ITAP-3

Notions of originality 
This lecture was an interesting one in that it addresses the distinction between outright plagiarism and taking a particular design idea/concept that is already quite familiar and reworking it so that it can be used in a different context, the lecture also got me to question what is an "original" idea and a quote that came to my head was "a good artist creates a great master steals"   but is it really ok to "steal" someone else’s idea? this I feel must be a dilemma that many visual creatives may come across especially when looking at another artists work for ideas and inspiration but I think the key point to consider would be the context in which this new interpretation is used and how it has been re-worked so that it isn’t a direct copy of the original, this point was made very clear throughout the lecture.
One way of using Pre-existing images/concepts and making them your own would be to use an image that is instantly recognisable and twist it in a way that it can be used in perhaps a different context or to convey a new idea. One image that springs to mind is the iconic image of the Mona Lisa; this image has been recycled numerous times for advertising campaigns. from adverts for cars to hair products.

 even though both advertising companies are using the same instantly recognisable image of the Mona Lisa they are used in a different context that sets them apart from the original for example with the Audi ad campaign they depict the Mona Lisa in a standing position and the background is subtly different to the original, another point to mention is the tiny caption at the bottom of the poster which reads “a masterpiece with much more” which suggests that the new model of Audi is a new and improved version of the original.
But perhaps the interpretation of the Mona Lisa that stands out the most for me personally is Yasumasa Morimura's take on the iconic image.

This is because he questions the reason as to why Mona Lisa is smiling. He comes to his own conclusion that she was smiling because maybe she was pregnant at the time, he depicts this in three ways .firstly the image that we see is the familiar image that everyone is comfortable with and is accustomed to, next he draws her naked to suggest pregnancy and lastly he paints using the context of Leonardo da Vinci’s medical drawings, showing her organs and the foetus. This is Morimura’s original idea, but it was produced using a well-known figure.


Now this image was shown during the lecture and it  seemed vaguely familiar to me and this is because it’s a more modern interpretation of a piece that was created by Botticelli in 1484 by an artist called David la Chapelle in 2009.

Now as far as composition goes it is near identical to the original painting, for instance there are two main central figures of a male and female but what sets them apart from the original is that the female is represented by an African woman which is quite fitting as the piece is entitled “the rape of Africa” and depicts the woman surrounded by livestock and the white male is surrounded by weapons and resources and there are also modern construction vehicles in the background which reflects the modern time period that we are in.