Marcel Duchamp autographed urinals and called them art. Genius. Nut. I am not that nuts, but I too photograph things and call them art. I also get fascinated with certain things and photograph them into oblivion until I am happy with them. That can take years sometimes. My latest is this rusty paint on the sides of utility poles. Ansel Adams had the great American wilderness. To each our own. Anyway, a few ready-mades:
marcel duchamp
Hasn’t this woman been through enough in her life?
She’s been stolen, had acid poured on her, had a rock thrown at her and can currently be seen at the Louvre, behind bullet proof glass. She is truly amazing and when you go and actually see her, she seems alive. I stood there and thought she was about to start waving at us.
There have been many explanations about her smile. My favorite was that she had all her teeth broken and that’s why she looks that way.
And, Marcel Duchamp, he of the personally autographed urinal, used her to create one of his best known and funniest pieces of art:
Not only does she have a mustache now, but L.H.O.O.Q is an abbreviation for a French phrase implying that she is “hot down below.”
But as far as cruelty towards her goes, this I think is the most egregious:
Recognize that disgusting smirk? Yes, she’s been transformed into the man for whom it so hard to put food on his children and someone who is glad that now he knows what he didn’t know when he didn’t know it. I could go on and on, but I won’t. I mean he’ll just mess it up himself, so what is even the point.
Anyway, after being him all day long, no wonder La Gioconda needs one of these:
wrong side of the camera 