August 7, 2006....I did a series of beads awhile ago that were a HOMAGE to certain artists. The goal in creating the beads were to look like the artist's work. I've posted my homage to Picasso which is very recognizable as Picasso - that's was the point. I don't say I came up with the artwork, the image - it's a tribute to the artist. I really love the paintings that Picasso did of this woman - she's so languid - I can feel the adoration he might have felt for her coming through the painting. So, I entitled it Picasso's Amour. I wanted to be out there with where the image came from.
There's nothing that gets some people more red in the face than these beads! I'm sure it was the subject of a long, sharply critical thread on one of the glass boards when I posted a picture of it there. I only scanned a few of the posts because I could feel the anger.
It never occurred to me that someone might think it was improper. It was a homage, a tribute. The image on the bead was supposed to look like Picasso paintings. If you recognized the style, the name - then you were a Picasso admirer like me.
I love these beads so much and are so excited to show them that I put one or two of the homage beads out at a bead show - one person picked it up and looked at me and said - this is Picasso! I said yes it is! (with a smile on my face - I thought she understood it! - Fellow Picasso lovers! Wrong!) She grumbled under her breath about copyright infringement - huffed and walked away.
Interesting.
The point was to look like Picasso - it was obvious to her - so does that mean I copied or achieved my goal?
Well, it matters not how everyone else feels about the bead. In the end, it's how I feel about them. I love them. I love Picasso's paintings in this style. I'd be happy to send a percentage of the money from the sale of the homage beads to the estate of Picasso but I don't sell the beads - selling isn't the reason I make glass in the first place. I've just given this one away but the rest I'll keep in my private collection - just more for me!
2 comments:
Tributes are done all the time. They are always controversial no matter the medium or the subject. There are different ways to look at one object, and that is the ideology behind art. I don't think you "copied" him. I'm amazed you were able to make such a small piece of artwork. I'm sorry you received some verbal bashing for your work.
The criticism hasn't made me stop creating the painted beads - I continue to put small paintings in beads but just not this particular image. The artwork is approximately a 1/2 inch high - it is small. I sometimes put a small part of my son's drawings onto a bead. I love it when I can wear a small painting around my neck!
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