Saturday, October 16, 2010

Appropriation Art: A thin line

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In visual arts, appropriation art contains pieces, which have been borrowed from other art works. The new pieces contain an adaption, interpretation, improvisation, or variation of the borrowed element. Many famous art pieces fall under the category of appropriation art. All such pieces tether dangerously on the line between creativity and plagiarism. For instance, in class we discussed the work of Shepard Fairey, whose two most iconic pieces are forms of appropriation art. Fairey first entered the art scene with his "Andre the Giant has a Posse," shown below. The image began appearing on street signs and other public areas along the East Coast. The image quickly spread throughout the country. As its popularity increased, the image gained the attention of Titan Sports, Inc. The sports company threatened a lawsuit against Fairey for using their trademarked name of Andre the Giant. Fairey's more popular image of President Obama is a cultural icon that has become equated with the president's "campaign of hope." Associated Press freelance photographer Mannie Garcia took the photograph Fairey used. Fairey sued for declaratory judgment that his work was fairly using the original photograph. Fairey argued his image tilted the angle of the original picture, and added a unique combination of colors and patterns. Upon comparing the original photo and Fairey's work, I concur that Fairey fairly appropriated Garcia's photograph. 


I believe that all appropriation artists must legally give credit to whomever they borrowed an element from. Artists must continually work to ensure that their borrowed elements are incorporated into their works in unique ways. Though appropriation art sits precariously on a cliff overlooking plagiarism, falling off the cliff can be avoided by giving proper credit. Appropriation art, when credited for, provides an art field that allows us to view traditional images in entirely new ways. 

-Tina

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