Marc Quinn, Alison Lapper Pregnant (2005) vs Ron Muek, Pregnant Woman (2002)
Placement
Alison Lapper Pregnant (2005)
'The sculpture is a portrait of Alison Lapper when she was 8½ months pregnant. It is carved out of one block of white marble and stands 3.55 metres high. At first glance it would seem that there are few if any public sculptures of people with disabilities. However, a closer look reveals that Trafalgar Square is one of the few public spaces where one exists: Nelson on top of his column has lost an arm. I think that Alison's portrait reactivates this dormant aspect of Trafalgar Square. Most public sculpture, especially in the Trafalgar Square and Whitehall areas, is triumphant male statuary. Nelson's Column is the epitome of a phallic male monument and I felt that the square needed some femininity, linking with Boudicca near the Houses of Parliament. Alison's statue could represent a new model of female heroism.
Ron Muek, Pregnant Woman (2002)
His works are placed in the museum, he intend his Pregnant woman to be approached from behind. Only by investigating the work further, by walking around it, should the viewer be able to discover the woman's pregnancy.
Theme
Alison Lapper Pregnant (2005)
‘In the past, heroes such as Nelson conquered the outside world. Now it seems to me they conquer their own circumstances and the prejudices of others, and I believe that Alison's portrait will symbolise this. I'm not physically disabled myself but from working with disabled sitters I realised how hidden different bodies are in public life and media. Her pregnancy also makes this a monument to the possibilities of the future.
Ron Muek, Pregnant Woman (2002)
As she looms above the viewers, she gains totemic quality and becomes a great Mother Earth at whose feet we stand. It also gives us the relative scale of a child. Motherhood is personified, the origin of life.
Then of course, we still have the scale/proportion, techniques/processes, Medium...etc...etc...
but due to time constraints, i am signing off nao...
Well, seeya soon!
--MQ
My Works.... HYPERREALIST
MQ@ Chuck Close
Welcome to my world of hyperrealist~
Firstly, i believe that you yourself knows a bit or two about "hyperrealism". Well, Hyperrealism is a genre of painting and sculpture resembling a high-resolution photograph.
So, have you seen my series of works on -- Hyper-Realistic Eyeball Oil Paintings ?
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Blue Planet |
Introduction to the series of work:
These beautiful images of eyes by me are extremely detailed oil paintings! This series of work "meditates on our attempts to understand or overcome the transience of human life through scientific knowledge and artistic expression." The title of the series, titled "We Share Our Chemistry with the Stars," appears to look more like space and galaxies than people's eyes, drawing on the idea of our eyes being windows to the world.
Theme:
hmm... so i view my 'Iris' paintings as ‘doors of perception’, fusing the mystery of life with beauty and colour.
The iris is one of the few external parts of the body which are highly coloured, the only internal organ you can see from the outside, and the only one which has strong vivid colours of the inside of the body, the strong reds, blues, greens, yellows and oranges. Blue Planet is like a leakage of the vivid interior world of the body to the monochrome world of the skin.
Techniques:
A seductive large-scale print of a real person's iris, selected from a series of photographs taken by me with a special close-up lens. These paintings are then done using airbrush oil paints on canvas.
My paintings & HYPERREALISM:
The paintings look so natural that at first glance they appear to be photographs. The eyes may first appear to be symmetrical, but look a little closer and you'll see that they all have certain artifacts and subtleties that make them quite unique. My work is mesmerizing due to my amazing ability to bring out all the fibers and intricacies of the eye, converting them into something bigger than the world itself.
So is my work HYPERREALIST?
--MQ
THE HUMAN BODY
i think i might be having split personality these few days
my writing style have been changing slightly havent they?
oh well
Buck & Allanah, 2009 Orbital sanded and flap wheeled lacquered bronze 65 3/4 x 41 5/16 x 17 11/16 in. (167 x 105 x 45 cm)
The human body has always intrigued me.
