 | Not Myself Today
40" x 30"
1992
Collection of Susan Miller
One of the innovations that Tina Brown brought as editor to The New Yorker in 1992 was the notion that the subject of the cover should as often as possible relate to the content of the magazine. The art director, who knew my work, told me that an upcoming issue would prominently feature an essay about fashion and asked if I had any paintings that might relate to that topic. The New Yorker had played such a major role in the after-school side of my formation that I was determined not to miss the chance to be a part of it. I had always wanted to do something with Picasso's Girl with Mirror. Searching through art books, I auditioned a few women for the role of her startling mirror image before deciding on Sargent's notorious Madame X. When I reversed her direction, the two great profiles finally faced off. Feeling very up-to-date, I faxed a sketch of it to the magazine and got the OK. It appeared on the November 23, 1992, cover. It may have more to do with vanity and narcissism than fashion, except perhaps the fashions of the world of art. |
