13 Imagine you are a museum curator and you have a “special” visitor who suddenly becomes keen on one of Gauguin’s pictures. The visitor would love to have a copy of that piece of art at home, however he/she would have a few details in the canvas altered (e. g. give the orange dog a more conventional colour). Alas, this is out of the question.
The meanwhile, you are giving him a tour of “Gauguin’s Room” and believe that the visitor’s dislike of some details stems from his ignorance of the style, unawareness of the biographical and social context of that period. You patiently explain the ingenuity of style, the specificity of palette and things, based on the available information and results of previous discussions. The visitor will, naturally, ask questions or just support the conversation.
14 Assume a situation when the police have received evidence about a planned burglary/robbery of the local museum of fine arts. The museum is large and there are a number of rooms, exhibiting paintings of different periods. The suspected thieves are to be after Gauguin. Now it’s important to set up the trap in the right place.
The detective, in charge of the case, has an appointment with museum’s leading expert in modern art. He/she has to identify the most likely target – the picture the thieves are likely to be after. The expert will have their opinions, while the detective will ask questions to make sure he is on the right track. Some of the expert’s suggestions might sound ridiculous, and, at times, the detective’s ignorance might be matching. Act out the conversation with ultimate civility, using the language of the materials above.