The perfection, and yet the flaws.
People are obsessed with the human body nowadays, desperately to look perfect and flawless.
Plastic surgery. Its so common that I feel like I'm living in a world of Barbies and Kens.
from hormone therapy to tattoos, from piercings to skin bleaching, from implants to transplants
PPFTTT! so common. no kick.
so i came up with "Buck & Allanah", two bronze sculptures of a man and woman with their sexual organs exchanged, or perhaps bringing two people of opposite genders who both underwent sexual transformation together. They look like Adam and Eve at first sight, don't they?
If you ask me, do i classify them under "male", "female", or "none of the above", seriously i do not know. Now we even consider the possibility of a third gender, the "in-between"? Are they considered human beings in the first place?I guess the two bodies i created exist beyond the normal boundaries of classification. Or perhaps you can see it as two people who underwent plastic surgery, changing their features, till they look like the opposite gender. And yet, their body remains untouched.
Alright, why Buck and Allanah? All I did was to search "plastic surgery" and "transformation" and poooff! I discovered Buck Angel! A she turning into a he, and he (she?) introduced me to his friend, Allanah Starr, a man who transformed his body into the idealization of femininity, but preserved his male genitals. Both were elated to pose for my sculptures. When Starr first saw this sculpture of mine, she exclaimed " Amaaaaazing. Oh my God, I didn't realise they'd be in bronze. Incredible." I'm glad she liked it.
Starr told me that she's had 55 operations, including six on her nose and six on her breasts, and she won't hesitate to go for more. And when i asked Starr what her mother thought about her sex change, she replied that her mother was really open-minded and just wanted her to do she wanted to. Ain't it cool that have a mother like that?
So does cosmetic surgery change who a person is? Does it affect his/her identity?
Does the outer appearance of one matter or contributes to who one is?
gah. I don't know what I'm talking bout
boogieswoogiesdoodiesnoodlies
the lovable
MQ.
The Kiss
In my most recent series of sculptures, I use the traditional
medium of marble to create works depicting people who have lost or are
born without limbs. The sculptures were carved to exact instructions by
stone masons, using perfect white marble.
The works show exact likenesses of the sitters, who were either
damaged in the womb or through accident, war or illness. The perfection
of the marble and precise replication of the flawed body creates an a visual irony. Indeed, what is perfection? What is beauty?
Kiss, for example, forces the viewer to address their prejudices. How do you feel about disability or illness? What is perfect? What is flawed?
Subject Matter
The sculpture depicts Catherine Long and Mat Fraser. Both disabled and acquainted as close friends, who had previously worked together, they were the most appropriate couple for this piece of work.
Catherine Long is a performance artist with a background in art
therapies. She was born with only one arm and impaired hip and knee
joints (perfect for this piece). Central to her practice is the paradox of trying to explain
something that is inexplicable. The Kiss is reflected in the challenges
faced in trying to communicate the personal physical experience and the
tension between the individual body and the body in society. She hopes
that the sculpture will “…evoke and challenge people’s perceptions of
what they see as being beautiful or not beautiful.”
Mat Fraser is an actor, poet, musician and writer. He has worked
regularly in theatre and television and starred in the BBC 2 drama Every
Time You Look at Me in autumn 2004. Fraser was born with shortened arms
due to the drug thalidomide. He challenges people to see beyond his
disability in shows such as 'Sealboy: Freak' which he both wrote and
performed.
Techniques
Count yourself lucky to chance upon this blog - here's a sneak peak into my art creation process:
I took a series of photographs of the models posing together and individual body casts.
Body casts are created in plaster, the body being covered in
Vaseline to prevent hairs from being trapped and to protect delicate
skin areas. Wet plaster bandages are layered over the Vaseline. The body
is usually cast in sections. The process took many hours to complete. However, I was patient enough to see through the casting. Besides, the concept was too perfect to be aborted.
