Appropriation and its Role in the Art World

To appropriate something, means to take possession of something that previously belonged to someone else. Commonly seen in art through borrowing, copying, and alteration of preexisting images and objects. Artists who do this are fully aware that the artwork initially belongs to someone else but his goal is never to claim ownership of the design but to rather present it in a new way. Robert Rauschenberg, Claes Oldenburg, Andy Warhol, Tom Wesselman, and Roy Lichtenstein are famous appropriation artists who commonly used everyday objects to draw attention to things that the everyday person could recognize. Tom Wesslemann's "Still Life #35" for example, features common products that the everyday family of the 60s, would be able to identify such as Cola, White Bread, and Beef Stew. This kind of art serves to grab everyone's attention to objects that are usually overlooked. Andy Warhol is one of the most famous appropriation artists and is noted mostly for his Campbell soup cans. He silk-screened a series of soup cans to grab the public attention and direct it towards the incredibly common, Campbell soup can. Although its publicity earned Warhol a law-suit, it also provided free advertisement for the company. Appropriation wants to take a previous design and grab attention to it by presenting the idea in a new way.

When Doors Meet Jewelry

For my final sketchbook challenge piece, I have decided on creating a necklace out of old brass keys, chain, and ribbon. It will be constructed in a staggered way so at the point of the necklace there will be one key, then that will turn into two keys, then three keys and so forth; like a reverse pyramid. The keys will be attached to the chain with a ribbon but every other key will have a different colored ribbon tied into a bow. I'm hoping to achieve a slight Alice in Wonderland feel with the bows and antique style of it. I decided on this idea because I wanted to do a fashion design type project, but due to time restraints I can't do as ambitious a project as a full on dress with accessories. By doing a necklace I can tie in the keys used in one of my sketches and mix it with the Alice in Wonderland theme. At the moment the keys are laid out and construction has begun. I'm hoping to have this project completed within the next day or two.

The Future

What will become of...?what will happen...? Will I be...? The list goes on for questions that attempt to answer the future. The reason the future is perceived as such an important essence is because there's some distorted idea that the future is equivalent to ones purpose and destiny. Ones destiny is the entirety of life from beginning to end, bad decision to good decision. All that can ever be done to answer questions of the future is to imagine it. Imagine the goals that go with the future, emotions that will accompany it,the kinds of people that will always play a role, or go even more abstract and imagine what society will become. Its this kind of thinking that creates a special kind of art. The art ranges from literature like "V for Vendetta" and "A Clockwork Orange" to pieces of art like "Garden of Earthly delights" by Bosch. It creates a form of realistic fantasy; something not real but with amazing potential to be real. Nobody knows what the future holds, but it's this kind of art that provides potential answers.