Another One

My agent from artplu.com sold a pastel nude I made back in 2012. He asked me to copy it for the same Chinese buyer and collector who wanted to have a copy of that same pastel. He planned to have one for his house and one for his country house. The Chinese are into realistic western art nowadays, I guess.

The Process of Copying or Is It?

Of course I was happy to haven been appreciated and blessed with a sale like that in China. On the other hand a request to do another one is something I had to think over twice. It is not that often I feel the urge to relive the creation of something that came naturally. It occasionally happens though, like copying Grassy Knoll 1 (2007). In addition I was caught in a busy moment, serving my Indonesian meals to students in December. It is a busy time each year but I want express my appreciation for attending my classes that way. Last but not least, how could I copy those hatched pastel strokes? Should I make something similar, not a copy?

A New Version, Not a Copy

The thing is that an artist cannot copy a painting. Geert Jan Jansen and Han van Meegheren would not haven been able to make an exact copy of masterpieces. Instead, they made new paintings in the style of old masters and sold them under the name of those masters. Another thing is that after 2012 my techniques and diction grew enormously. I was able to do more and in a more subtle way, let alone the fact my artistic taste developed. I told my agent so and he agreed that it only would have to resemble the same motif. I think I did a good job in the end. Maybe I am more content of the artistic and anatomical merits of this one, compared to the 2012 version. Luckily the collector adored both. Lucky me!

Click here to read about the sale of this art work through artplu.com.

Pastel drawing on velours paper (50 x 70 x 0.1 cm)

Artist: Corné Akkers