Marcel Duchamp 's
Mona Lisa parody "L.H.O.O.Q." (1919)
Image courtesy of the Museum Boujmans Van Beningen Rotterdam
Borrowing in Art - Historical Background – a thoughtful essay with examples of appropriation in historical and contemporary art.
Original photograph:
Alabama Tenant Farmer Wife [Allie Mae Burroughs], 1936
Walker Evans (American, 1903–1975)
Gelatin silver print; 20.5 x 15.3 cm (8 1/8 x 6 in.)
Photography Collection, Harry Ransom
Humanities Research Center
The University of Texas at Austin
AfterWalkerEvans.com shows appropriation by Sherrie Levine where she rephotographed images from a catalog about Walker Evans.
Sherrie Levine: Photographer, Artist, Image appropriator – a short biography.
"The Rebellion of Art / The Art of Rebellion" Donald Keefer, Professor of Philosophy at RISD, challenges the validity of what he defines as "rebellious art."
Copyright and Appropriation Worksheet
– an informative exercise with links to help you answer the questions posed.
Parodies of Grant Wood's Painting "American Gothic"
– part of "American Studies--American Identity" curriculum at Youngstown State University
Copyright Information for Creative's
– legal issues concerning copyrighted artwork [from the handouts list on this site]
* 1) From: Artwork of the 80"s, Styles and Movements, The Castellani Art Museum
Appropriation
Strictly speaking, this strategy involves the direct duplication, copying or incorporation of an image (painting, photograph, etc.) from an identified source by an artist who represents it in a different context, thus completely altering its meaning and questioning notions of originality and authenticity. Later, appropriation came to include the reinterpretation of images from fine art or mass media sources, and often the combining of various images derived from various sources.
The purpose of appropriation could be a political statement, an ironic gesture, a straight-up homage, or the desire to strengthen the power and impact of a particular image through reinterpretation of it. Many artists have practiced appropriation of some type, including Gretchen Bender, Barbara Kruger, Sherrie Levine, Robert Longo, Arnold Mesches, David Salle, and others. *1