before there was Ai

[Bongo]

before there were things like ai and nfts to steal artwork without credit or compensation, there was Roy Lichtenstein doing it the old fashion way. Thanks to Dave Barsalou you can now see the 85 original works next to insets of Lichtenstein's for comparison. Scroll down for credits and bios of each artist that was ripped off.

https://flic.kr/p/yas2k

Disclaimer - I'm a big fan of Lichenstein's work, but that doesn't make IMO what he did right. seeing his work alongside the originals however IMO the originals are way superior - especially in terms of palette. of course, the difference in scale is what made Lichtenstein work stand out. I would love to see the originals blown up to wall size.

 

[Artyczar]

Thanks for this Bongo!

 

[Martin C]

Thanks for posting this. Here's an interesting documentary on Lichtenstein (interviewed by Melvyn Bragg) I saw a while back where he explains some of his processes:

; it also goes into the copying side to some extent.

 

[Bongo]

Lichtenstein is a hero of mine, and I think his work IS art and genius... completely transforms our relationship with the source material.
But when the new work is so recognizable to the source material - and the source is copyrighted artwork - and generating millions of dollars of profit - there is a moral if not legal obligation to recognize the original artist.

The mystery for me is that to my knowledge no one ever challenged him in court.

 

[stlukesguild]

Lichtenstein wisely chose to steal his imagery from cheap pulp Romance and War comics published without any real concern for copyright or art. He avoided using any imagery from DC or Marvel comics let alone Disney who all had deep pockets and were more than willing to sue to protect their imagery.

 

[Bongo]

Yes. But it was still copyrighted material and the could have been sued. If you remember Dick Cavett a 60's-70's talk show host -- Lichtenstein voice and cadence sounds just like him. Even looks something like him.

Earliest influences on me would be Lichtenstein and Laszlo Moholy-Nagy

 

[Bartc]

Frankly, I always thought Lichtenstein's "art" was kind of stupid. Just a personal opinion. But the theft was unconscionable.