Appropriation Response

Appropriation is a common practice that has existed for a very long time.  The entire idea of collage art would not exist if it weren't for appropriation.  There is nothing wrong for artists to use another artist's work for inspiration, or use it as a means to create something else.  Every artist wants to be unique and hates to have their work to be considered dated or stolen.  We all wish to do something new and innovative, but in order to achieve this we must look at what has been done and in some instances use that information to move forward.  Since the moment we are born we begin taking in information that we subconsciously save and have the ability to recall at certain moments.  For example, if one grew up watching a certain TV show, the influence of that show on them would come out in someway or another though out their life.  So to say that an artist is stealing or pirating ideas and images from the likes of Walt Disney, because in a painting they include a character or element that Disney "came up with and has rights to", is ludicrous.  It stifles the creativity of individuals and would ultimately destroy it. 

I do however believe that laws should exist that regulate appropriation.  In certain cases it does become stealing, in which case the use of another's material is unacceptable.  For instance the taking a painting, reproducing an identical one, and saying that it was your idea first, should not be allowed.  Appropriation is not wrong when one uses it to create something different, as an influence, or as part of a work that when finished is not an exact reproduction.

The practice of appropriation is seen in the work of many artists. Examples of this are Marcel Duchamp's work which relied on use of 'ready-mades' such as his Bicycle Wheel.  Another example is the entire Pop Art movement, most notably Andy Warhol's Cambell's Soup 1.  

To say that appropriation is wrong at all times is false.  In today's world digital imaging and the internet allows access to unlimited resources that provide inspiration for artists.  As long as work is not exactly copied and presented in the same manner it is absolutely fine to feed off of other's work.