Story Behind the Painting

This painting is modeled from the French masterwork, "Salon Jury" from Henri Gervex.

As was the case in the 1860s pre-Impressionism era, the all powerful Parisian Salon curator tastemakers rejected and in essence hid from public view now considered masterpiece Impressionist works because they didn't conform to their favored contemporary style.

"Hipster Jury" is a satirical documentation of fine art selection process for the modern day (2009-2011) handmade monopolistic eCommerce market where only a small fraction of available works are chosen for the site showcases - again not based on merit, but due to narrow-minded trend conformity and quid pro quo promotion teams. Today's jury process is based on "social commerce" where popularity is measured by Tweet frequency, Hearts, and networking circles regardless of formal fine art training. Thus... the oversaturation of iconic motifs and plagiarized works made by resellers.

The upsidedown discarded Mona Lisa reflects the dismissal of many authentic artists saddened by the current state of affairs. However, although somber – the smirk is indicative of the insider joke shared by the shall we say... enlightened. :)