Inspiration or Plagiarism ?

Recently a client admiring a beautiful painting in my gallery said she loved the painting but would not buy it, because she wanted something “truly original” and this work seemed inspired by a famous artist. It really made me think about the concept of inspiration in Visual art, if a famous artist has used a particular style or theme, does it get patented by him, may be not literally but at least in the minds of the people who know him.

It is so easy to find inspiration these days given the reach of Internet and the easy availability of content. I have often wondered what happened in the older times when artists had limited exposure. . Did those masters revered so much now produce “Unique” work all the time?

In this blog I question the myth of originality. Let me illustrate with examples. Here are two paintings by different artists, done in a different year.

Domenichino, The Last Communion         Agostino Carracci, The Last  of 
of Saint Jerome, Communion, 1614         Saint Jerome,  1590s. Bologna, Pinacoteca
Vatican, Pinacoteca, Nazionale

Domenichino’d style and theme clearly seem inspired .The figures used are conspicuously similar to those composed by Carracci.In the 1670s Giovanni Battista Passeri (c. 1610 – 22 April 1679), an  Italian painter and a writer of the Baroque period defended such appropriation saying “Even though Domenichino used some of the figures from the Farnese Gallery by Carracci in those pictures, it does not deserve to be censured on account of this. Nor should it be accused of weakness in invention, nor lacking in good structure because through his theft, Domenichino makes us discover a greater truth, which knows how to use a pose, applying it in such an adept manner as it deems necessary and appropriate.”

Let’s fast forward and move further in time to 20th century, where famous artist Pablo Picasso once said “Good artists copy, great artists steal ”,There are various interpretations of this comment , coming from Picasso  who was  one of the pioneers of “Cubism” (along with Georges Braque),  he was not a  plagiarist for sure . To me his comment has a mystical interpretation ,  what he meant was that good artist when  inspired by a work, try to paint in a similar manner , whereas the Great artist steal meaning they imbibe it so efficiently in their work that it becomes an inseparable  part of their creation.

To see my point , have a look at some of the works below, you will find them very similar in style, use of colour & technique. One is by Pablo Picasso(1910) and the other by a famous Indian artist M.F Husain (end of 20^th century), Husain never denied the influence of Picasso in his works, but this does not mean that his works were a copy , he gradually developed a distinct style of his own, and there is no denying that he was a master of his craft.

Pablo Picasso –Girl with a                         M F Husain- part of “Our Planet
Mandolin(1910)                                       Earth “exhibition(2005)

Similar influence of legendry artist Husain’s work is evident in the paintings of some of the renowned Indian artists. For example Ravindra Tomer, a prolific artist uses style, bold lines and vibrant colors in his work which is similar to the work of Husain. Yes, he definitely has a flavor of Husain in his work …but is he copying? In my opinion he is just inspired by the legend.

  Hussain – Durga                            Ravindra Tomer – Krishna (2011)

A good artist does not necessarily have to be someone who introduced something never before seen-he could equally be someone who gave new life to old forms, what needs to be addressed is the question of artistic innovation within the boundaries of imitation and emulation. In all the three examples that I have cited the artists have been redeemed because, they seek identification, and are not trying to deceive the viewer.

My viewpoint about inspiration and stealing might differ from yours, do share your thoughts…

Origin of Modern art

Origin of Modern Art

To be modern means to be innovative, forward looking , it could be modern technology, modern society or modern art .

1863 is often regarded as the beginning of Modernism in art in the West, this was the year when famous artist Edouard Manet , displayed his works Le Dejeuner sur l’herbe and Olympia, these paintings caused a scandal in the Paris art circles that year. What was so scandalous about these paintings, that are considered such classical works of art today ?Certainly not the nakedness of the women, the artists at that time were not that prudish ,more over painting nudes was pretty common at that time…what shocked the viewers was the artists deliberate challenge to the way art was created, which stipulated that female nudes be elevated spiritually or through their classical context …What Manet painted were naked women, totally at ease among the men dressed in formal clothes , without the slightest pretense of divinity …

Edouard Manet, Le Dejeuner sur l’herbe, (1863)

 

Edouard Manet, Olympia,(1863)

 

It was around 1870 in Paris, where a circle of painters whom we now know as Impressionists, shook up the established art world. They painted their pictures with broad strokes that seemed unfinished as compared to the meticulous way of painting in those times, they portrayed life on the street instead of overblown heroic  scenes . A whole movement of artists emerged who no longer stuck to the prevailing rules, who had not necessarily come up through the academy and for whom individual expression was of prime importance.

Claude Monet, Impression-Sunrise (1872

The modern period in Indian art began around 1857 or so, I am taking it as a historical premise because The National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi covers its collection from about this period. In the west, the modern period starts conveniently with the Impressionists, Indian context is harder to define as India was ruled by the British and the main form of art was miniature paintings that went back to Buddhist and Jain manuscripts of the 9th century and continued through the Mughal period into colonial times.  However, when we talk of modern Indian Art, we generally start with the Bengal School of Painting, that started in the late 19^th /early 20^th century.

Bharat Mata by Abanindranath Tagore(1871-1951)

The nationalist project in art was led by Abanindranath Tagore (1871-1951) and some enlightened Europeans such as EB Havell, the principal of the Government School of Art in Calcutta from 1896, and Sister Nivedita, an associate of Swami Vivekananda. Moving away from oil painting and subjects that were popular with both the British and Indian intelligentsia, Abanindranath looked to ancient murals and medieval Indian miniatures for inspiration both for subject matter, he used  indigenous material such as tempera for his works. They sought to develop an indigenous yet modern style in art as a response to the call for ‘swadeshi’ to express Indian themes in a pictorial language that deliberately turned away from western styles such as those practiced by Raja Ravi Varma.

This was the beginning of Modern art in the West and in India , what followed were various  art movements that  have inspired and shaped today’s art , the modernist drive to make something new is still alive ,and expresses itself in different forms .