A delightful survey of portrait art through a stay-at-home lens, The Poser is a triumphant celebration of creativity, humanity, and humor.
In her new book, Maya Stein documents how she transcended the pandemic isolation by re-creating contemporary portraits as part of the “museum at home” movement. “The Poser: 38 Portraits Reimagined” features imagery and interviews with a selection of artists from around the world whose work she re-created, as well as Maya’s personal essays and reflections about the process of attempting live reenactments of two-dimensional artwork. The book includes a foreword by Danielle Krysa of The Jealous Curator.
A delightful and tongue-in-cheek survey of contemporary portraiture through a stay-at-home lens, Maya Stein's The Poser: 38 Portraits Reimagined is a celebration not only of the art interpreted but also of the indomitability of human creativity in the face of changes wrought by a global pandemic. The photographs are humorous and engaging, the prose is rich and layered, and the synthesis of the two yields an experience that is both informative and thoroughly entertaining. The book opens with a particularly apt epigraph: "If you can't go see the art, be the art." Inspired by an Instagram challenge by the Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, Stein took this quote to heart, uplifting many a social media follower with her 100% homemade mimics of modern masterpieces. With encouragement from her friend, Danielle Krysa, Stein embarked on a one-a-day portrait recreation journey, focusing on contemporary pieces and chronicling the emotional journey of embodying some of her favorite works. Faced with the challenges of toilet paper shortage and of only being able to use materials from around her house, Stein and her wife channeled their inner MacGyver and made magic happen with everything from jerry-rigged brassiere-hats to the magnificent moose head hanging from their living room wall. It's more than just recreation: it's connection. Stein's portraits bring attention to modern art in a way that transcends physical, temporal, and stylistic difference. Each of her photographs are accompanied by the original work and a personalized blurb by the original artist. These featurettes offer readers an opportunity to learn more about both Stein’s endeavors and their inspirations. Her book is both a joy and an adventure, and offers behind-the-scenes knowledge of modern pieces in conjunction with the laugh-out-loud innovation of modest material interpretations. Anyone with a love of art, an affinity for dress-up, or an interest in pandemic pastimes will love The Poser. It is the perfect post-pandemic read/coffee-table companion that ultimately reminds us about the importance of humor, community, family, artistic expression, and, above all, connection, even in the strange stay-at-home world in which it was conceived. The Poser is information and revelation and big belly laughs: above all, it is hearty, high-quality serving of hope.
