`` The Ecstasy Of Influence `` By Jonathan Allen Lethem

Investigating through Malcolm Gladwell essay “Something borrowed “his uses his personal experience to show, every borrow words or ideas from one another but is it really plagiarism. He talks about him and his friends and how they listen to certain songs and how some had the used rhythms or melodic line but its different ways. “If Led Zeppelin hadn’t been free to mine the blues for inspirations we wouldn’t have got “Whole Lotta Love “, and if Kurt Cobain couldn’t listen to more than a feeling” and picked out and transform the part he really liked we wouldn’t have “Smells like Teen Spirit”. (Gladwell, 47). With his personal experience I think he saying that we are not trying to plagiarism but we are trying to borrow, change and make a song

Creativity, the creative expressions in various forms of art and in new ideas, as well as the creative production of scientific and technological change, is what has shaped and influenced the world’s history

Art does not exist in a vacuum; an artists’ work is influenced by the culture they were brought up in; this is true of the artists of the Renaissance who painted their Christian icons, and it is still true for the artists of today. We are inspired by the customs and traditions that surround us, and the society that has helped build the foundations of our character. Culture influences art, and art can be found in most aspects of a culture; from their paintings and writings; to their music and clothing. It is important to recognize this influence, and to give proper credit to the members of a culture that pioneer a form of art, but often times these people never get the recognition they deserve. Imitators come along and present their art, their culture, as their own. Most would agree that it is only right and fair for an artist to receive credit for their work, but in spite of this, this issue, known as cultural appropriation, continues to plague society.

Art is an amazing form of expression, due to the fact that everybody expresses themselves differently, art can take many forms. From writing to paint to photography to abstract. No two pieces of art are ever the same, although they can be similar. Gustave Dore’s “Minos, Judge of the Damned” and William Blake’s “Satan Smitting Job with Boils” may seem very different, but they are indeed similar as well.

In the article “Musicians Are Wired to Steal Each Other’s Work,” by Philip Ball from The Atlantic (Sept. 14,2016) discusses that over many years’ musicians and writers have been accused of plagiarizing their work. Singers such as Led Zepplin who was accused multiple times by Randy California’s trustee for “lifting the famous fingerpicked acoustic opening of “Stairway to Heaven’” in 1971 as well as back in 1962 when they were accused of “borrowing” lyrics from Willie Dixon’s “howlin’ Wolf’s “Killing Floor” for their song “The Lemon Song”. Writer Dan Brown, who was also accused of stealing ideas from Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh in “The Da Vinci Code” was then later on decided to be uncertain of any plagiarism. Philip Ball also argues

Since artists’ creativity is a reflection of the image of God, it is important that we understand their meaning before rejecting their work. On the most basic level, we should appreciate the work of art because its creativity and order reminds us that all people are created in the image of God. Beyond that, we don’t always understand creativity at first glance. We need to be careful to not reject a piece of simply because we don’t understand it because misunderstanding an artist’s work can lead to the rejection of a God honoring piece and a missed opportunity to understand its meaning.

Humans have a long history of expressing ourselves through medium for varying reasons that have not always had to do with survival. We as a species have continued to try and portray our visons from inside the mind to the tangible world for our fellow beings by using drawings. There are a multitude of ways that the mind can reach our world. Some ways are seen as more familiar than others. If there are more familiar ways, then there is also a less familiar way. The fine arts such as art are what separates a satirical essay from a Grecian statue. Jeanette Winterson examines what art means to in our larger society and how to learn to truly appreciate and experience art.

Art has a long history in the evolution of modern mankind, from paint made of wet clay,to sculpture, and even to modern art. Some pieces are meant to symbolize an emotion or an object, to be used in the worship Gods,to tell stories or simply to be something beautiful. Throughout history, art has evoked emotions, awe, and has broken barriers and culture lines in ways nothing else could. Art can be influenced from everywhere; nature, emotions, neighboring cities and many other ways. Since so many culture influence each other, it is easy to see where similarities in pieces might be.

