LEISURE

LEISURE AND VIRTUAL REALITY

For The Football Players (1908), Henri Rousseau probably took as his inspiration the annual rugby competition between England and France known as “Le Crunch” and first held in Paris in 1906. The ways in which we relate to one another through sport has changed over the last century. From group leisure, which is depicted in the Rousseau painting with an outdoor activity, we have increasingly embraced domestic and individualistic leisure time in the 21st century. Recent years have seen a spectacular proliferation of digital games, for instance. Cutting-edge technology has turned them into one of the most popular digital platforms, especially for younger generations. Further, the development of virtual reality has led not only to new forms of artistic creation and expression in what is known as “virtual art” (works produced in augmented reality, 3D or 360º videos, that can be accessed instantly through digital platforms), but it has also generated a new type of social interaction: virtual relationships. How far do you think these technologies favor social interaction, or do you think they impair it?

Henri Rousseau
The Football Players (Les joueurs de football), 1908
Oil on canvas
100.3 x 80.3 cm
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York 60.1583
Photo: © Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, New York (SRGF)

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