Appropriation:
The intentions of the brief was to change the coding of an image to create a different meaning for an already existing image and what it represents. The image could be a poster, an advertisement or a photograph etc. Changing the meaning of an image can be done in many ways, from simply cropping an image to changing the text, colourisation or using multiple images to create a collage.
For my practice image I looked into collage appropriation. I practised using iconic adverts and artworks from different movements and eras, firstly using post impressionist Vincent Van Gogh’s – Starry Night, I also used popular wartime propaganda poster by J.Howard Miller, surrealist art “The son of man” – Rene Magritte, Afghan Girl a portrait by journalist Steve McCurry and a 1970’s iconic sexist advert for Weyenberg Massagic shoes featured in Playboy magazine, I believe the collage made for an interesting image and was inspired by the work of Richard Hamilton with his 1956 collage “Just What Is It that Makes Today’s Homes So Different, So Appealing?”.
“Just What Is It that Makes Today’s Homes So Different, So Appealing?”:
My edit:
For my first image I decided to alter the advert for a cigarette brand “Chesterfield King” which in the original image had a message that was encouraging and promoting smoking, the advert was created before the health risks of smoking were known to the full extent. I manipulated the image using Photoshop by changing the text to show the negative effects of smoking and cropped and added an image overlay of a skull I did this because a connotation of a skull is death and hopefully the audience will see that link between the skull and death and this should clearly portray the message I was trying to show, that smoking kills.
I had many influences for my appropriation brief but during my research my most useful research was into the work of Richard Prince, his process first consisted of finding adverts and changing them in order to create his own composition of art, he is most famous for his work in 1980 which manipulated the cigarette advert Marlboro man. Prince produced this type of work by cropping and often rephotographing in order to completely take away the message of the original image and what the image stands for (promotion/advertisements).
This influenced me to also appropriate a smoking advert but by completely twisting the message of the advert instead of getting rid of the message altogether, for this I chose a Chesterfield King advert which encouraged audiences to smoke by using the text “Tastes Great because the tobaccos are” but by using Photoshop tools, text boxes and overlays I was able to present a negative message on smoking.
For my second appropriation brief I edited a poster from Propaganda magazine, the original image was dark and created and promoted Satanic Ritual Abuse by showing dark and satanic ideology , for example their title “The Sacrifice” is often linked to evil and connotes the devil or demons, as it often means the killing of a person in order to please the Devil. By cropping the image to cut out Propaganda magazine text, changing the text for the title and by overlaying symbolic images that connote Christianity and the religious rite of baptism on Photoshop I was able to completely change what the original image represented. I chose this religion over others as Propaganda is an American magazine and after the research process I found that most Americans identify as “Christian” so I believed it would be the most suitable for my work. Another influence to my work was Sherrie Levine, who in the 1980’s had a project named “After Walker Evans” which was a series of images were Levine rephotographed the work of Walker Evan’s and claimed it as her own work, similar to Richard Prince methods.
Sherrie Levine’s – After Walker Evans
My edit:
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