On Easel Street

You may know that artists in the eighties appropriate images from the art of the past. You may not know that artists in the eighties also appropriate career strategies from the past. Young artists, usually straight from art school, have revived the master-apprentice system of the Renaissance. This is how it works: the young artist stretches canvas, cleans up, or runs errands for the more established artist. In return, he or she gets a paycheck and personal introductions—in the studio, at openings, or at parties—to dealers, critics, and others in the field, none of which hurts the young artist's nascent career. Below, some stars of the new generation and the masters they once served:

Ashley Bickerton: Jack Goldstein Carroll Dunham: Dorothea Rockbume Robert Gober: Jennifer Bartlett Mark Innerst: Robert Longo Annette Lemieux: David Salle Will Mentor: Gary Stephan Christopher Wool: Joel Shapiro Michele Zalopany: Julian Schnabel