Thursday, October 22, 2009

"The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources." -einstein

I've thought about this idea of how much influence is copying in art forms. As in the article with the molotov man I feel like the right was there to make the picture into a painting and it would be nice to credit the photographer. I don't think ther'es anything wrong with copying the picture and making it into a painting. Making the painting and then selling it I feel is a slightly diffferent story. I wouldn't care if anyone copied my pictures or adapted them but if they made money off of an exact same reprint I'd be pissed. The closer the adaptation is to the real piece the more pissed I would be. I don't think it was wrong for hte painter to paint it and not give credit to the photographer it just devalues the painting in my opinion. The Lethem article talked about all these famous artist who used other pieces of art/literature and became more successful with it. as human beings we copy we're mimickers we do that to everything thats how we learn, and when it comes to the creative realm when you can break off more ties to where the influence came from it feels more special and valuable. Alot of times it's impossible to trace where the influence came from for a piece of art but there have been many shots in films or scenes in films I thought were amazing then realized where they got the ideas from and then I don't credit it with as high value anymore. It's amazing if a painter can re-create a picture and make it look very similar but it's even more amazing if that painter could create an image wtih that sort of detail from his own imagination. Unfortunately imagination only stems so far from the behaviors and images you mimic in your expereinces and I guess the more the idea is recycled through our creative mines and the further away you can get from the original source the more unique and special it seems but maybe its just our lack of ability to connect teh dots from all the creative sources to find the source(s). There's a different kinds of appreciation. Appreciation for the skill and the way the art is polished according it its own craft. And the appreciation for the originality (or the lack of ability to figure out where the source came from). A "true artist" i guess wouldn't care if their pieces were copied and the new art gained monetary benefits and praise from it but I would. It's hypocritical because that piece I would make is just bits and pieces ripped off from everything else.

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