No writing today. At least, not on my WIP--worked instead on other writerly obligations. Didn't even think about my WIP. However I did think about Gerard Terborch's use of the exact same image in two of his paintings:

http://www.abcgallery.com/T/terborch/terborch10.html

and

http://www.abcgallery.com/T/terborch/terborch5.html


The girl is copied, down to the folds of her dress! I think maybe Dutch painting, at that point, was still considered more of a craft than an art--or perhaps it was starting to break off?

What's interesting to me lately is the idea of artists in a community influencing each other. With the advent of the Internet, writers are also influenced by the way their art is received, and the way they themselves are perceived--or believe themselves to be perceived. I wonder if the Internet is having an effect on writers' creativity, taking the place of how writers used to provoke and challenge each other to change or experiment. And, if so, whether that's good; are writers tending to boldly stretch their comfort zones because they see others doing it? Or is the Internet perhaps squashing writers because it shows them a worldwide picture of the market and their potential readership?