We are always borrowing one thing from another. Condo calls his painting Lady Crimp his “fake old masters”making reference to his borrowing of historical references for his work. Nick Van Woert, recently featured in Modern Painters, takes part in the historical thievery or “hijacking” as he calls it. Haruspex shows how Woert connects the historical with his vision.
Salaam, created just a few months ago, along with three other similar paintings done around the same time, are blended and mashed in the same similar manner as Condo and Woert. The imagery is taken from photography used in advertisement for products and clothing lines. This practice of borrowing, “hijacking” or faking with materials from the past or the present is common in the arts. Richard Prince and the reproductions of the Marlboro Men advertisements is yet another example of stealing images and taking ownership of them. Making it new by making it again.
