6.4 Appropriation and the questioning of authorship

Postmodern art shook up traditional ideas about creativity and ownership. Artists started borrowing existing images and objects, mixing them into new works. This challenged old notions of originality and authorship in art.

By using familiar stuff in new ways, artists questioned what art even is. They blurred lines between high art and pop culture, making us rethink how we value and understand art. It was a big shift in how we see artists and their creations.

Appropriation in Postmodern Art

Defining Appropriation in Art

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• Appropriation in art involves borrowing, copying, or recontextualizing pre-existing images, objects, or ideas from various sources and incorporating them into new works of art
• Challenges traditional notions of originality, authorship, and the unique status of the artwork by using ready-made or pre-existing elements
• In postmodern art criticism, appropriation questions the nature of representation, the role of the artist, and the relationship between art and consumer culture
• Artists use appropriation to critique, comment on, or subvert the meaning of the original source material by placing it in a new context or juxtaposing it with other elements (Sherrie Levine's reproductions of Walker Evans' photographs)
• Postmodern artists employ appropriation to explore ideas such as simulacra, pastiche, and the blurring of boundaries between high art and popular culture (Andy Warhol's Campbell's Soup Cans)

Significance of Appropriation in Postmodern Art Criticism

• Appropriation is a key concept in postmodern art criticism, challenging traditional notions of originality and authorship
• Postmodern art criticism views appropriation as a means of questioning the nature of representation and the role of the artist in creating meaning
• Appropriation allows artists to critique and subvert the meaning of the original source material by recontextualizing it (Barbara Kruger's "I Shop Therefore I Am")
• The use of appropriation in postmodern art blurs the boundaries between high art and popular culture, challenging the hierarchies and value systems of the art world
• Appropriation in postmodern art criticism highlights the importance of cultural context and viewer interpretation in the creation of artistic meaning (Yasumasa Morimura's self-portraits as famous Western art figures)

Authorship and Originality in Art

Challenging the Romantic Notion of the Artist

• Postmodern art questions the Romantic idea of the artist as a solitary genius creating entirely original works
• Emphasizes the role of cultural context and intertextuality in the creation of art, acknowledging that artists are influenced by and borrow from existing cultural materials
• Appropriation undermines the idea of the artist as the sole creator of meaning, as the artwork's significance often derives from the viewer's interpretation and cultural context
• The use of ready-made objects, mass-produced images, and pre-existing artworks in appropriation art blurs the line between original creation and reproduction (Marcel Duchamp's "Fountain")
• Postmodern artists employ strategies such as pastiche, collage, and montage to create works composed of fragments from various sources, challenging the notion of a coherent, unified artistic vision (Hannah Hoch's photomontages)

Examples of Questioning Authorship in Postmodern Art

• Sherrie Levine directly reproduced the work of male modernist photographers, questioning the value placed on originality and the role of gender in artistic recognition
• Richard Prince re-photographed advertising images to create new works, challenging the notion of authorship and the distinction between art and commerce
• Cindy Sherman's "Untitled Film Stills" series appropriates the visual language of classic Hollywood cinema to question the construction of female identity and the male gaze
• Jeff Koons's "Banality" series reproduces kitsch objects and images from popular culture, blurring the line between art and commodity culture
• Damien Hirst's "For the Love of God" appropriates the iconography of memento mori and the tradition of vanitas still life to comment on the relationship between art, wealth, and mortality

Legal and Ethical Implications of Appropriation

Legal Issues Surrounding Appropriation

• Appropriation in art raises legal questions regarding copyright infringement when artists use pre-existing images or objects without the permission of the original creator
• The doctrine of fair use in copyright law allows for limited use of copyrighted material without permission for purposes such as criticism, commentary, or parody, which may apply to some instances of appropriation art (Richard Prince's "Canal Zone" series)
• The legal boundaries of appropriation art are often tested in court cases, such as Rogers v. Koons (1992), in which artist Jeff Koons was found guilty of copyright infringement for his use of a photograph in a sculpture
• The outcome of legal cases involving appropriation art often depends on the specific circumstances and the extent to which the appropriated material is transformed or recontextualized in the new work (Patrick Cariou v. Richard Prince)
• As technology and digital media make it easier for artists to access and manipulate pre-existing images and content, legal issues surrounding appropriation in art are becoming increasingly complex and contested

Ethical Concerns and Cultural Appropriation

• Appropriation in art raises ethical concerns about the exploitation of marginalized communities when artists use images or cultural artifacts from these communities without proper context or compensation
• The use of appropriation by artists from dominant cultural groups can be seen as a form of cultural colonialism, reinforcing power imbalances and erasing the original meaning or significance of the appropriated material (Picasso's use of African art in his work)
• Cultural appropriation in art can perpetuate stereotypes, misrepresent cultural traditions, and contribute to the commodification of marginalized cultures (Urban Outfitters' use of Navajo designs)
• Artists engaging in appropriation have a responsibility to consider the cultural context and potential impact of their work, and to engage in respectful dialogue with the communities from which they are borrowing
• Ethical considerations surrounding appropriation in art highlight the need for greater diversity and representation in the art world, as well as more nuanced discussions about cultural exchange, power dynamics, and artistic freedom

Appropriation and Traditional Art Notions

Challenging Modernist Ideas of Art

• Appropriation in postmodern art challenges the modernist emphasis on formal innovation and the idea of art as a progression towards abstraction
• By using pre-existing images and objects, appropriation art questions the traditional hierarchy of artistic media and the distinction between fine art and mass culture (Roy Lichtenstein's comic book-inspired paintings)
• Appropriation art often incorporates elements of irony, parody, and critique, challenging the notion of art as a serious and autonomous pursuit separate from everyday life and politics (Barbara Kruger's "Your Body is a Battleground")
• The use of appropriation in art criticism reveals the ways in which images and cultural artifacts are circulated, consumed, and assigned value in contemporary society
• Appropriation art encourages viewers to reconsider their assumptions about originality, creativity, and the role of the artist, inviting a more critical and reflexive approach to the interpretation of art

Redefining the Role of the Artist and the Artwork

• Appropriation art challenges the traditional notion of the artist as a skilled craftsman, emphasizing instead the conceptual and contextual aspects of the artwork (Sherrie Levine's "After Walker Evans" series)
• By using ready-made objects and pre-existing images, appropriation art questions the idea of the artwork as a unique, hand-crafted object, highlighting the importance of the artist's selection and recontextualization of the appropriated material (Marcel Duchamp's "Readymades")
• Appropriation art often involves a collaborative or collective approach to artistic production, challenging the idea of the artist as a solitary, autonomous figure (The Pictures Generation artists)
• The use of appropriation in art blurs the boundaries between artistic disciplines, incorporating elements of photography, sculpture, painting, and performance to create hybrid and interdisciplinary works (Cindy Sherman's "History Portraits")
• Appropriation art invites viewers to actively participate in the creation of meaning, as the interpretation of the work often depends on the viewer's cultural knowledge and associations with the appropriated material (Jeff Koons's "Made in Heaven" series)