appropriation

 

Borrowing From Others

My topic this study period in art is how our western consumerism affects other cultures.  This term I have been looking at how producers of consumable objects often borrow cultural artefacts from other cultures changing their meaning to suit their own needs.  

I've chosen to use the classical myth of Cupid/Eros as vehicle or metaphor through which to explore what happens when we distort the original meaning and intention.  This is one of the early pieces that I have developed trying to find strategies to convey to the viewer that disconnection from the original context of Cupid/Eros.  It also brings together traditional art making media, paint and charcoal, with the potential that software like Photoshop offers us.    

The hi-jacking and re-appropriation of Cupid/Eros began centuries ago when classically trained artists took the figure from being an adolescent male and turned him into a chubby cherub.  Our consumer culture has taken it even further and the figure is now stamped on every thing from Valentines Day to toilet paper.

Unless otherwise stated all images have been sourced from Wikimedia Commons and have been assigned a Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike License or are from the Public Domain
All of my artworks unless otherwise stated are shared under a Creative Commons Attribution Share-alike license (Version 4.0 (international licence)

Art, Manipulation and Reproduction

Katelyn Parker
Digital painting
2014

Technology has changed the way that we do things in so many aspects of our lives and art is no different.  The once very privileged domain of Fine Arts has been democratised by user friendly software and the internet.  Anyone can be an artist now and exhibit their work in a global gallery.

But what has this done to the way we value the art image?

 Art in the age of Photoshop and social media

Access to the internet and image editing software has made creating and exhibiting art available to more people than ever before.  We do not have to invest thousands of dollars in a Fine Arts education as we can now access tutorials online for free.  We have greater access to source or reference images through websites like Wikimedia commons.  Online galleries of images that are free to use, re-mix and share has meant that we are able to collaborate like never before.  Free to use image editing software such as Gimp means that money is no longer a barrier or obstacle to creating effective and professional images to communicate our ideas.  Digital files can be reproduced again  and again, perfectly and faithfully every time, at just a click of a mouse.  The internet is changing the ways that artists are building followings and exhibiting the art works.  Social media and file-sharing sites like Deviantart make it possible, and free, to reach a global audience.

The boundaries between Fine Art/high end culture and popular culture have become blurred and unstable.  Because of the technological advances a greater number of people are able to produce art and due to the lower cost of reproduction of digital files a greater number of people are able to buy art.

Unless otherwise stated all images have been sourced from Wikimedia Commons and have been assigned a Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike License or are from the Public Domain
All of my artworks unless otherwise stated are shared under a Creative Commons Attribution Share-alike license (Version 4.0 (international licence)