The Getty Museum tweeted a challenge to recreate a piece of art using the objects at hand. During the weeks between March 31, 2020 and April 12, 2020 while we self-isolated at home I made 48 recreations. I posted every remake with the phrase BECAUSE I AM STAYING IN in an effort to support flattening the curve. The Getty retweeted some of them and Buzzfeed included one in their coverage.
I found this “re-creational” diversion totally engrossing and thrilling. I totally forgot the tension of Covid-19 news for those moments and was happy to have my poetry brain, which was on pause after handing in my MFA thesis draft, experience a trill of novelty.
I gave myself a ten minute rule to assemble these tableaus, which I pretty much stuck to. Shooting and uploading them on my old phone was more time-consuming! Thanks to everyone who responded online with enthusiasm for this ridiculous impulse. It was a silly and surprising way to connect with so many people.
March 31, Flaming June by Frederic Leighton
March 31, Dance by Matisse
March 31, Dali’s Elephants
April 1, Victoria Duryagina’s still life
April 1, Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring, for Doug Webster
April 1, Picasso’s La Misereuse Accroupie
April 1, Dr Seuss’s Cat in the Hat for Steve Schran
April 1, a 10-second Totoro for Esmeralda Alstadt
April 2, a detail from The Swing by Jean-Honoré Fragonard for Kelli Russell Agodon Russell and her daughter
April 2, Gustav Klimt’s The Kiss for Elin Schran
April 2, Marc Chagall’s L’Homme À La Tète Renversée
April 2, Antoine Vollon’s Mound of Butter for Shin Yu Pai
April 2, Starry Night by van Gogh for Susan Travers.
This nearly broke me.
April 2
I made neither of these but saw an equivalence in Degas’ ballerinas and the chicks in this photo going around the internet uncredited.
April 2, This triptych is a request from Heather Jessup.
Katsushika Hokusai Yejiri Station, Province of Suruga, ca. 1832, remade by Jeff Wall as a Sudden Gust of Wind (after Hokusai), 1993, remade by me in 30 seconds flat.
Please check out Sheryda Warrner’s ekphrastic poem “A Sudden Gust“, also written off these works.
April 2, Ecce Homo aka Beast Jesus for Brandy Lien Worrall-Soriano
April 2, The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living by Damien Hirst for Sarah Ludington.
April 3
A spontaneous breakfast remake of a piece of art purchased in Mexico in 1996. Though the piece is untitled and unsigned, I refer to it as “Cosmic Bacon”.
April 3, Dali’s Burning Giraffe for Gabi Levy-Gay
April 3, Andrew Wyeth’s Christina’s World for Elin Schran
April 4, Georgia O’Keefe’s Sky over Clouds for José Díaz Hernández
April 4, Henri Rousseau’s La Bohémienne Endormie for Margot Young
April 4, Charles Schulz’s doodle of my mom, Tenley Albright
April 4, Norval Morrisseau’s Thunderbird
April 4, Joan Miró’s The Magic of Colour with ketchup, mustard, and a peppercorn for Kathleen Drohan
April 4, Tiger in a Tropical Rainstorm by Henri Rousseau for Christine McNair
April 4, Peter Max’s Love is a special request from my mother.
April 4, Dali’s Paysage for Emiliabianca Pisani
April 5, Rothko’s Untitled, 1949, for Sonnet L’ Abbe
April 5, Matt Bollinger’s Storage, 2015 for Rabi Alameddine
April 5, Andy Warhol’s Flowers, 1964 for Roberta Traynor
April 5, Botticelli’s Venus for Jennifer Hall
April 5, Streetcar Madonna, 1946 by Allan Rohan Crite for Rhys Gardiner
April 5, Diego Rivera’s Flower Carrier for Christina Sokoloff Severin
April 6, Jackson Pollock’s freeform Untitled 1946 for Steve Schran
April 6, Octopus Teapot by Keiko Masumoto for Emiliabianca Pisani
April 6, Raimonds Staprans’ Still Life with Rolling Pin
April 7, Remedios Varo’s Meeting
April 7 Chagall’s Flying Lovers for Heather Haley
April 7, American Gothic for Tara McGuire
April 7, Howard Hodgkin’s Rain for Beth Davies
April 9, Varnette Honeywood’s Green Peas for Money, Peas for Luck for Terri Diane Stroud
April 9, Alicia Martin’s photo from her series “Biografies”
April 9, Panel 2 from Jacob Lawrence’s The American Struggle, the Boston Massacre for Penny Kline
April 9, Giovanni Caroto’s Portrait of a Young Boy Holding a Drawing
April 10, Lenora Carrington’s The Giantess (Guardian of the Egg)
April 11, Exploración de las Fuentes del Río Orinoco by Remedios Varo for Lydia Kwa
Bonus Round: Sept 20, 2020
On Iona Beach in Vancouver we came across this otter. Remake courtesy of opera gloves and bikinis.
