Many postmodern artists have incorporated works by other artists for use in their own creations. However, this is not considered "stealing" the artist's artwork by using it himself in his own artwork, but is considered "appropriation". An artist who wishes to appropriate his own works does not simply cut and paste the work of other artists and claim it as his own, but shows it in a new light giving it a new meaning away from the original work of art, and in doing so they are ideas inspiring ideas about art and what art is. Two artists who use this technique are Martin Sharp and Jeff Koons. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Most of Martin Sharp's work is pop art; he appropriates images familiar from the art world or popular culture of the time. One of Sharp's strongest inspirations was Van Gogh and in some cases he made Gogh's masterpieces his own in his works. One such artwork is “Still Life”, made in 1973. Martin Sharp effectively appropriated Van Gough’s “Sunflowers” and Andy Warhol’s “Marylyn” in his artwork “Still Life”. It is easy to recognize Van Gough's "Sunflowers" through the style of brush strokes and use of color that is easily associated with most of Gough's works. Also Andy Warhol's "Marylyn" was used, as Marylyn Monroe is a huge celebrity icon who was highly recognizable at the time and still today. It is an effective work of art in expressing beauty and demonstrating that it is always lasting, and Sharp used the "Sunflowers" and "Marylyn" as symbols of this beauty. Even though Marylyn Monroe is not alive today, her beauty lives on. Marylyn was worshiped by many and seen as the goddess of sex appeal and it is understandable why she is used to showcasing beauty in these works of art. The two artworks that were both appropriate look rather strange put together, as Van Gouge's old style is contrasted with Warhol's pop art style. Both also vary in texture, from the small quick paint strokes of the vase and flowers to the single flat colors of Marylyn's face. The use of color is attractive with its contrasts of yellow and blue, and the dominance of Marylyn's face is overwhelming. Jeff Koons is another artist who uses appropriation to communicate ideas and challenge art. His works and himself are often criticized and the common question is: is his art really art? Some of his early works were particularly criticized, being his "ready-mades". In one case he simply stuck a vacuum cleaner in a display case and said it was a work of art. Many people disagreed with him thinking that this was not art but simply an everyday household object, however art should challenge the audience and make us think, and this is exactly what the vacuum cleaner does, as we it makes you question what art is. It was very similar to Marcel Duchamp's 1917 artwork "Fountain", which simply placed a urinal upside down. In his later works he appropriated kitsch objects and transformed them into something that seemed much more special. An example of this was his artwork "Rabbit" made in 1986. The original was simply a stuffed bunny, but this was transformed by Koons into a chrome sculpture. The extremely fine detail and shiny metallic look of "Rabbit" stops us in our tracks and makes us appreciate the everyday object. This is what Koons tries to achieve with many of his works. One of the most famous works created by Koon is "Puppy" in 1992. According to Koons the puppy is a symbol of.
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