The casts were then sent to Italy where expert stone masons were
commissioned to undertake the process of carving. The work is made from
Macedonian marble, the same stone used by ancient Greek sculptors in
some of their statues.
Contrary to some critics, I do not leave these stone masons alone to carve the sculpture. I carefully oversaw every stage of the carving process,
giving the stonemasons detailed notes before the work was undertaken.
When they were within a few centimeters of being completed, I took pains to inspect
them again before the final cuts were made to ensure that every aspect
was perfect.
This is my sculpture, my concept, my art.
Why mine's the Best
Auguste Rodin's The Kiss:
I do not doubt her techniques in rendering a detailed and realistic human sculpture. However, I believe that there ought to be more to art then merely creating a replica of reality. There ought to be a deeper meaning to the sculpture. Obviously my piece is more sophisticated than Rodin's as it touches on the stereotypical mindset of the public.
Constantin Brancusi's the Kiss:
Brancusi is more concerned with the simplification and abstraction of the figures. His materials are more primitive and rough (somewhat childlike) Mine's smooth and more organic, suggesting perfection and contributes to the irony and confusion in the viewers. Indeed there's more to my sculpture - the tedious sculpting process and the irony.
Alison Lapper Pregnant - The Fourth Plinth
Alison Lapper Pregnant at the Fourth Plinth
It was of no surprise when the results for the Fourth Plinth contest was announced. It was obvious that my sculpture, Alison Lapper Pregnant would be chosen to fill the empty fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square. Some critics feel that the new artwork is inappropriate for the square,
which is dedicated British military achievement. Others commend the high
profile the piece gives to a minority group.
My sculpture is a portrait of my fellow disabled artist Alison Lapper when she was eight months pregnant.
In her own words, Alison Lapper, the subject of my piece, said: 'I regard it as a modern tribute to femininity, disability and motherhood. It is so rare to see disability in everyday life — let alone naked, pregnant and proud. The sculpture makes the ultimate statement about disability — that it can be as beautiful and valid a form of being as any other.' Indeed, I felt that the Square could do with some femininity, linking with Boudicca near the Houses of Parliament. Alison’s statue could represent a new model of female heroism.
Yet why do some critics feel that the new artwork is inappropriate for the square? So what if the square is dedicated British military achievement? Surely females ought to be given equal respect and recognition for the struggles they have been through. My work reminds the America of the importance of females and gives high profile to the minority group of disabled females. For me, Alison Lapper Pregnant is a monument to the future possibilities of the human race as well as the resilience of the human spirit.
I am amused at what the critics and other green-eyed viewers have to comment about my ever perfect sculpture. Some even question my role as the creator of the work. So what if it was carved by other sculptors in Italy? Portraying a naked, pregnant, disabled and proud woman was my idea! My concept! The Italian sculptors were merely hired workers doing my bidding. Besides, it was carved from a single huge block of white marble...of course I am skilled enough to carve her out, but given the time constrains and the other projects developing in my creative mind, it is only wise to leave the tedious, technical work to other craftsmen.
Well, being the open-minded person who do not bear grudges, I forgive these critics. I am glad (though not surprised) that a large majority of the public are able to appreciate this sculpture. I believe that Alison Lapper Pregnant has touched the hearts of many.
My sculpture and I
not a copycat!
My dear reader,
I am in a foul mood today. Let me encroach you to read about this lunatic man who claims that I stole his ideas!
Marc Quinn: artist or plagiarist?
For many years, I have known something about Marc Quinn that others seem not to have noticed. The reason I know it, is because Marc Quinn was at the same Cambridge College – Robinson – as I was. We have, therefore, an overlap of social circles and personal contacts. Thus, word of my life and my thought, could have seeped very readily into his. In terms of degrees of separation: my acquaintances at Cambridge University would have known him directly. This is not much separation at all. Anything I said could easily have got back to him, even though I was never personally introduced to him.
