplicate

Artists who qualify for the Copyist Program are permitted to paint in the National Gallery. One of them had temporarily abandoned this copy of Monet's "The Japanese Footbridge."  Perhaps the intention was to avoid the afternoon crowds offering unsolicited comments. Some viewers were more intrigued by the copy than the real thing. In shooting this photo, I have captured three images of the Japanese Footbridge. This one on your screen becomes yet another version. My photo is only a copy, of sorts, as is the copyist’s version and the image on the girl's camera phone. There is a house of mirrors aspect to this, with the footbridges multiplying. The original painting always remains, hanging serenely in the National Gallery.