What is art for?

5 reasons 1. Art keeps us hopeful 2. Art makes us less lonely 3. Art rebalances us 4. Art helps us to appreciate stuff 5. Art is propaganda for what really matters

Appropriation in Art

Appropriation in art Appropriation is the intentional borrowing, copying, and alteration of preexisting images and objects. It is a strategy that has been used by artists for millennia, but took on new significance in mid-20th-century America and Britain with the rise of consumerism and the proliferation of popular images through mass media outlets from magazines to television.

Who does that??? Pop artists like Andy Warhol, and Roy Lichtenstein reproduced, juxtaposed, or repeated mundane, everyday images from popular culture—both absorbing and acting as a mirror for the ideas, interactions, needs, desires, and cultural elements of the times. As Warhol stated, “Pop artists did images that anyone walking down the street would recognize in a split second— comics, picnic tables, men’s pants, celebrities, refrigerators, Coke bottles.”

Anyone else???

Similarity Judgments Dissimilar 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Similar How famous is the creator of the 1st work? Famous/Not Famous I am confident that I know who created the 1st work. Disagree/Agree How famous is the creator of the 2nd work? Famous/Not Famous I am confident that I know who created the 2nd work. Disagree/Agree The second work alters the original with new expression The second work alters the original with new meaning/message. The second work creates an entirely different aesthetic then the original. Disagree/Agree The second work provides significant benefit to the public. Disagree/Agree

Velazquez - Pablo Picasso

Original and appropriated version - Duchamp

Portrait of Jorge Manuel 1603 Pablo Picasso version 1950

Diego Velazquez – Las Meninas 1656 Salvador Dali - 1960

Marcel Duchamp

Digital Appropriation

Copyright Law & Fair Use In the United States, Intellectual property law in a large part of the legal system The goal of this protection it to “Promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive rights to their respective writings and discoveries.” An appropriated or “derivative work” is a work based upon one or more preexisting works A derivative work need not be a violation of an author’s copyright due to the “fair use doctrine” One of the factors used in analyzing fair use is the “purpose and character” of the use. In short is it transformative?

Copyright Infringement or Fair Use? Generally the U.S. courts have said that a new work is not an infringement of copyright as long as the new work is considered “transformative” Transformative = altering the original with new expression, meaning, or message

Famous Artists & Transformativeness Van Gogh did studies of other artists works, and appropriation art has been used by other famous artists such as Picasso and Warhol. Would these be considered “Transformative enough” or would they be copyright infringement? Are famous artists given more leeway?

Help or Hindrance? These derivative works have added to the artistic richness of society. They have had impacts on presidential elections, and they sometimes sell for huge money Iconic Obama “Hope” poster & Lichtenstein’s “Sleeping Girl” which sold for $45 million at auction

What are people saying about it?? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjWvzpVkyhs Appropriation in Art https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bwk7wFdC76Y Marcel Duchamp http://ethicsunwrapped.utexas.edu/video/appropriation-attribution Ethical use? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVlQOytFCRI What is art for?

Questions Do people keep the legal system in mind when distinguishing between an original work of art and one that is appropriated? Will viewers change their judgements of similarity between original works of art and appropriated imagery due to the level of fame of the artist?

What impact does it have? Today, appropriating, remixing, and sampling images and media is common practice for visual, media, and performance artists, yet such strategies continue to challenge traditional notions of originality and test the boundaries of what it means to be an artist.

So what does it mean to be an artist? What is an original idea? Why do you think it is important to try and create your "own" art? Is it ok to be inspired by other art or people? Are we stealing their ideas, creation? Does anyone care? What about copyright? Intellectual property? Who does this? Why?

Quote If it isn’t art, then what is it? If it isn’t art, then what is?