I have just become aware of something darkly funny. Well, it is darkly funny if you know what I know about Marc Quinn. Mr. Quinn has recently been complaining that his work has been plagiarized by Swiss fashion house, Akris. Apparently, their designer, Albert Kreimler, strolled into the White Cube gallery where Marc Quinn’s flower paintings were on show – and felt himself so “inspired” by them, that he copied them directly and made clothes out of the designs.
Now, I have seen the clothes and I must say that they do look the same as the paintings, in places. He has basically imprinted Marc Quinn’s paintings onto cloth and called it “his” design.
So, this seems like a very clear case of plagiarism. Marc Quinn is rightfully riled by this. He was quoted as saying: “To take someone’s copyrighted material and turn it into a commercial product without permission is unacceptable. It is damaging to my ability to use my own images to make clothing. It is destroying potential in the future. If someone is inspired by my work and they go and do something completely different that is fine. If they take an image directly, it is not fine.”
My reaction to this statement of Marc Quinn’s might not be the same as yours. You see, I find it darkly funny. You may be wondering why I, who have, in the past, spoken out strongly against plagiarism should find Marc Quinn’s suffering darkly funny. Well, I have a very good reason: I have reason to believe that Marc Quinn is not the original thinker he would like his audience to think him. In fact, I have much reason to believe that he may very well be a plagiarist – though one who has thus far escaped public attention for his tendencies. We shall examine the reasons for my belief here and that will allow you to assess how probable it is that my belief about him, is true.
Many years ago, when I was at Cambridge University,very early on in my career there – probably my first year, which would have been 1986, I submitted my creative written works to Sylvia, the editor of the Bin Brook magazine, at Robinson College. The Bin Brook was the College magazine.
Sylvia had asked me to come around with my works to discuss them with her. I duly brought many works with me – in their original handwritten copies. I talked quite freely with her about my work for quite some time. There were several other people listening in her set of rooms, none of whom had been introduced to me. Sylvia was in her final year at Robinson College – and so those present were not familiar to me, being older and from the upper reaches of the College, in terms of time spent there. There were several males present, though. They were listening intently as I spoke.
At that time, I was quite naïve about people. I didn’t then know the basic principle that, unless an idea is strictly protected, it will be stolen the instant it is spoken of or written of, in public. This is something that happens every time an idea is shared – and is a principle I have learnt through real life experience of it in action.
I spoke a bit unwisely in that room. Firstly, I spoke of a story that I wished to submit, entitled “Smoguey the Sorcerer”. This story concerned a Wizard who had invented a device that could see a few minutes into the future. The punchline of the story was that the device foresaw his own death – the first time he tried it – and there was nothing he could do about it (I would need a copy of the story to give the full details). Now the most interesting part about the story was its origin. I explained to her that the story was based upon a drawing I had done, in which a wizard is looking into a mirror that foretells the future and sees in it, himself, dead, a few minutes hence. I explained that I had taken that image and transformed it into a different medium – the written short story. It was the same idea, represented in two different art forms.
Very oddly, several years later, I remember seeing a newspaper article about a “Marc Quinn” art work that had been entered for a competition, in which his art work consists of a written explanation of the transformation of creative works from one medium into another. He had basically, it seemed, written down my conversation and description of how I had composed that story and made it into “his” artwork. (At least I remember it as being called a Marc Quinn work).
That was somewhat annoying to see, for I knew, for certain, that the idea in that conceptual artwork had been voiced, on my tongue, in front of several unknown witnesses from my College (and Marc Quinn’s College), several years before.
I also told Sylvia of a poem that I would have liked to submit, but which I had left at home. The poem concerned a Vampire’s view of Humanity, in which I described the Vampire as seeing humans as being “heads filled with blood”. This wasn’t metaphorical – in my poetic world, the Vampire actually, physically SAW them as “heads filled with blood”.
