Stolen Art

Here are my feelings on photographing other pieces of artwork.

There are a few reasons you would do such a thing. One is to document a likeness of an art piece for a catalog or brochure, like if it was in a gallery show. This is usually known and approved by either the artist or their representative.

Another reason might be because you were commissioned to document the work for some other reason, like a private collection, or just to show the artist's work for some reason, like a book. In both cases stated above, the artists name should accompany such photograph to give them credit for the work.

Another reason would be to attempt making the work of art into something different based on your own vision, in other words make it "your own." In this case it would be okay to "steal" the art if it is changed enough from the original. I liken this to a musician performing cover songs. A cover song of another artist that sounds almost if not exactly the same is a copy to show respect and admiration and the writer or performer of the song should be mentioned. A cover song that is interpreted differently and done in a new, unique way, becomes more of the new artist's based on the change of performance. Think Jimi Hendrix's Watchtower, the Grateful Dead's Not Fade Away, Aerosmith's Come Together, and thousands more.

In these samples shown below, I call them "stolen art" because I am not the one that did the original sculpture, I am only the one who photographed the sculpture and changed it to fit my own vision and interpretation. They are not exact documents showing you exactly what the entire sculpture looked like as it sits out on public display for anyone to see (or photograph). They are merely the pieces I was most interested in and wanted to do something with.

I should note that even though I changed the original art to my own interpretation, I would however still be happy to list the sculptors name if I knew it. I cannot currently find my notes of that shoot and I don't remember if the artist was listed on it. I will someday return to the site to check and add that later when I find out.

My point is that I think I have abstracted the original piece and changed it to make it "my own." These are all taken from a Veteran's of Foreign War Memorial on display in Roosevelt Park, Edison, New Jersey. I don't think you need to know the site of the original sculpture to view my interpretations, but I list it because so many people wonder what the heck it is and in case you want to go see it for yourself. It is not against the law to visit a public place like this and take a photograph of it. What you do with that photograph is up to you. Rather than show a more realistic document of the entire sculpture or some sort of reference of scale or other reality based information, I chose to express my interpretation in this way because that's my own personal artistic expression. You are welcome to do it in other ways if you want. I'd be happy to provide you with directions if you would like to try.

As always, feel free to leave feedback and let me know what you think.