COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT.

Something strange is afoot. Something along the lines of IDENTITY THEFT...or at least ARTISTIC AESTHETIC THEFT. I feel violated.


Today I went to visit the intimidatingly large Armory Show at Piers 92 and 94. This annual show began in 1999, and serves as an art fair devoted exclusively to modern art. For a moderate price of $10 (student price) or $30 (general admission), you have access to the Louvre of contemporary art. Galleries from all over the world bring selections from their collections to share with the public. The magnitude of the art housed in these large piers is staggering and overpowering. I experienced a paralyzing sensory-overload, struggled with deciding which next turn to take, where to focus my eyes.

My years as a Fine Arts major continue to haunt me today. I crave to be creative once again, and oftentimes when I surround myself with art, I feel conflicted. Part of me wants to pursue my passion, but another part of me is deathly afraid of failure. However, while perusing the Armory Show - two artists in particular popped out at me, making me realize that maybe I could have done this after all...


Kim Gordon.


Looks strikingly similar to my own work, no???? Gordon's watercolors are extremely reminiscent of the above portraiture work that I did in Drawing II at the University of Pennsylvania. I did a study on human faces and the natural reaction of watercolors on paper. Quick, fast movements and the collisions and interactions of the wet paint made for an interesting, sometimes abstract piece.


Robert Kushman. When you break it down to its bare elements - it is a series of four related panels of floral design, use of gold paint, and diverse range of colors.


Similarly so - I found a ridiculous correlation between Kushman's work and my own. The above five panels were another project from Drawing II (notice how I broke all rules and used paints rather than pencil/charcoal for the entirety of my Drawing II class). The series of five panels are meant to be hung next to each other. Similar floral designs, related color stories between the panels, and the use of gold accents throughout each panel. The strong outlines of the floral objects in Kushman's piece can also be seen in my own work. Is anyone else feeling this resemblance?

I am somewhat weirded out by all of this. And somewhat think this is a message from up above...