Art Appreciation Report: Exploring Richard Prince's Artistic Influence

This report delves into the art of Richard Prince, examining his appropriation techniques and artistic influences. The paper explores how Prince reinterprets existing images and ideas, drawing inspiration from popular culture and advertising. It highlights his approach to creating new art through borrowing, sampling, and copying. The report discusses his influences, including Sherrie Levine, Andy Warhol, and Jeff Koons, and analyzes his 'Cowboy' series. The work focuses on the concept of originality and authenticity in art, and how Prince uses new media platforms like Instagram to present his work. The report concludes by emphasizing the importance of understanding an artist's context when appreciating their work.

Running head: ART APPRECIATION
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Name of the student
Name of the university
Author note

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The aim of the paper has been to develop an understanding one of the artists and his
approach to the artworks. The chosen artist for the discussion is Richard Prince, the
American painter born in 1949(Halle, 2017). He is not only the painter; he is also an expert
in photography. He mentions in one of the discussions that “it would be strange for me to
think in being ripped off, because that’s what I do”. Positioning myself on his shoes, I find it
important to understand that it is quite crucial to make name for oneself is important which
might take different course of action for everyone. It is also important to understand that the
approach should be one that the provokes the common imagination(Rosenthal, 2015). Prince
has utilised the stereotyping of the common media and advertising in a way which has
reproduced the older ideas in new way. His influence in this regard has been the work of the
previous artists who have also questioned the ways popular imagination is captured and
manipulated(Heymann, 2018). The aim behind this is the driving force that creates new work
with the appropriation technique that is based on the borrowing, sampling or copying the
work of others in order to reproduce the work in a different way. Through the statement, it is
clear that it is his intention to rip off the original idea in order to influx something new in
it(Adler, 2015). The approach for him has been to focus on the creating the new out of the
already created old ideas are the basis of his expressing the self. His approach has been to
create what is known as the appropriation art. The aim behind the creation of the
appropriation art is to present the idea of new creativity in the context of the instilling new
ideas(Heymann, 2018). The ways of expression for the same has been to develop a
reconceptualisation of the previous artworks for the purpose of creating the distinction
between the low and higher art(Rosenthal, 2015). However the ways of expression and the
presentation has been highly controversial in number of ways. One of his expressions has
been the work of “ cowboy” that is the process of demystifying the old marketing of the
advertisement having the deeper meaning to it(Schuler, 2016). It is important argue at this

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juncture that the idea of appropriation has its genesis in the attempt of creating a name for
the same. As an artists, my influences from the point of view of the artist would have been
the recreating the old in a new concept. The influence has been the “re-photograph” the old in
a new manner and approach is to present to a original new works. The approach for him has
been to target the popular culture, the entertainment industry and the portrayal of the things; it
is based on the understanding of the representation of the reality as it is. In addition to this, it
is important to note that the ideas of authenticity and originality have not been given that
much of an importance due to the fact that so long the ides are original, the matter does not
matter(Schuler, 2016). Some of the expressionists that have influenced him are Sherrie
Levine, Andy Warhol, and Jeff Koons(Rosenthal, 2015). For him, the aim has always
been working with the new media and projecting it to the new platforms like the Instagram.
Resemblance of the old form of advertisement with the new work of art by Prince is the
reason which has drawn his opinion and attention(Rosenthal, 2015). Hence it is to be argued
that there is a different approach altogether in every work of art, what it requires is the
understanding that everyone’s context is different and it is important to develop the o
understanding by relating them to that level.

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Reference
Adler, Amy. "Fair use and the future of art." NYUL Rev. 91 (2016): 559.
Halle, Mathilde. "R. Prince's New Portraits-The Art of Fair Use." Chi.-Kent J. Intell. Prop. 17
(2017): 322.
Heymann, Laura A. "Reasonable Appropriation and Reader Response." UC Irvine L. Rev. 9
(2018): 343.
Rosenthal, Shoshana. "A Critique of the Reasonable Observer: Why Fair Use Fails to Protect
Appropriation Art." Colo. Tech. LJ 13 (2015): 445.
Schuler, Anna. "Insta-Appropriation: Finding Boundaries for the Second Circuit's Fair Use
Doctrine after Campbell." Fordham L. Rev. 85 (2016): 367.