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

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

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

With images, words, and sounds been almost endlessly reproduced and distributed, various critics of modern culture suggest that traditional ideas about art and authenticity are no longer applicable. The problem is said to have been noticed back in the 1930s in the popular essay The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction that was concerned about what would happen to the “aura” of unique works of art when photography and other techniques if anybody could make unlimited copies of images. With the rise of digital technology, copying ability became vast and complex and hence the idea of originality is thrown into

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

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

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

When the viewer looks at a painting, they don't just see a painting. The viewer sees the painting as something. If the painting is a Van gogh painting of a tree that is how they will preserve it. The forger is purposely deceiving the viewer to think that the painting is something it is not. “A crux here is that an artistic performance can be perfectly original and yet at the same time share with forgery the essential element of being misrepresented in terms of actual achievement” (Dutton 110). When they see a forgery they are misinterpreting the painting causing them to be lied to right from

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.

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

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).

In the past the only defense against forgery was a wax impression placed on the fold of a document. In retrospect the penalties for forgery were severe.

If someone was truly original, how would we look at their works? Could we see what they see? Mimesis allows for someone to take art and make it their own but if someone directly copied someone else’s works then its considered plagiarism. If credit isn’t given to the original artist, then potential legal ramification will follow. Then how does one produce something entirely new to this world? The saying goes “Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination” [1] what Jim Jarmusch is saying is that taking ideas and bringing them together can potential be a good thing. After all design is not what something looks like but how it works. Art is a beautiful subject because two people could look at a picture or paining and see two completely different things, and one’s interpretation will most likely will be different than anybody else.

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.