I think most of us have heard about this gentleman and his stealing of photos to create the iconic "HOPE" poster for the first Obama campaign. I'm not even going to mention his name. I am strongly against stealing another's work and claiming it for you own for any reason and won't give him more publicity here.
http://www.cincinnatibell.net/news/read.php?rip_id=%3CDA152UOG2%40news.ap.org%3E&ps=1011
What do you think?
Was the punishment enough?
My only nitpick is that we Americans have notoriously bad memories, and in a year or two (or less) we'll forget what he did wrong because he'll be off making another million or so on the next thing he steals. Perhaps he should be banned from creating any artwork for 5 years (and definitely from selling anything for that long).
He has great networking skills but has no artistic skills other than posterizing a photograph. But there are too many honest, hardworking and struggling artists in the world who don't get 1/4 of the attention this guy has gotten - let's promote them instead!
http://www.cincinnatibell.net/news/read.php?rip_id=%3CDA152UOG2%40news.ap.org%3E&ps=1011
What do you think?
Was the punishment enough?
My only nitpick is that we Americans have notoriously bad memories, and in a year or two (or less) we'll forget what he did wrong because he'll be off making another million or so on the next thing he steals. Perhaps he should be banned from creating any artwork for 5 years (and definitely from selling anything for that long).
He has great networking skills but has no artistic skills other than posterizing a photograph. But there are too many honest, hardworking and struggling artists in the world who don't get 1/4 of the attention this guy has gotten - let's promote them instead!
Long Live Original Art!
5 comments:
Dear Rhonda,
Thank you very much! Me, too, want to shout, "There are too many honest, hardworking and struggling artists in the world who don't get 1/4 of the attention this guy has gotten - let's promote them instead!"
Best wishes, Sadami
I think the stealing is not big deal until money is involved. So when you use other people artworks to please your friends, or copy some artwork for learning or trying to look interesting and talented for somebody, it is OK. People are weak and imperfect, so why not. But as soon as this activity leads to commerce and market it should be punished.
And I still do not know how to react when they steal the ideas, method of execution - clever stealing without obvious copying, which we see often in many situations.
If you are ever in doubt about whether something is right or not, it's usually wrong. We can all study and copy master works or works from teachers or books or DVDs - as long as it's just a copy for learning and study and never ever put someone else's work in a show as my own or enter a competition or even share it online as my own - giving credit where credit is due. As I did with David Lobenberg's DVD photo - it was his photo and his composition and teaching that got me to my version - but it's all his except for my application of the paint (which was based on his DVD instruction).
I think, when you talk about receiving thousands of dollars, greed gets the better or some people and this theft made tons of $ for him via the poster and everything else he had printed from it (which was just a posterized photo from an AP Photographer who got no credit and certainly none of his $ from it).
Interesting article, Rhonda! I hadn't heard about this at all...Must pull head out of sand.
Sherry, I read about it a long time ago and thought it would never get to a court decision. He's made a million or more in the meantime :(
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