Inspirations

Peter Paul Ruben's painting "A Child's Head" was the painting that motivated him to become an artist. Also, his trip to Hungary gave him the confidence to live up to the title of "artist."

A Child’s Head by
Peter Paul Rubens

(http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/worstpossibleillusion/vik_fla.html)

" Once I was stopped in the train going into Hungary. And this was a long time ago. Guards, they were reminiscent of the Red Army, coming with machine guns and asking for a passport. And I said I didn't have a visa to get in. And they asked me what I did. I said, "I'm an artist!" And this guy had a little clipboard, like this, he says, "So you're an artist? Draw me a picture." For the first time in my life, I said that I was an artist and I drew a picture of his friend who was holding this machine gun. I drew this picture and I gave it to him and he looked at it and said, "Oh, indeed you are an artist! Can you sign it?" I actually drew my way into Hungary. And I remember these guys looking at the picture, like, making comments, waving goodbye to me. That was the first time I felt that I was really an artist, because if I am an artist to people with machine guns, I am an artist to any critic in the city. I felt like after that I passed the ultimate proof I could call myself an artist. " -Vik Muniz, interview with EGG (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/egg/307/muniz/interview_content_1.html)

The Encyclopedia Britannica was another source of inspiration. One day, the encyclopedia arrived to his house on a wheelbarrow after his dad won it in a game. It allowed Vik to read about the outside world and all the things it had to offer.

(Big Book by Vik Muniz, from Seeing Is Believing, Arena Editions)

(http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/worstpossibleillusion/vik_fla.html)