Now, you should recall that Marc Quinn’s most famous work is that of “Self”, which is a self-portrait consisting of a, you guessed it, “head filled with blood”. It is Marc Quinn’s blood. However, it is NOT Marc Quinn’s idea. That idea came to me, by 1986 at the latest – and was communicated to everyone in that room, that day, in the same College as Marc Quinn. Marc Quinn’s most famous work, is not original. Marc Quinn did not have that idea, first – I did.
I do not know whether Marc Quinn was present in that set of rooms that day. No-one else was introduced. However, I do not need to know whether he was. The social distance between anyone in that room and Marc Quinn was most probably zero: they would all have known him, since they were old enough to overlap with his presence at Robinson College. Thus the distance between my words and Quinn, was just a simple conversation away – and that is the most distant Marc Quinn could have been from me that day. He might even have been present for all I know.
The way I think of it, is that it does not seem at all likely that Marc Quinn could independently come up with the same idea, when, in fact, both of us were at the same College and I had publicly discussed the idea of heads filled with blood, years before Marc Quinn actually made one in 1991. Occam’s Razor would suggest that the simplest explanation is that he heard what I said, directly or indirectly, that day – and registered the image as interesting and worth pursuing as a work of Art, in the future, when he could get around to it. The notion that TWO people at the SAME College, would INDEPENDENTLY come up with the SAME idea, without being aware of the prior work of the other, strikes me as absolute nonsense and unlikely in the extreme. It is far more likely that Marc Quinn is being derivative of my poem, than that he came up with it himself and it just so happened that it is the same idea.
There is an irony here, of course. I had discussed publicly how I had turned my drawing into a story. Then I mentioned my poem with its image of blood heads – and Marc Quinn, it very much seems, on hearing my words, or learning of them, reversed the procedure, and turned my poem into a work of Art.
Knowing what I do of that day I discussed my ideas too openly, I cannot believe in the idea of Marc Quinn as an original creative person. Two of the ideas I discussed, publicly, became early works of Marc Quinn: now how likely is that to have happened independently? Not very likely at all.
Then again, one should consider an interview Marc Quinn gave to a Cambridge magazine about ten years ago. In that, he said he was grateful that he had attended Cambridge because it “gave him ideas”. I bet it did. What he didn’t say is on whose lips those ideas were first heard. It is noticeable that as Marc Quinn’s career has progressed and he has moved away from his Cambridge years, he has become, in my view, much less creative. His works of recent years involve no real creativity, in my understanding of what creativity is. This, in itself, is good circumstantial evidence that his early works – which shone with creativity – were, perhaps, borrowed from more creative minds than his own. If not, why the definite decline in his creative work? I know he is older…but he is not that much older. If he was truly the originator of his early creative works, surely he would still show much of the same creative power? He doesn’t. However, I do remember the day I discussed and disclosed key ideas, later found in Marc Quinn’s work. I see no real explanation of this other than the simplest one: the blood head did not originate in Marc Quinn’s own mind, for it had been spoken of five years before, by me. The work about transformation also did not originate in Marc Quinn’s mind. The question now, is: if Marc Quinn appropriated ideas he heard at Robinson College, which originated in my own unguarded conversation – did his other works come from conversations with others? Which, if any of Marc Quinn’s works, truly originate in his own unaided mind? Are ALL his works “inspired” by others?
I ask this question for a reason. Truly creative people, habitually conceive of their own ideas, unaided by others: they look within, not without. They do not need others to feed on. However, those who call themselves creative, but who are much less so, than the former type, sometimes depend on “inspiration” from others. In these cases, they habitually pick ideas from the brains of others, tinker with them a little, then call them “their” own works. This breed of people really see themselves as creative. They do not understand that what they do is inherently derivative and dependent on the thinking of others. In my experience, the two types are distinct. Truly creative people would not only never need inspiration from others – they would also not take ideas from others: they would respect the ownership and origin of the ideas.
