Portraits of stars are nothing new

IF rich Russians want to pay Nikas Safronov big bucks for new portraits in old styles [“Stars in His Eyes,” by Jeffrey Fleishman, March 31], that’s their privilege, but shouldn’t The Times, rather than report this as something new under the sun, provide some perspective?

Back in the ‘30s, quirky Hollywood artist John Decker painted the Marx Brothers in the styles of Rembrandt, Frans Hals and Gainsborough. What’s more, anonymous studio craftsmen since the dawn of movies have been executing such portraits to provide gags and plot points for the flicks. Off the top of my head, I would cite the paintings of Paulette Goddard in “The Ghost Breakers” (1940) and Fred Astaire in “Daddy Long Legs” (1955), but there have been countless others.

PRESTON NEAL JONES

Hollywood