Appr opr i a t i on
RebeccaLoui seTodd BAFashi onmar ket i ngandcommuni cat i on( 20152016) MI ED 400Vi sualCul t ur e Hi st or yofAr t CWK2 AnnaMar yRowe
Index: I.
Introduction_______________________________________1
II.
Eisen Bernard Bernardo _____________________________2
III.
Robert Colescott ___________________________________4
IV.
Richard Prince _____________________________________7
V.
Conclusion ________________________________________9
VI.
Image referencing __________________________________10
VII.
Bibliography ______________________________________10
I.
Introduction
This art history paper is based on research into ‘Appropriation’; specifically appropriation in contemporary art. That is art created after 1945. This paper will look at three pieces by three different artists, all works of various levels of appropriation. In art, appropriation is defined as the use of pre-existing works with little to no changes applied to them before representation under a different artist and title. Appropriation can also imply the adoption, borrowing, recycling or sample use of human made objects, for example, collage is a form of appropriation as it is the use of parts of somebody else’s work in order to create something new. For the purpose of this paper, the definition used will be; the use of works by other artists in order to create new works with varying meanings and/or comments about society and art. This definition will be used as it allows a rounded analysis of the works and the deeper meanings or statements being made by the artist. In order to gain a deeper understanding of where appropriation begun, we will begin by looking at the history and how it begun. Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque were recorded in the early twentieth century as using appropriated objects, like every day, non-art pieces into their work. In 1912, Picasso presented a piece made up of an oil cloth pasted onto a canvas as his final piece; as well as this he created newspaper collages in 1913 which became categorized as synthetic cubism.
Image: Pablo Picasso, Guitar, Newspaper, Glass and Bottle (1913) Another artist from the beginnings of Appropriation is Marcel Duchamp, famously known for his piece, Fountain (1917). This piece consisted of a porcelain urinal turned upside down and presented to the Society of Independent Artists. Duchamp is credited for the introduction of ready-made; described as being, “industrially produced utilitarian objects to achieve the status of art merely through the process of selection and presentation.” This is a level/form of appropriation that will not be explored in the works below, however the same question 1
bought up by works such as this and below are similar, “what is art?” Many great art movements including, The Dada movement, in which artists rejected the standards of art through some forms of appropriation and The Surrealists movement in which artists used “found objects” and incorporated with unlikely objects; experimented with the idea of appropriation and dappled around the question of “what is art?” Appropriation Art was very much a household term in the 1980s with artists such as Sherrie Levine mass producing appropriated works from photographs to replicas to statements. She challenged the ideas of originality, power, gender, creativity, consumerism, commodity value, social sources and the uses of art. Appropriation artists are known to comment on all aspects of culture and society. The artworks investigated below will look into ideas of culture, society and art. Looking at some of the ideas bought up previously in this paragraph of originality, uses of art, value and creativity will also be investigated further in this essay regarding each piece and an overall idea to conclude. II.
Eisen Bernard Bernardo Bernardo is a Filipino graphic artist, a development communicator by profession. Bernardo too has a blog in which he showcases his pieces based on works with reference to music, movies and pop culture. This piece comes from his “Mag+Art” project, which is a collection of magazine covers blended into classic or iconic pieces. After the success and viral reach of this collection a magazine in Berlin dubbed Bernardo one of the five great contemporary collage artists to follow. This piece is a mashup of Johannes Vermeer’s, Girl with a Pearl Earring (1665) and Kiera Knightly on the cover of Interview magazine, Russian edition in 2002. This project is a continuous work in progress, with new pieces being produced for the collection constantly. The collection is large and dynamic, with magazine covers being used from portraits to body parts. Image: Bernardo Bernard, Eisen (2014), collage
To begin looking at the deeper meaning and intentions of this piece, the technical and creative process behind this work will be looked into. Bernardo would have printed out a picture of the original piece by Vermeer and gone through thousands of covers in order to find one that 2
would fit the structure of the original piece. Bernardo’s background in graphic design plays a role in the mashup of the two pieces, allowing for the flawless line from Vermeer’s girl to Interview magazines cover. In my opinion this process was not just as simple as picking two pieces that fit together seamlessly, there has to be a deeper meaning. From what I get from this piece, I believe there is an attempt to create a see-saw between ‘pure’ and ‘rebellious’. Vermeer’s, Girl with the pearl earring depicts a flawless, ‘perfect’ young woman and Vermeer, known for depicting middle-class life in his paintings; this paired with Kiera Knightly smoking a cigarette on the cover of Interview magazine are polar opposites. The balance created has many comments about society and the way it has changed over the years. In the past woman in art were either portrayed based on their class, looking elegant and put together or alternatively many woman painted were prostitutes. In this case, Vermeer’s model appears to be a young woman, potentially working class by the head scarf and based on other works by Vermeer, he tended to paint working woman too. On the other hand Interview magazine is known as “Conversations between some of the most creative minds from the worlds of fashion, art and entertainment.” The cover of this magazine in general is high fashion and sometimes risqué, putting powerful women and men in the entertainment industry on the cover. The contrast between Vermeer’s Girl and Interview’s Kiera Knightly are seen in the differences between the way they are portrayed; the Girl being young and pure and Knightly being strong, powerful and in control. This contrast highlights the growth of women in society over the decades and how far women have come. It also begs the question of what beauty has become and is seen as in today’s society. Beauty in the past was purity, elegance and subtle confidence, whereas today beauty is seen in women as power, confidence and control. With the trend of feminists and growing power and fight for equality there are more and more people bowing down to those women that portray this fierceness