ART APPRECIATION: Narrative Appropriation

Reporters:
Manansala, Alaiza Elaine
Olarte, Kristine Marie
BSA 1-5

APPROPRIATION
- The use of pre-existing objects or images with little or no transformation applied to
them.
- In the visual arts, to appropriate means to properly adopt, borrow, recycle or sample
aspects (or the entire form) of human-made visual culture.
- Defined as "the taking over, into a work of art, of a real object or even an existing work
of art."
- Appropriation can be confusing, because the line between borrowing, appropriating, and
copying it often quite blurry.
- Appropriation art raises questions of originality, authenticity and authorship, and
because of this it is a useful tool for exploring these concepts. As such, it belongs to a long
tradition of modern art that goes beyond using art as a tool for showing images and narratives
and looks inward instead, questioning the nature of art itself.

COPYRIGHT ISSUES

-Appropriation art has resulted in contentious copyright issues regarding its validity

under copyright law. The U.S. has been particularly litigious in this respect.
Example:
Andy Warhol faced a series of lawsuits from photographers whose work he appropriated
and silk-screened. Patricia Caulfield, one such photographer, had taken a picture of flowers for a
photography demonstration for a photography magazine. Without her permission, Warhol
covered the walls of Leo Castelli's New York gallery with his silk-screened reproductions of
Caulfield's photograph in 1964. After seeing a poster of Warhol's unauthorized reproductions in
a bookstore, Caulfield sued Warhol for violating her rights as the copyright owner, and Warhol
made a cash settlement out of court.

CULTURAL APPROPRIATION

- A concept dealing with the adoption of the elements of a minority culture by members

of the dominant culture
- The act of co-opting symbols and practices from one culture (usually a minority culture)
without proper understanding of, or respect for, its original significance.
-The act of taking or using things from a culture that is not your own, especially without
showing that you understand or respect this culture
-In the 21st century, cultural appropriation is often portrayed as harmful in contemporary
cultures, and is claimed to be a violation of the collective intellectual property rights of the
originating, minority cultures, notably indigenous cultures and those living under colonial rule.
-Often unavoidable when multiple cultures come together, cultural appropriation can
include using other cultures' cultural and religious traditions, fashion, symbols, language, and
songs.

CULTURAL APPROPRIATION CAN BE IDENTIFIED IN THE FOLLOWING:

- Object/Photo Appropriation
- Content
- Style
- Motif Appropriation

CULTURAL EXCHANGE

-The act of engaging with another culture, and engaging in acts to understand, respect,
share, and educate oneself and others regarding that culture and the elements that represent it
with those that do not come from the culture in question
SUBJECT
- In art, is basically the essence of the piece.
- It also refers to the main idea that is represented in the art work.

SUBJECT APPROPRIATION

- It is about using pre-existing subject, essence, and/or idea that is represented in an art
work with little or no changes applied to those works.
- Intangible content of art.
- This results in inauthentic art works by identifying different sorts of authenticity, as a
result, that art work is ascribes authenticity to other’s work. But whether that work of art is
authentic of not, it does not affect the aesthetics value of it.
- This can be a sort of assault, the moral nature of which is highly questionable and can
be affected.
- (subject appropriation in cultural appropriation, outsiders represent the lives of the
insiders.)

References:
Appropriation (arts). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appropriation_(art)
Bicskei, M. (2011). Journal of cultural economics. New York: Springer US. Chilvers, I. &
Glaves-Smith, J. (2009). Dictionary of Modern and Contemporary Art. Oxford: Oxford
University Press. pp. 27-28
McArdle, T. Explore subjects in art. Retrieved from https://www.art-is-fun.com/subjects-
in-art/
Wilson, S. & Lack, J. (2008). The Tate Guide to Modern Art Terms. London: Tate
Publishing Ltd. pp. 20–21, ISBN 978-1-85437-750-0
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/global-culture/identity-body/identity-body-
united-states/a/what-is-appropriation