11/25/11

ART THEFT MANIFESTO


Culture is at it's most fertile when it is shared.
In whatever discipline- from the sciences, to cartography, to art, when our knowledge is shared, it grows exponentially.

By way of example, let me show you a lovely Kalighat painting made as a temple souvenir in India circa 1800s and sold to visitors for what amounted to pennies.

Now, lets look at a Matisse's famous "Le bonheur de vivre." 

Another Kalighat here and below, a Picasso.

The modernists were famously influenced by non-Western art in which they saw all classical aesthetic principles flaunted. In shifting their paradigm, they broke their own rules. They felt free and continued breaking down their rules and traditions, thus allowing, for example, the image on the right to lead to the one below.

Another famous example is Japan's Edo Period, which was triggered by contact with the Dutch, or the Renaissance, which began with an influx of Greek refugees to Italy, blossomed with Arab knowledge brought back from the crusades and continued with increasing trade with Asia.

In the 80s and 90s, I used to hear a lot of talk about sampling in pop music being a form of theft. However, I only learned about "Under Pressure" because of "Ice Ice Baby" (I was an immigrant! I was jamming to samba or something) and the sampling furthered tremendous developments in hip hop.




You might say those are abstract cases, or instances of inspiration as opposed to theft. In that case lets consider some examples of the most blatant theft I've seen. In this blog entry, Anahata Katkin lines up her original cards on the left, and Pulp Cards knockoffs from the UK on the right.

Pretty awful, hu? That is, pretty awful knockoffs- lacking the fun and glowing loveliness evident in the originals. But guess what? Pulp Cards has disappeared and Anahata's shop Papaya is thriving.
Clearly, her artistic success keeps her going, while the half-assed copying was sustainable neither at the business end nor in the creation process.

I sometimes receive convos alerting me to a shop or item that seems copied directly from a design of mine. My knee jerk reaction is like a little kid who yells "Mine!" and yanks back a toy s/he wasn't even actively playing with. But immediately after, I loose interest. And so far, no one has taken food off my table.

When I started, I would look at things by OpulentOddities and think, "I wanna play with pretty old things!" I'd see a piece of hers with rhinestones and think, "Rhinestones! Why didn't I think of that?" and rush out to buy some rhinestones. And so I started to develop and learn. I had so much fun that I continued despite having no clue or guidance, no knowledge or ability to see what worked and what didn't. Eventually I found my aesthetic, or 'voice'.  However, I continue to see exciting artists who do something that makes my ears perk up and my muse say "I wanna do that!" It keeps me energized and full of ideas, and keeps this fun.
When asked where their inspiration comes from, people always say, among other things, "from everyday life." What a maddeningly tired answer. It has been studied (citation needed, I know) and it turns out that artists get most of their inspiration from other artists! Why else would we spend 10 hours a day combing through the interwebs? Why else would you be reading this now? So that means when people say they get inspiration from everyday life, they're actually stealing a line they got from interviews of other artists! Mind-boggling.

In summation: I'm going to steal from you! Try and stop me. And you're welcome to steal from me.

(Note: bibliographica wrote a lovely post in part about moi so go read it. Also, thank you for your lovely comments as usual. from now on before I list anything I'm going to say it's too important to list and everyone will clamor to buy it!)

14 comments:

Louise said...
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Louise said...
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Louise said...

Thought provoking and interesting informative post. You are right, all artists influence one another, at some point - there is always the original, the one who 'did it first' but then how many claim to have done that? You get the classics like Salvador Dali, and how many folk wanted to go out and be like him? I say it's fine to take ideas and use them, as long as you put yourself into it - and not play by a rule that the thing has to be a certain way cause it was like that when the first person made it. You know? Make it your own. Every one mows their lawn in their own way, I guess. Start around the perimeter and work your way in, or the other way around. Throw in a garden gnome, or not. ;D Keep making your gorgeous things. They shine, you hear me? I see them coming. :) HA I managed to edit. :)

Regina said...

What a great post. You are so right on. I think creative people inspire others... if it is not blatently reproducing the original, I think artists will be honored to know that they inspire others. Your creativity is an inspiration, I love the way you create a thing of beauty with such a variety of 'strange' components. You amaze me and I will keep coming back to see your latest creations. Will I copy you? I think not, I like color too much.

Chelsea said...

I think that's the really cool thing, is that even if an artist is influenced by another artist, their vision of the piece may be so different that you might not even notice that one came from the other.

I mean, I've been inspired by you, but I'm so slapdash and rainbow-y that one would probably never put the two together. And obviously you have *found* your voice, and mine is still sometimes squeaky and sometimes baritone or in between. ;)

ye olde weird said...

i think that "true" artists like you and the many others you showcase on your blog as well as the ones who post comments are influenced and inspired by each other plus lots of other beautiful, strange, mysterious and interesting things. true artists are recognized/identified by/with their art. i mean, who sees a picasso and doesn't know who painted it? and i can recognize your work immediately.

those who blantantly copy are just wannabees.

stregata said...