Vision is a crucial aspect of human existence, and the way that it enables them to understand the world is even more crucial. The human ability to see can influence beliefs if one is to take a step back and examine vision as a whole. This can be done easily with artwork as the messages that artists send are powerful due to the fact that interpretations of meaning depend on the beliefs and attitudes of the specific individual. One artist, Emanuele Dascanio, is an artist whose work demonstrates numerous aspects of visual communication. The works are intriguing because of the hyperrealistic feel they embody. There is a pull and desire for one to engage with the works because they are not abstract pieces but extremely real and detailed ones. While many people may strongly appreciate the talent of Dascanio’s work, few take time to consider the reasons that people react the way they do to them. The reason for such a strong connection between both drawing and viewer comes from all of the elements that come together to compose the image.

The work limits the artist’s amassed idea of possibility by originating its work to that of a man widely known during its time. This deprives the audience of feeling capable of offering anything to the work other than their presence and opinion instead of physically enabling them to utilize the work to create a work of their own. Rock Garden, by Ryoan-Ji in Kyoto Japan is a physical structure of worship and tranquility while my work is formless and takes on the form of the sounds in which it produces. This is why the Rock Garden and my own music are similar. Both the Rock Garden and my piano have a predetermined perception of how they are to serve humanity. The two don’t serve as a tool with instructions but, canvasses that are absent of guidelines. One could just as easily use the Rock Garden to conduct exercise as one could use my piano for a headrest. The Rock Garden and my own work offer humanity only suggestions to how they may be used but not instructions on how one is to use them and in doing so offer a sense of piece to those who use them…being able to utilize the beauty in their hearts not within a realm of limitation but, in a realm with none at

An idea is viewed as a personal interpretation for creation, and coming up with concepts. Paul Callus’s poem, “Unspoken Words”, demonstrates how an idea is an individual’s sense of belonging, up until it’s shared with others. An idea being shared becomes an open discussion for criticism instead of growth upon the idea. In the poem, Callus demonstrates in line two, “The words I find so hard to say”, of a person’s thoughts. It explains how it is difficult to share and promote ideas to other individuals. Creators of ideas are in fear or in doubt to share creations because of losing ownership and individuality. An example is when you drop a worm into a lake. The surrounding fishes come to feast upon the innocent insect. It is the same concept

Arthur C. Danto in “The Artworld” provides us with the argument that, “To see something as art requires something that the eye cannot descry-an atmosphere of artistic theory, a knowledge of the history of art: an artworld.” Danto shows us the importance of the artworld in order to know that a work of art is more than just what we can plainly see. Danto provides two theories he calls the “IT” (Imitation theory) and the “RT” (Reality theory). With these two theories, Danto explains how we can define art and why “The Artworld” is needed to help understand art, because after all, “these days one might not be aware he was on artistic terrain without an artistic theory to tell him so.”

Inspired or Appropriated? Well first lets understand the definitions and differences between these two. According to vocabulary.com inspire means “When you inspire something, it is as if you are blowing air over a low flame to make it grow. Successful people often have a role model who inspired them to greatness.” For the definition of appropriation, according to ARTLEX.com it says “To take possession of another's imagery (or sounds), often without permission, reusing it in a context which differs from its original context, most often in order to examine issues concerning originality or to reveal meaning not previously seen in the original.” The definition for Recontexulization “ helps the artist comment on the image's original meaning and

“All in all, the creative act is not performed by the artist alone; the spectator brings the work in contact with the external world by deciphering and interpreting its inner qualification ..”

In Collingswood’s essay, he begins with a question on what is a work of art. He defines this idea by asking two questions on the origin of the art (which is not made of altering a raw material) and of the artist. First he discusses the artist, and how the art is composed. He remarks that something is controlling the artist and what it might be and elaborates that it is not the artist skill but the control that is producing the art. This control can be thought of as inspiration but leaves us with the question of where the inspiration is derived from. Some theories are that the control comes from a spiritual being or that the inspiration comes from the artist himself, but is not under the artist control.