Vlasov examines how the visual and descriptive realities come close together. When you see the words - “Duchamp is just a guy,” you can detect images of Marcel Duchamp, some of his artworks, or if you do not know who he is, you still can imagine a guy in your head. There are a number of possibilities that you can come up with, and it is different for each individual. The origins of this phrase come from Lane Cooper who taught Vlasov art history along with other classes at the Cleveland Institute of Art. “Look at him. He is just a guy,” Cooper said once. Something ridiculous, but serious at the same time was in that phrase. One of the lions of art history is just a guy at the end of the day. He is not a God or he is not better than anybody else - he is just a guy who was making art like all other artists. Thus, Vlasov’s text paintings deal with that fine line of hard work of really being smart and appearing stupid. Nothing is more absurd than to make a painting that says “Duchamp is just a guy.” But this absurdity points to many things and breaks quite a few barriers in terms of artmaking.