Loved this manifesto and the art comparisons...
I believe there is a difference between copying and being inspired. A copy will be a copy - there will be something missing, the inspirational spark, perhaps. A piece that was inspired will be different from the original piece, in that the 'hand writing' of the one creating it will be visible.
You have inspired many people, me included. And I would be honored if you wanted to 'steal' from me...

Petra Carpreau said...

Once again, Stregata has said exactly what I was thinking. Is she stealing my thoughts??!!
What makes your pieces instantly identifiable is the 'you' in them, which no-one else could possibly replicate. If you got a bunch of people together and got them to make a 'copy' of one of your pieces, they'd all be different.(most of us don't manage to lay our hands on the same extraordinary objects you do either!). Badly ripped off work, such as the example of the greetings cards, is just soul-less crap that no-one's really going to want that much. Nice to know they went out of business, whilst Papaya thrives though.
Of course we take inspiration from other artists we admire, which will then influence our own work, as does every life, nature, literature, music, experiences - or anything. Whatever it is, is just the catalyst that sparks our own imagination and interpretation. What's really to fear from being imitated anyway? It is, afetr all, the greatest form of flattery.

Oooh you impish minx, Fanci - creating all that angst with your 'to list, or not to list' mystique!!! Worked like a charm though!!
xxx

Michelle York said...

In my world, there is a 'design pool' in the sky where all the designs that ever were are kept. Anyone can tap into that pool..Your own creativity will make it 'different' in your own way. I have had designs copied exactly and made overseas..The company who did this made a lot of money from it..But I know for a fact they are not happy and will soon be out of business..Karma Baby, Karma!

Anonymous said...

I have been wondering for a couple of years about papaya knocking off the Louise Brooks photo. I am pretty sure that photo was not taken by her so she is using someone's art. The photographer was an artist too, and set up the photo, probably edited the negative, etc. So isn't she using someone's art, too? It is done very well but still not all her own work...

Just sayin...

and wonderin...

and I wonder how the actress would feel about being on a tote bag.

I thought it was 100 years before a pic like that was ok for common use but I am not sure.

dinnaforget said...

What an eloquent, generous manifesto. One artist's great work does not detract from another's, wherever the inspiration and instruction comes from.

And I bought your glorious Taurus necklace because it is beautiful, and it speaks to my life and experience, not because you had difficulty parting with it! Don't sell your work short. :)

richelle said...

I'm copying your Boris Karloff earrings.

Tribalis said...

You are a "figure"!..in my language means that you have a unique personality.
I have 2 or three pieces (or would be 5,7 or 9??:D )inspired by you (not talking about the way to take photo that I copied!), although you have said that you don't think so, that I am original in my design .. from the felling of a proud daughter now I am feeling like an orphan! soooooooo sad!
The person who told you about my shop, she/he did not need do that because I did myself, feeling as a proud daughter that I am or I am not or thought that was.
I agree with you. The artists get inspiration from others.If I can call me an artist, IF!..I can say that when I see some deligthfull design, it multiplies my thoughts, ideas and make me wake up at 3 or 4 am sometimes to design jewelry in my draft book.. so I have thousand of designs waiting for me have more time( I have a 3 years old boy).
Fanciful, thanks for being who you are. Thanks for your generosity sharing techniques and source of supplies.Thanks for sharing your knowledge in each WONDERFUL citations of thinkers of the history of the humanity, thanks for the depth that you are reaching on the spiritual "process" which makes you so admirable.
Thanks for all the artists, thanks to the life that gave us the possibility of the Beauty that manifests itself through them..Beauty, with all the properties of the world, which is the great manifestation of the Divine.
With admiration.

Tribalis said...

You are a "figure"!..in my language means that you have a unique personality.
I have 2 or three pieces (or would be 5,7 or 9??:D )inspired by you (not talking about the way to take photo that I copied!), although you have said that you don't think so, that I am original in my design .. from the felling of a proud daughter now I am feeling like an orphan! soooooooo sad!
The person who told you about my shop, she/he did not need do that because I did myself, feeling as a proud daughter that I am or I am not or thought that was.
I agree with you. The artists get inspiration from others.If I can call me an artist, IF!..I can say that when I see some deligthfull design, it multiplies my thoughts, ideas and make me wake up at 3 or 4 am sometimes to design jewelry in my draft book.. so I have thousand of designs waiting for me have more time( I have a 3 years old boy).
Fanciful, thanks for being who you are. Thanks for your generosity sharing techniques and source of supplies.Thanks for sharing your knowledge in each WONDERFUL citations of thinkers of the history of the humanity, thanks for the depth that you are reaching on the spiritual "process" which makes you so admirable.
Thanks for all the artists, thanks to the life that gave us the possibility of the Beauty that manifests itself through them..Beauty, with all the properties of the world, which is the great manifestation of the Divine.
With admiration.