{In} appropriate

 Made while thinking about Ideas then and now.

In The Ways of Seeing John Berger writes about the idea that it’s impossible to look at any art and not think of it in terms of confluence. Not just the actual artwork in terms of my present day surroundings but the artwork itself. In terms of history, what was it then? What does the artwork mean now? Why is a particular work still a part of the conversation and why is that particular work, after all this time, still held in such high, precious regard? Has the piece shifted in meaning from what the artist originally intended? Is any of that important? I have started to wonder if the placeholding we are doing is too stagnant for a piece of art- that art by its nature, an IDEA, wants to evolve, to become… Berger discusses how the instant artworks are displayed, their meaning is adapted - the way it is displayed, discussed, its accessibility/inaccessibility, it’s monetary worth - it all translates into its power. But art has most always been to communicate truths about a particular moment, about a feeling, communication. Holding such pristine levels of honor for the work itself becomes skewed… The elite presence often shifts the work into something unintended by the artist.

So, I have been exploring this idea; the idea that an idea is a living entity. Take a moment to imagine “What if____”. Look to examples from everyone from Picasso and Os Mutantes, to Elizabeth Gilbert, DaVinci and Questlove! They have all spoken and exemplified their beliefs in ideas are ever-evolving and born out of what came before. They’ve even spoken about the idea as Magic.

Further reading:

BOOKS:

Questlove’s book Creative Quest made me think about confluence in a whole new way. Not too mention how we can all be a little gentler about judging people’s explorations of work that came before their onw.

Elizabeth Gilbert discusses the magic of ideas in Big Magic

In Ways of Seeing, Berger argues that images were first made to represent something that was not there, and later acquired an extra level of meaning by lasting longer than the original subject…among other thoughts.

ARTICLES:

Interesting thoughts about appropriation and copyright

Honoring ideas or “cultural appropriation”

Another article about whether honoring a culture other than one’s own can still be authentic and inspired…who can deem whether that is allowed or insensitive? When an artist is unaware that she/he is appropriating…this article is another about cultural appropriation. I found both of the comments enlightening too. Still thinking about my own privilege and whether looking back to the beginnings of art for inspiration is a way to build connection rather than division.

This article written for children is simple and at the heart of the matter.

Artists who incorporate the ideas that came before:

Elaine Sturtevant - I like the idea that she involved the viewpoint of a woman into a man’s artworld. So much of art history has left out a huge majority of people whether that be gender, race, or economics. Adding new ideas to old ideas or new perspectives to a white man’s perspective is important in my opinion. I suppose that’s why using another culture’s brush stroke ideas seems like a way to enrich a melting pot of cultures.

Glenn Brown

Picasso, Mondrian, Rockwell, Frankenthaler, Kandinsky, Newman, Basquiat, Warhol…….