Which type is Marc Quinn: the true creative or the type who is always being “inspired” by others? If he is the true creative type then he must explain why I spoke of his core early ideas at least five years before they appeared in his works. Also if he is a true creative, he must explain why he appears much less creative now, than he did early on. If he is the type who is always “inspired” by others…then why is making such a fuss over the “inspiration” of Albert Kreimler of Akris? If his blood head originated in my speaking of it, five years before he made one…then is he not guilty of doing exactly the same thing that Albert Kreimler of Akris did?
I have held back from speaking of my recognition of Marc Quinn’s “Self” work, as being derived from my vampire poem, for many years. However, I have come to realize that I am harming myself by not speaking of it. It is not fair to me, to keep silent. Whatever the origin of the “Self” blood heads, it is clear that Marc Quinn did not get to the idea first: I did…by five years, at least. I also spoke of it in the same College as him, within easy social distance of himself. That is something that really needs explaining.
I was moved to write, finally, of this, by seeing Marc Quinn make such a fuss over Akris’ plagiarism of his work. Now, I know that Marc Quinn knows how it feels to be plagiarized. It is time, though, that people realized that perhaps Mr. Marc Quinn, too, has plagiarized work in the past. Indeed, it is not safe to think that his most iconic work: Self, is, in fact, his own idea. No-one who knew of my conversation that day, about my work, could possibly think that, if they were being reasonable.
Yet, even as I write this, I know that very few people will ever get to read this post and to come to the understanding that the origin of Marc Quinn’s early works needs to be questioned. So, I write knowing that it will do little to open people’s eyes. However, it is important that I make this statement, because to fail to do so, is to cheat myself. It should be known that the same ideas Marc Quinn used, were voiced by me, many years before he used them.
I don’t know Marc Quinn personally. I don’t know what he is like or whether he is a reasonable person, in any way. However, if he ever gets to hear of my concerns, here, I would invite him to reflect: how would he feel, if his own ideas, ended up in the works of another, who gained 100% credit for them, even though those ideas had been conceived of, by him, many years before (but publicly discussed). Recall that those ideas had been embodied in copyrighted works – all of them. Surely he would feel a bit like he does over the Akris affair. Well, imagine then how I felt to see the blood heads, from my poem, made into “Self”. It was a strange, saddening experience, for I knew that I had conceived that vision long before Marc Quinn made it physical.
Perhaps Mr. Marc Quinn should reflect on his own words and take his own advice: “To take someone’s copyrighted material and turn it into a commercial product without permission is unacceptable.”
Well, I didn’t give Marc Quinn permission to make use of my copyrighted material, in any way. Yet, inexplicably, my prior work, echoes his later work. Please explain that Mr. Marc Quinn.
Thank you for reading this quite lengthy post, everyone. I appreciate it.
(If you would like to support my continued writing of this blog and my ongoing campaign to raise awareness about giftedness and all issues pertaining to it, please donate, by clicking on the gold button to the left of the page.
(taken from http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2011/05/marc-quinn-artist-or-plagiarist.html)
If there is one thing I hate in this world, it is being accused of plagiarism. As this man has rightfully stated in his post, I have been plagiarized before and it was altogether a very infuriating experience. One does not simply take the work others have put extensive effort into and make them their own. It is highly unethical.
So, to this man who has accused me of being something I abhor greatly, with absolutely no evidence at all, I have a few things to tell you:
First of all, if you are daring enough to accuse me, please do it legally and confront me directly.
Secondly, I did not copy your idea. I am not aware if I was in the room at the time, as it was decades ago, but I can assure you that I did not get my ideas from you. Do not flatter yourself on that.
Thirdly, if I was present and heard your idea, I would not have thought your idea was concrete enough to have been copied anyway. Your idea of the Sorcerer and how you transformed it from a drawing into a written story may be in concept similar to my idea of changing the mediums of creative works, but anyone can do what I have done. I do not pretend that changing the form of an artwork is such a genius discovery that it is mine and mine alone. For one, it is far too general an idea to even be copyrighted. It exists in childrens' storybooks, where illustrations are an alternative form of the children's story. It exists in photorealist paintings, where the artist makes the painting an alternative form of the original photograph. It existed already, even before you and I chanced upon it. It is not your idea, nor mine, and so it seems rather foolish for you to accuse me for copying an idea you did not own.
