I CANNOT TELL A LIE, much as I would like to. This wonderful bit of Photoshopping was sent by a reader who calls himself Mr. Eyeballs. I wish I could say I found it myself.

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Who knew just how contemporary that Mona Lisa smile could be? A stylized expression in Leonardo’s day, it suddenly looks quite current removed from a Renaissance setting and inserted into a post-modern one. The bloody amputation might be a bit over the top, but the figure’s facial mien—part simper, part sneer—would do nicely in a Vogue photo shoot. Not quite as enigmatic as it has been deemed down the centuries. What a difference placement makes. And the right haircut.

If you are a Photoshop freak, you already know about FreakingNews.com. If you are not, you will have fun with it. It specializes, as you can guess, in wacky, doctored photos. This is art, too. It is still collage, just without the mess of scissors and paste. The vamped up image above has all the wit of Eduardo Paolozzi, a favorite of mine. Paolozzi’s clever fracturings are lighter in spirit. Their visual intelligence amuses, seduces, but without biting. Color lends buoyancy.

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The Freaking da Vinci riff is fun but fittingly caustic at the same time. Enjoy.

© 2011 Maureen Mullarkey

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