Gallery Style

"Gallery of the Louvre" Samuel F.B. Morse, Oil on Canvas, 6′ 2″ x 9′ 0″, 1881-1883.

Recently my students remarked on the stacking of artworks in this painting. They were unfamiliar with the original gallery style hanging that was so prevelent in centuries past. This painting was itself created to be instructive and illustrative of great art. It got me thinking about the silofication that we talk about as a result of social media, but what if it started happening sooner. What if our removing artworks from dialogue with each other on walls also contributes to this effect? How would you curate a gallery salon-style? What sources would you place in conversation together? How does dialogue improve with greater context and diversity?