Fourthly, my work "Self" is worlds apart from your Vampire story. The only similarity is what you label "heads filled with blood". The initial idea, and concept, and everything else have nothing in common. My work is about identity, a exploration of what is behind the face. It is a research on appearance versus reality. My work is about myself. Your idea, however, involves a vampire and humanity, which is a far cry from what I am trying to portray. The final result may have been similar, but what I was trying to bring out is in no way similar to yours. My initial idea led me to the concept of sculpting myself in blood. Your initial idea led to the concept of a head filled with blood. The product may be more or less the same, but the starting concept is not. I don't think it is fair to say that I have copied you simply because we chanced upon the same final way of representation, when the things we are trying to say are as clearly different as black and white.
Last but not least, you say that my "works of recent years involve no creativity, in my understanding of what creativity is". I applaud you sir for taking the time to look and think about my works. Of course you would not have thought my recent works creative, for my style has evolved from what you deem creative (heads filled with blood). It does not matter to me what you think about my works, though, and I do not know how I can convince you otherwise, so I am content enough that I am proud of what I have done as an artist, and your view on the matter will not change mine.
However, my dear man, I am deeply empathetic that you should feel wronged and believe that your ideas have been 'stolen'. I have felt the same. The only difference is that I truly have not taken any ideas from you. I am critical of how you say you do not think we both, having come from the same school, could have had the same idea. (I think that even if we lived on opposite ends of the Earth, we may still have come up with the ideas we did.) On the other hand, I warn you that you should keep your ideas to yourself next time, in case anyone else does entreat to make your ideas their own.
Yours Sincerely,
MQ
I AM THE NEXT DA VINCI.
Yesterday, I read an article about artists and inventors: http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2011/aug/21/collaborations-between-artists-and-scientists
It made me think about a lot of things, about why I do the work I do, and how I see myself. And I have decided that I am a creator--as much an artist as an inventor--very much like Da Vinci in his time.
This was the very photo on the article; Sir John Sulston with I. For those not familiar with my work, I did a portrait called Sir John Sulston back in 2001. Literally speaking, it was a complete likeness, as perfect as portraits can go.
This was the portrait. Where, you ask? No, not the man behind the framed sheet of that something. That something is the portrait itself. Before you narrow your eyes and wonder if I am fooling around with you, let me inform you that Sir John Sulston is one of the scientists who decoded the human genome. He did about one-third of the work that has changed science and human history. Today, God knows how many lives his work has saved by allowing scientific research to take its course. It seemed oddly fitting that I should use him as my subject in this portrait, made not of paint but of the man's own genes. Literally speaking, it is the most realistic portrait that has ever been made, and that can ever be made.
This is a portrait of our shared inheritance, Sir John Sulston told me. He believed in it because it was a medium that could have portray anyone else, but also only portrayed one person.
I think the fascination with it was that it spoke of shared ancestry. It transcends skin colour and race and religion and appearance and even time. It connects us with everyone else, those who have lived, are living or are going to live in the future,
After all my work in relation to science, I got to think about Da Vinci and how he is the most reknown artist, and is after all that still an inventor, a scientist, and with a mind of his own class. Apart from creating conceptual designs of cannons, helicopters and other flying machines, scuba gear and other things unheard of in his time, Da Vinci also had a fascination with anatomy of humans and animals (especially horses).
In his age, he dissected human corpses to paint the most realistic human figures, much like how I employed the use of genes to portray most accurately the human subject. He was the first to draw the appendix of the human and the foetus in the womb; I was the first to represent my head in blood.
I am the Da Vinci of my time.
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