College week 4/1 Art History, Originality

Monday mornings this term start with art history with Jo Kear - always interesting and challenging, but especially so as we start at 9.30.  This shouldn't be such a struggle, but I am regularly rushing to leave the house on time, and the final tramp up Park Street nearly finishes me before the day has begun.  Today I jumped on a bus at College Green, glad of my bus pass to go such a short but steep ride.


Today's lecture was about originality in art - both in terms of creating a one-off piece, and in terms of pushing the boundaries to make something entirely new.  We looked at the Mona Lisa, and the story of it's theft from the Louvre in 1911 and its disappearance for two years.  





Even now, art historians and custodians at the Louvre are not 100% sure that the picture they recovered is in fact the original.  And what is so unique, now, about a picture which has been reproduced a million times in various suitable and less suitable formats from post cards to umbrellas?  Why the big security in the Louvre, why the huge queues of tourists who regard it as just another tourist 'must see' without any wider interest in art?  


Jo showed us various works where a 20th century artist has produced a picture based more or less closely on a previous 'old master'.  In each case there are both similarities and differences between the two, and the degree of mimicry or inpdiration varies widely.  But these examples indicate the extent to which artists continually refer back to some of th classic works of the past.  


One example was Picasso's Las Meninas (after Velasquez) in 1957, based on Velasquez' Family of Philip IV painted in 1656-7.  

Or Cindy Sherman's Untitled 216, created in 1988-90,  which was inspired by Jean Fouquet Melun triptych Virgin and Child surrounded by Angels from c 1450.

Or Ron Mueck's Angel 1997, inspired by Cimabue's Virgin and Child enthroned with two angels, dated from 1265-80.

Some 'copying' has been unashamedly commercial, e.g. various adverts for Habitat in 2006. 

And in terms of art creating unique objects, some art is quite deliberately created in ways which make use of modern technology and electronic transmission - whether through You Tube films or downloads, e.g. Gilbert and George's Planed in 2007. A BBC News report is here.  The image itself is reproduced here...