that many believe necessary for women to have in order to build this equality in society. This work shows the differences between where society and women were at the time of the original piece and where we are today, it shows growth and change over the years but at the same time there are some similarities. Today it is still more common to find women being photographed for the cover of magazines, as it was then for women to be the model for artists. Women are still more publically ‘displayed’, if you will then men are, is something that has not changed. Whether this be purely because of the main focus of magazines these days is around women or whether it goes back to the idea of what is more appealing to the general public, are both men and women more likely to buy a magazine with a women on the front than a man? Or is it just as simple as women want to see in the media what they wished they could be and men what they desire from women? The use of appropriation in this piece is doubled. It is the appropriation of two pieces not altered in the slightest to create one piece. The use of appropriation in this piece has allowed for all these questions and views of society to come out and be interpreted by the public in whichever way they feel resonates with them the most. Depending on the way you look at the piece it could ask the questions above or Interview magazine could represent the alter ego of the girl or all girls in general; the possibilities are endless. Both the pieces go un-altered. This on a scale of appropriation would be up there because of this. However does appropriation take into consideration the meaning? Bernardo has completely altered the 3
meaning of both pieces creating something new and relevant for today; he has therefore only appropriated the actual pieces not the intentions of the original artists. Going back to the questions raised in the first part of this essay about originality, uses of art, commodity value and creativity; Bernardo has clearly been very original and creative in his works. It is collage that has not been seen before in this industry or done to such high quality and precision. In terms of value, does this piece increase or decrease the value of either original piece? Or does it gain new exposure and continuing exposure for both pieces for many years to come, increasing the value? On one hand the way in which iconic pieces from history are used in mass production of appropriated works should decrease the original value and “exclusivity” of art from the past. Famous artists and their famous works are no longer only seen by cultured and curious people but by everyone with the internet, the question then was, is this a good thing or a bad thing? Now with works being appropriated and altered, the question is, what is the effect on art and the way in which art has developed from the past and what does the future hold for the art this generation has grown up learning about? III.
Robert Colescott
Robert Colescott was an American painter and printmaker, working with cartooning, popular culture and the history of art. Most commonly known for his satirical genre and statements about culture and society, especially that of African-American origin. Colescott grew up with a musical background from his parents and surrounded by great artist through his parent’s friends, and this is where he would find his footing in the world of African-American art. Colescott went to fight in the war as most young men did; where he ended up in the capital of the Art Image: Colescott, Robert, Les Demoiselles D”Alabama: Desnudas, 1985 World at the time: Paris. As well as being the capital of Art it was also a bustling hub of AfricaAmerican artists. Colescott’s whole thought process behind his appropriation work was to put black people into art history. Up until this moment this idea had never really crossed my mind or come up in discussion of art before, or that I can recall. Thinking about the famous, iconic, 4
household name works and not being able to recall one that portrays an African-American in itself is a statement by Colescott; why are there few to none “iconic” pieces known from history that portray black people? Is that because of the time, or because they weren’t made famous in a time when discrimination and growing popularity in art were happening simultaneously? These questions alone just bought up because of the subject matter Colescott deals with and the way he has chosen to make this statement: Appropriation. Colescott was the first African-American to represent the United States at the Venice Biennale in 1997. He was well known for “pitting the painterly against the political to create giddily joyful, destabilized compositions that satirized, and offended, without regard to race, creed, gender or political leanings.” Again this idea of creating statements about society and common stereotypes or ideas and using appropriation as a powerful technique in order to take a stand against common ideas in order to create change. In the works of Colescott he makes adaptations and changes to famous works by Africanising them through colour and shape. It is said that the way he chooses the shades for the characters in the paintings is by almost painting in such a way as to suggest a neutral colour; saying something about how little colour should matter in this world. Colescott draws inspiration from Picasso’s Les Demoiselles d’Avignon (1907) for this piece. Picasso took a lot of inspiration from that of African art and people. Picasso’s work could go so far as being called Culturally Appropriation. Cultural Appropriation is defined as being the adoption and use of elements of one culture by people of a different culture. In this case Picasso’s use of African masks, or an adapted version of African masks. This idea brings up another thought behind the intentions of Colescott; being that Picasso culturally appropriated African works in his own, yet African Image: Picasso, Pablo, Les Demoiselles d’Avignon (1907) people are not presented in the history of art, it’s as if Colescott is trying to make a statement about how African people are presented in art in history without actually being presented. It is as if he is just pointing out the obvious, peeling back the layers to show what the original artists are showing and where their art actually came from. Colescott is standing up for his heritage and views of the art world. However this very idea of reclaiming what is his history and people is also argued as being cultural appropriation; is it his identity being that he is African American? Or do African-Americans and Africans have different identities in terms of 5
