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The Transformation of Appropriation in Contemporary Art

Received: 21 June 2020     Accepted: 4 July 2020     Published: 28 July 2020
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Abstract

Appropriation is one of the most commonly used techniques in contemporary art. It can be seen in various art forms, such as painting, sculpture, photography, video. Due to the emergence of appropriation, artists have great opportunities to lend fresh perspectives to pre-existing objects and images and can embody new sentiments in their creations. Since Marcel Duchamp’s ready-mades were introduced to the art world, they had considerable influence on the appropriation over the past 100 years. The first section of this study is to analyse the current situation of appropriation in contemporary art by comparing two ready-mades of Marcel Duchamp and Maurizio Cattelan. In the second section, the focus will be on the aesthetic transformation of appropriation, which encompasses ready-mades, signs and phenomena. Due to significant transformations, appropriation is not confined to artistic creations, and it can be seen in the production of popular culture. The last section of this study will investigate the influence of appropriation on popular culture by taking popular brand Supreme as an example. Addressing this transformation will enable a comprehensive understanding of how to use appropriation appropriately, helping creators to make full use of its merits, thus producing more emotional and meaningful works. This paper enable the author to reach the conclusion that excessive and inappropriate appropriations produce flawed works and can cultivate a misunderstanding of both the original works and the appropriation iteself.

Published in International Journal of Literature and Arts (Volume 8, Issue 4)
DOI 10.11648/j.ijla.20200804.21
Page(s) 255-258
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2020. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Appropriation, Contemporary Art, Transformation, Popular Culture

References
[1] Wilson, S; Jessica, L. (2008). The Tate Guide to Modern Art Terms, London: Tate Publishing Ltd, 2008. p20.
[2] Sabur R. (2019). Banana duct-taped to a wall sells for $120,000 at Art Basel. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/12/06/banana-duct-taped-wall-sells-120000-art-basel/.(accessed: Oct 22, 2018).
[3] Farra, E. Maurizio Cattelan on “The Artist Is Present,” His Mind-Bending New Exhibition With Alessandro Michele in.
[4] Danto, A, C. (1995). After The End of Art. Princeton: Princeton University Press. p10.
[5] Ibid.
[6] Reyburn, S. Jeff Koons ‘Rabbit’ Sets Auction Record for Most Expensive Work by Living Artist. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/15/arts/jeff-koons-rabbit-auction.html. (accessed: May 15, 2019).
[7] Thierry de Duve. (1996). Kant after Duchamp. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press. p13.
[8] Barthes R. (1967). Elements of Semiology. New York: Jonathan Cape Ltd. p41.
[9] Cabanne, P. (1987). Dialogues with Marcel Duchamp. The USA: Da Capo Press. p48.
[10] Heidegger, M. (2005) Introduction to Phenomenological Research. Trans by Daniel O. Dahlstrom. USA: Indiana University Press. p87.
[11] Heidegger, M. (1927). Basic Writings, From Being and Time to The Task of Thinking (1964) revised & expanded edition, edited by David Farrel Krell, Harper SanFransisco. p202.
[12] Crimp, D. (1983). ‘Appropriating appropriation’, in Image Scavengers, Philadelphia: Institute of Contemporary Art. p126.
[13] Kidd, D. (2017). Popular Culture. https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780199756384/obo-9780199756384-0193.xml (accessed: Feb 28, 2017).
[14] Baudrillard, J. (2017). The Consumer Society: Myths and Structure. revised edition. Sage. p218.
[15] Baudrillard, J. (2005). The Conspiracy of Art. Cambridge: The MIT Press. p21.
Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Dai Xiaoling, Kan Qing. (2020). The Transformation of Appropriation in Contemporary Art. International Journal of Literature and Arts, 8(4), 255-258. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20200804.21

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    ACS Style

    Dai Xiaoling; Kan Qing. The Transformation of Appropriation in Contemporary Art. Int. J. Lit. Arts 2020, 8(4), 255-258. doi: 10.11648/j.ijla.20200804.21

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    AMA Style

    Dai Xiaoling, Kan Qing. The Transformation of Appropriation in Contemporary Art. Int J Lit Arts. 2020;8(4):255-258. doi: 10.11648/j.ijla.20200804.21

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ijla.20200804.21,
      author = {Dai Xiaoling and Kan Qing},
      title = {The Transformation of Appropriation in Contemporary Art},
      journal = {International Journal of Literature and Arts},
      volume = {8},
      number = {4},
      pages = {255-258},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ijla.20200804.21},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20200804.21},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijla.20200804.21},
      abstract = {Appropriation is one of the most commonly used techniques in contemporary art. It can be seen in various art forms, such as painting, sculpture, photography, video. Due to the emergence of appropriation, artists have great opportunities to lend fresh perspectives to pre-existing objects and images and can embody new sentiments in their creations. Since Marcel Duchamp’s ready-mades were introduced to the art world, they had considerable influence on the appropriation over the past 100 years. The first section of this study is to analyse the current situation of appropriation in contemporary art by comparing two ready-mades of Marcel Duchamp and Maurizio Cattelan. In the second section, the focus will be on the aesthetic transformation of appropriation, which encompasses ready-mades, signs and phenomena. Due to significant transformations, appropriation is not confined to artistic creations, and it can be seen in the production of popular culture. The last section of this study will investigate the influence of appropriation on popular culture by taking popular brand Supreme as an example. Addressing this transformation will enable a comprehensive understanding of how to use appropriation appropriately, helping creators to make full use of its merits, thus producing more emotional and meaningful works. This paper enable the author to reach the conclusion that excessive and inappropriate appropriations produce flawed works and can cultivate a misunderstanding of both the original works and the appropriation iteself.},
     year = {2020}
    }
    

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    JF  - International Journal of Literature and Arts
    JO  - International Journal of Literature and Arts
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    AB  - Appropriation is one of the most commonly used techniques in contemporary art. It can be seen in various art forms, such as painting, sculpture, photography, video. Due to the emergence of appropriation, artists have great opportunities to lend fresh perspectives to pre-existing objects and images and can embody new sentiments in their creations. Since Marcel Duchamp’s ready-mades were introduced to the art world, they had considerable influence on the appropriation over the past 100 years. The first section of this study is to analyse the current situation of appropriation in contemporary art by comparing two ready-mades of Marcel Duchamp and Maurizio Cattelan. In the second section, the focus will be on the aesthetic transformation of appropriation, which encompasses ready-mades, signs and phenomena. Due to significant transformations, appropriation is not confined to artistic creations, and it can be seen in the production of popular culture. The last section of this study will investigate the influence of appropriation on popular culture by taking popular brand Supreme as an example. Addressing this transformation will enable a comprehensive understanding of how to use appropriation appropriately, helping creators to make full use of its merits, thus producing more emotional and meaningful works. This paper enable the author to reach the conclusion that excessive and inappropriate appropriations produce flawed works and can cultivate a misunderstanding of both the original works and the appropriation iteself.
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Author Information
  • School of Fine Arts, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China

  • School of Fine Arts, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China

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