Art Fakes and Forgeries Essay

Original ideas are born from the influences of other people and the concept that interaction with art of different kinds can spark something great within a person. Lethem is not recommending the infringement of an artist’s work, but is encouraging people to find motivation and revelation in the works of other artists and translate that into something raw and inexperienced. Lethem writes, “Most artists are brought to their vocation when their own nascent gifts are awakened by the work of a master….Finding one’s voice isn’t just an emptying and purifying oneself of the words of others but an adopting and embracing of filiations, communities, and discourses” (214). Although Lethem

On a trip to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, my boyfriend, David, and I strolled through the museum while I, being an art history major, recited to him all that I knew about certain pieces. We observed sculptures by Auguste Rodin, works painted by Georgia O’Keeffe, and busts of Roman leaders. David was enjoying all the artwork until we reached the Contemporary art gallery upon where viewing Mark Rothko’s Untitled No. 11 made in 1963, he shook his head in anger at what he thought was a painting far from a masterpiece. His comment was one I’m sure many have said about this particular piece and many other modern pieces of art, “I could have painted that.” I couldn’t help to reply, “Yeah, but you didn’t.” David’s sudden reaction upon viewing the

Artwork is a unique commodity. It is easily identifiable, and thus, subsequent purchasers may initially succeed in concealing stolen artwork for some time. Eventually, the artwork is likely to resurface. This resurfacing often gives rise to claims to the work and disputes over its ownership. Sentiment is often the driving force behind Jewish survivors and families of

If the image is no longer unique and exclusive, the art object, the thing, must be made mysteriously so,” (Berger 44). Therefore, the final step in the exploitation of power is mystification of its origins. Over time a concept will build its image and solidify its strength through results, showing the public its value until it becomes integrated and thus, hidden within society. There are several examples of power that has become formally accepted or internalized by the public and it is difficult to see how they exploit power because their origins are mystified. For the concept of originality in art, we can see how its status may have risen because of the definition we give to “originality” rules that have commercial purposes or vice versa. Some examples include companies that have copyright issues to protect names and identities that belong to them, or schools that incorporate rules about plagiarism. The idea of originality has already become internalized within our society that assigning a market meaning with it, just seems natural. If our judicial system has already incorporated ideas of “originality”, then not many people will see any problems with it. However, it is important to look at the origins and realize how a power came to be to prevent it from being exploited. Another covert concept integrated within society

Ideas are neither created nor destroyed, therefore the notion of originality is false. Originality cannot exist if every thought and idea are preexisting, because it is proven that as human beings we are naturally inclined to copy one another. In art specifically, it comes to no surprise that artists can become heavily influenced by another’s artwork and unconsciously copy them. In some instances, this would be considered plagiarism and copyright infringement, but to Jonathan Lethem, it is a gift. In his piece, “The Ecstasy of Influence: A Plagiarism” he discusses the obscenities of privatizing ideas and opinions, because it restricts creativity. By forming false entitlement on something that was never truly yours, other individuals suffer

I feel like this point is very valid because If we cannot connect to an artwork, the piece cannot resonant with us. I agree with Mannes’ point about having an important purpose to any good artwork. By putting forth a purpose, viewers or readers can change their perspective on an issue instead of just looking at an artwork for fun and moving on. Lastly Mannes’ criteria explains that if an artwork can last long period of time then it must be spectacular. I think this point is valid to some extent.

One of the themes; do not forge could mean a lot of things according to the Macmillian dictionary is: to make unauthorized documents,paper money,or works of art with the intention of cheating people. So this theme is pretty clear, if you do not forge you do not get put into jail or caught red-handed. It may make you money but in the end it is not worth it. This is

Han van Meegeren was an aspiring artist, but unfortunately critics did not see his art as greatly as he did and he felt that they had ruined his career. Meegeren decided to prove that he was talented enough by forging world famous pieces of art. He began to study the techniques, lives, and catalogues of famous painters. His forgeries were very authentic because he used thick 17th century canvases and mixed his own paints from raw materials, wanting to stay as close to the originals as possible. The most famous forgery that Meegeren did was called Supper at Emmaus and critics described his copy as “genuine and exquisite,” but they also said that he had little talent outside of his copies.

At the end of World War II, currency counterfeiting activities began. This led to the launching of the secret service so as to deal with these counterfeiting activities. The nation’s infrastructure was later on attacked when these illegal activities expanded more crimes, among counterfeiting, such as commercial, personality theft and computer –based fraud and attacks. These investigations are done with the help of forensic personnel who scrutinizes evidence (Reese, 2009).

Artist Laovaan constantly receives criticism on why his art is inauthentic. Though critics, including his art teachers at his university, claim that his art is too illustrative and not abstract enough to be art, he addresses the hypocrisy of these comments in his video. One such critique implies that he is not putting effort in having his work convey an original message to the viewer. However, he notes that recently, ‘appropriation’ art has become more common in the modern age. Notably, ‘appropriation’ in this sense is merely a euphemism for artists that use plagiarism to create new work. A shocking example he uses is Richard Prince, a self-proclaimed photographer who has encountered numerous copyright issues with his work. In one instance, Prince simply cropped a Marlboro ad, and sold it for

The ethics of forgery go no way but that it is wrong. From an aesthetic point of view forgery is wrong because the forgery is lying to the viewer.

Benjamin is saying that reproductions reduce the integrity of the art because the product is no longer authentic. Benjamin also speaks of “aura- a symptomatic process whose significance points beyond the realm of art.” (1936). according to him this is missing in works that have been reproduced or produced indirectly, i.e. a copy of a painting or a photograph. I think that the value of art is in the art itself and the use of it to express one’s inner goals and desires. Benjamin also speaks of the “shattering of tradition” that he believes is caused by the loss of authenticity of art in its original form. I believe that while there would have been a certain intimacy between the artist and the subject in the past. That does not exist today due to technology. We now can take thousands of photos a day, whereas 150 years ago a person may have sat for a portrait for a few hours. Reproductions while devaluing both the integrity and price of a piece of art, is a necessary price to pay for the

The roots of street art and graffiti lie in “post-industrial megapolis cultures” according to Magid. As a result, they are often associated with the idea of urban decay. Being generally more prevalent in poorer areas, many believe that the presence of street art and graffiti decreases property value. However, in his article Magid states that graffiti “represents an excellent argument for bolstering police surveillance” and that the system can “derive advantages not only from the vandalizing nature of graffiti, but also from its creative element”. Although graffiti and street art can represent a challenge to the law, it also stands as as social commentary about the subjectivity of the laws

The history of art dates back to ancient times. Artwork can be, and was, found around the world. What makes art interesting is that it can be created in any way, shape or form with any materials. It seems that the artwork can also tell us a lot about the artist. Art seems to be simply, a direct, visual reflection of the artist’s life. Therefore, one can assume that an artist’s life experiences and beliefs directly influence their art. If we look at examples from different periods of art we will be able to see the connection between the artist and the art.

It is important to note - since the work is still authenticated by its audience, art still