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Appropriation In Art History

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‘Appropriation in art and art history refers to the practice of artists using pre-existing objects or images in their art with little transformation of the original’ (Tate, no date). Artists have been appropriating for many centuries and tend to use the most iconic of masterpieces from the past and make them more contemporary for today’s style. The ‘Mona Lisa’ by Leonardo Da Vinci is one of the greatest examples of this act. It is one of the most famous and well known paintings ever created; however the piece has been manipulated by other artists, so much that the meaning behind the original is indefinite. If a piece of which is so recognisable in our society be stolen from other artists, this leaves us with the question- Is art original? …show more content…

But knowing makes me have a different opinion. This still puzzles my thoughts of originality in art and whether it matters in our society.
This is a representation of the Marilyn Monroe Piece by Yu Youhan produced in the Chinese century of political pop.
Youhan replicated the same method to Warhol’s all time famous artwork but altered the subject of the design. Instead of Monroe he replaced the figure as the chairman Mao. He used Mao as part of a memorial as he played a big part in his political life. By doing this, it changes the meaning of the painting and Mao becomes the centre of attention and the main topic of the piece.
I am now going to discuss Cindy Sherman and her film scenes. She was a big believer in Feminism and is well known for recreating film stills replacing the original actors with her.
Although Sherman’s work is entitled as one of those artists who appropriate, I would consider her work to be quite original. Yes, you could say that because she has copied film scenes that her work isn’t original but personally I believe that her work is trying to make a change and represent

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