African culture? But the answer lies in the history of African-American culture and their struggle for reclaiming their ties/roots to Africa, so no it cannot be cultural appropriation in this sense. I can relate to this on some level, being that I am South African but lived a good portion of my life in Kenya, and have considered Kenya home; does this give me the right to draw inspiration from Kenyan culture and life or is this considered cultural appropriation? It makes me question all the work I have done in the past in which I drew inspiration from Kenyan life and culture. I find myself begging the question, do borders seize to exist in terms of drawing inspiration from an entire continent as many artists have stated “African inspired” yet each country has some unique style or signature thing that makes them different from others. So are artists actually culturally appropriating an entire continent of 47 countries and 47 cultures when they say “African Influence” or can Africa be considered as one? Colescott has had a lot to say about the subject of appropriation and his work and why he did what he did: “The homage to other artists as always existed…you honour him by wanting to redo the painting.” “Appropriation, as I cast it, is more about taking over a painting and putting it to a very different use or giving it a very different meaning than the original artist has done. In a sense, I would steal the painting-Their idea and the look of it-and put it to my own use.” “What I did was to take something that is admirable, mess it up and make you question everything that the artwork stood for.” His straight forward way of saying that appropriation is basically “stealing”, can only be said by an artist who can do this skilfully and in such a clever way as to make a clear and well thought out statement about the world. His use of appropriation is highly skilled in that he only takes the composition but repaints it, adding his own brushstroke style and flare to each piece making it his own. The creativity and originality in the way he creates allows this strong message to come through in his work without decreasing the value in the original works. I believe that his work does not alter the value of the original pieces, but rather adds to the curiosity behind the original pieces and makes its viewers question them on a deeper and more analytical level. Finally, “These works became popular because they challenged you. They challenged you to understand them or get mad-one of the two…” This quote by Colescott holds true for me; his work challenged me to understand cultural appropriation, where are black figures in the history of art and why weren’t they portrayed? All questions that would need extensive research to be answered or discovered.
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IV.
Richard Prince
Image: Prince, Richard, Untitled (Cowboys), 1989 Richard Prince is an American painter and photographer. He began his appropriation works in 1975 with the above work. A re-photograph of Marlboro cigarette advertisement, originally taken by Sam Abell. It raised more than $1 million on auction and was the highest a re-photograph had ever been sold for, and at that point the most expensive photograph ever sold. Re-photography is the process of recapturing a photo in order to use the worlds that these artists depict in order to depict their own. Prince was not an accomplished photographer but believed all he needed was the subject and then the medium used will follow. Prince said this of his appropriation works: “At first it was pretty reckless. Plagiarizing someone else’s photograph, making a new picture effortlessly…it absolutely destroying any associations I had experiences of putting things together…the naturalness of the films ability to appropriate. I always thought it had to with having a chip on your shoulder.” There are some intriguing thoughts and potential arguments in this. The use of the word, “plagiarizing”, in a sense is exactly what appropriation is. And similar to the idea that Colescott said using the word “stealing” rather than plagiarism. It is the taking of other people’s work as your own; different in that you have not used their exact piece but redone it or added to it in some way. But in Prince’s case, he has literally taken a picture of a picture. How is that any different to copying down someone’s essay in the scholar world? How can art be so easily ‘plagiarized’ but other art forms not? Another idea in this statement is the idea of creation; the process from a thought to a tangible representation of 7
this. This process is lost in appropriation, in a way. Maybe, however, this process is replaced by another process. The process of a statement wanting to be made to the finding of another artist’s work that could be interpreted or adapted in order to transmit this to viewers. But then it is just the loss of one process as the original artist would have gone through both the former and latter process. This idea is interesting as appropriation eliminates an entire artistic process, a process I had not accounted for when looking at the other pieces. However the other pieces had a more clear and defined subject matter, intentions of the artists and ways in which you could interpret their work, whereas this collection by Prince, does not seem to have this clarity. These images come from his collection, Cowboys, produced from 1980 to 1992. This is a collection of his most famous re-photographs taken of ‘Marlboro’ cigarette advertisements. The advertisements were created to represent an idealized figure of American masculinity. The Marlboro man was an iconic man for men of the time, and someone men would want to relate to. The images represented a stereotypical image of a cowboy and what one might call, ‘A man’s man.’ It’s said that these re-photographs are meant to ask the question about what is real and ask how real media images actually are. This is a similar to a question that was asked earlier on about “what is art?” The idea about what is real and how can we give labels to things when we don’t really have the answers or no why. An article bought out an interesting point of the cowboy depicting Richard Prince himself, potentially the search for something or for himself. Art is after all, a representation of the Image: Prince, Richard, untitled (Cowboys), 1999 artists own self and feelings presented in such a way as to disguise these from the audience but at the same time allow them to relate in some way and find their own meaning within them. This very definition, if you will, goes back to the idea of an artist process, the process which is altered or lost in some way through appropriation. Or rather we could say, appropriated; as appropriation is the use of others work to create something new, therefore, in this case, the use of others artistic processes in order to create a new or altered one. This piece in some way is touching on a subject that is not often confronted in the media that is of the idealised man presented in advertisements in the media. It is touched on but not as highly as the idealised women in media and the effect this has on young women. In my opinion Prince’s idea of trying to show what is real or not is this idea. It’s as if he is trying to say that this idealised “man’s man” is not everything, and that men should not aspire to be this, but, themselves. It’s an alternate view point that is not often seen or portrayed in the media that is most effective about this collection of his works. 8
V.
