The Plagiarist

I was once considered one of the best artists in the world. The critics were unanimous in their praise for my work. I received accolades from all of the media outlets. Newspapers, TV networks, and all social media. Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and many more displayed my work. I was a force to be reckoned with in my field. My early work was not as well liked as my later projects. Seems fair enough due to it being in the earliest stages of my career. But someone has to start from something, right? And from that tiny seedling had grown a giant tree. A tree many have tried to topple and failed. Yes these artists were very talented but much of their work borrowed elements from my own. They couldn't create anything truly original. Quite frankly, they all plagiarized my work.

This motivated me to work even harder to produce the greatest pieces of art this world had ever seen over the past two centuries. I am not exaggerating the preeminence of my portfolio over the years. My work was superior than all those who tried to mimic my ability to create. Many had tried but they were ultimately lambasted by both the critics and the masses. I was soaking in the attention the world offered me. I was the best and my art was the pinnacle all others aspired too. They've all tried and failed. Some of their pieces were exceptional on one level or other. But they just couldn't compete with my own aptitude and flair in my compositions. I was on top of the world for years. But then came an unworthy "artist" who deliberately plagiarized my work.

Before I go into the technicalities of this new artist's "work", I must describe my own portfolio. Before I go into this one must understand that esteemed artists in this field are given monikers which reflect the art they create. These "nicknames" are mostly given by the media. Some are flattering yet others are offensive. True artists as we are, we try to create our own name and the reputation that follows. Like I said, some of the names the media give is very unflattering and in some cases offensive to the artist. I was lucky to be given a proper moniker.

I am The Art Collector. Not just some mere collector of autographed baseball cards or anything like that. I collect body parts. I skewer the subjects of my artistic vision and portray their bodies in artistic poses. All of these poses come from classical pieces of art. Michelangelo's David. Da Vinci's Mona Lisa. Grant Wood's American Gothic. So many more. Oh so many more. I have been The Art Collector for many years. But why the media's moniker of The Art Collector? Well, I made a homage to classical art which I wanted to bring back to the public's attention and appreciation.

I found the most beautiful man I had ever seen. He was the epitome of human perfection. This man was Michaelanjolo's David. I took him to my home where I cut his lean muscular arms off. My Mona Lisa? She was just a bland looking woman whose eyes i cut out. My American Gothic? I went to a farm, found an old couple, made them pose and have the old man's pitchfork placed inside his wife's torso. I took his pitchfork as well as the wife's uneasy face (her skin) such as in the painting. I kept and collected all of these body parts. I don't have visitors so they adorn my living room. This is my portfolio which I thought would stand the test of time. And now there is someone plagiarizing my work.

It wasn't as if this thief was creating something new from different classical art pieces which I haven't already utilized. No this is a total rehash of my own work. Instead of cutting off the arms of "my David" he skinned the victim's face and kept it as a keepsake. And he did this to all of my pieces of art. Just skinning the face off his victims. He didn't even use other classical art masterpieces for his canvasses. Every single one was a copy of what I had already done. This is blatant plagiarism. And the the worse thing about this is that the world at large believes I, the true Art Collector, had run out of ideas. Not only that, my moniker as the Art Collector was changed to the Art Skinner. I am so pissed off.

So, how do I resolve this issue? How can I capture this thief if the police cannot? He's gotten away with every crime. When I say crime I mean two things. One, the illegal criminal actions which he has committed. Second, the crime of plagiarizing my hard work. I want to make this person suffer for what he has done to my reputation. However, there is no way for me to find this person and turn him into my new masterpiece.

There is only one way for me to separate my name and art from this plagiarist. I do not like this idea. I've spent my entire career successfully eluding capture from the police. But this is the only way. But before I go I must create one last masterpiece. There is only one piece I had always wanted to recreate. There is only one portrait of this man. This is the man who is considered one of the greatest composers of all time. Not just one of the greatest, but the greatest. Beethoven.

It took time finding the perfect canvas. Meanwhile my copycat is still stealing my work. This further pushes me to finish one last masterpiece before I go. I found him at a college campus. He was an art professor. Wow, so fitting for my final magnum opus. I cut the man's arms off like one of my favorite pieces, Michelangelo's David. I sliced the man's eyes out like I did with my Mona Lisa. I took a pitchfork and recreated my own interpretation of American Gothic. These were a collection of what I considered my greatest hits.

But there is only one last thing I have to do. I do not want to do this but I must in order to prove there is only one Art Collector. I turn myself to the police. I give them all of the pieces I've kept as a reminder of the hard work I had done. The years I've spent creating my homage to these beautiful works of art. I give a full confession of everything. Every little detail. Every little brush stroke. Every little dismembered body part. This was necessry. I inform the police that I was not responsible for the poor imitations masquerading as my own art. I tell them I am not the plagiarist. I tell them I am the true Art Collector.