An Artsy Fartsy Halloween

When it comes to Halloween, women tend to go down the sexy route. We don’t dress up as cats, we go as sexy pussy cats. Sexy witches! Sexy angels! Bad, bad cops, wink wink… This year, let's do something innovative! My friend Misha once rocked the coolest costume EVER when she dressed in bubblegum pink with a sneaker tied to her head… she was Gum under a shoe! The following year, she went as a Tornado. Animals and small objects were affixed to her clothes with string. She’d twirl around the room and they'd fly out. As you can imagine, it turned out to be quite a dangerous (and tangly) costume...

Here are a few art history related costumes I found on the web: LOVE them! Searching for simpler ideas? How about dressing up as Andy Warhol or Salvador Dali?

1. René Magritte’s Son of a Man a simple yet high impact costume! / 2. Roy Lichtenstein, Girl with Hair Ribbon. Now this takes commitment and a steady hand! / 3. Here is a couple going as Grant Wood’s American Gothic... if they’d only lose the smile, it’d be perfect! / 4. Jan Vermeer’s Girl with the Pearl Earring: If Scarlett Johansson can pull it off, so can you! / 5. Strike the pose! I’m impressed by this recreation of Banksy’s Flower Chucker... it reminds me of Nick Stern’s photographs... / 6. Add flowers and a unibrow, and there you have it: you’re Frida Kahlo!

 

Special shout out to my girl MC: Happy Birthday!!!  

You are not Banksy

You’ve seen street artist Banksy’s graffiti in books and magazines. You may even have seen his work in person or watched his documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop, which made waves at the Sundance Film Festival in 2010. Banksy’s work is recognizable, yet his true identity remains shrouded in legend and mystery. No better artist from whom to appropriate imagery. (There isn’t much chance of him suing for copyright!)

Along comes news photographer Nick Stern, who decides to replicate Banksy’s iconic imagery by using real life models. The flower-throwing rioter, the caveman, the kissing policemen, the maid and even Jesus holding his shopping bags have been recreated in a studio setting, where props were carefully chosen and models cast. “I just hope Banksy likes what I have done,” says Stern.

The rioter: Banksy versus Stern

The maid: Banksy versus Stern

The guard: Banksy versus Stern