Conclusion
Appropriation was defined early as being: the use of works by other artists in order to create new works with varying meanings and/or comments about society and art. Each piece presented above has effectively done what the definition states, they have represented an artist’s work under their name with a varying interpretation and artists intentions. These artists have cleverly used appropriation as a powerful technique to get their statements across to their audiences. Through which, without appropriation, might not have been as effective. Appropriation in a sense is a controversial tool that would allow this publicity and intrigue to establish talk about the pieces and the intentions, bringing light to the subjects seen above that need more questions and answers to, from equality to race to the idealization of men and women in the media. Varying levels of appropriation are seen in these works, but from the research carried out I cannot see that appropriation has decreased the original works value any more than globalization has. I have come to the conclusion that appropriation is a powerful and not completely un-caged technique that can have compelling statements about society in a skilled way. Finally, how is it possible that appropriation is only accepted in art and not in other forms of the arts?
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VI.
Image Referencing
Picasso, Pablo 1913, Guitar Newspaper Glass and Bottle, collage, Tate Collection, Britain Bernardo Bernard, Eisen 2014, Girl with the pearl earring, Mag + Art collection, Online Colescott, Robert, Les Demoiselles D”Alabama: Desnudas, 1985, oil on canvas, 96*92inches, Collection of Greenville (S.C), County Museum of Art Picasso, Pablo (1907), Les Demoiselles d’Avignon Prince, Richard, Untitled (Cowboys), 1989, chromogenic print, 127*177.8cm Prince, Richard, Untitled (Cowboys), 1999, Ektacolor photograph, 61*32cm
VII.
Bibliography
Arthur Roger Gallery. (1997). "Robert Colescott Rocks the Boat", American Visions - Arthur Roger Gallery. [online] Available at: http://arthurrogergallery.com/1997/06/robert-colescottrocks-the-boat-american-visions/ [Accessed 7 Mar. 2016]. Behance.net. (2016). Behance. [online] Available at: https://www.behance.net/eisenbernard [Accessed 6 Mar. 2016]. Icallitoranges.com. (2016). I call it ORANGES: Ten Favorites: Pablo Picasso, Bottle of Vieux Marc, Glass, Guitar and Newspaper, 1913. [online] Available at: http://www.icallitoranges.com/2008/01/ten-favorites-pablo-picasso-bottle-of.html [Accessed 6 Mar. 2016]. Magplusart.tumblr.com. (2016). Mag + Art by Eisen Bernardo: Archive. [online] Available at: http://magplusart.tumblr.com/archive [Accessed 7 Mar. 2016]. Smith, R. (2009). Robert Colescott, Painter Who Toyed With Race and Sex, Dies at 83. [online] Nytimes.com. Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/10/arts/design/10colescott.html?_r=0 [Accessed 9 Mar. 2016]. The Met’s Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. (2016). Untitled (cowboy) | 2000.272 | Work of Art | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art. [online] Available at: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/2000.272/ [Accessed 9 Mar. 2016]. 10
Wikipedia. (2016). Appropriation (art). [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appropriation_(art)#History [Accessed 6 Mar. 2016]. Wikipedia. (2016). Cultural appropriation. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_appropriation#Art.2C_iconography.2C_and_ador nment [Accessed 7 Mar. 2016]. Wikipedia. (2016). Richard Prince. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Prince#Rephotography [Accessed 9 Mar. 2016]. Wikipedia. (2016). Robert Colescott. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Colescott [Accessed 7 Mar. 2016].
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