“use an already famous work of art to try to get some of its fame/recognizance”

Has been done before (dadaist monalisa)
(meninas by picasso) & will be done again.

Hello Kitty stuff is a gift-giving staple around this family and something of a mystery as she has one of the largest non-speaking roles in this side of commerce.

What gets me about the Goya is Hello’s scrutiny of the scene, to the point of total immersion. Makes me think about the mutual curiosity that has existed between the Japanese and the European traditions. I can imagine Hello moving on to a Van Gogh or Gauguin with her spy glass in search of Japanese influences.

As promised, I queried Jer about HK/Goya and HK/Matisse. Remember, he’s a talented writer and intellectual, but with a somewhat lamentable vacuum in art history (which, however, has its advantages, because I can enlighten him and that keeps the marriage conversation going)

Anyway, here’s his responses. He didn’t know any of the references in your paintings — not Kitty, Goya, nor Matisse. I didn’t give him any prompts. He was looking at a a paper copy of the images I printed off AandP,

About HK-Goya: “less instantly appealing [than HK-Matisse] because darker, less contrasty. However, it’s a satire, on closer inspection. The soldiers are killing the bear and its friends. An adult theme. Don’t hang this one in the nursery. It should go in grandpa’s billiard room.”

About HK-Matisse: “This one — for the vivid contrast and cheerful child-like colors. It’s a piece for children — fairy-tale like and suitable for hanging in the nursery.”

So those are responses from a reasonably intelligent but clueless-about-context adult. I don’t know what you can do with them, but I offer them up.