Life — February 14, 1918 — page 20: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page appears to be the opening of a satirical feature titled "If Different Artists Had..." showing famous Renaissance and Old Master painters—Murillo, Velásquez, Michelangelo, Van Dyke, and Hals—in portrait form. The incomplete title suggests the feature will humorously reimagine how these celebrated artists would have depicted a particular subject (likely a contemporary figure or scene from the Life magazine era, though we cannot see the complete article). The satire works by invoking the distinctive styles of these masters—their techniques, compositions, and artistic signatures—to contrast with modern subject matter. This was a common Life magazine format: using cultural authority and artistic history to mock contemporary figures or situations through stylistic pastiche.