Great Artists Steal

To paraphrase Picasso: the good borrow, but the truly great artists steal. The great masters of art earned their reputation for supposedly taking art in entirely new directions – for pioneering new techniques, breaking with tradition and busting norms – but behind almost every famous artwork you can find influence and inspiration artfully ‘stolen’ from elsewhere. Great Artists Steal takes 40 groundbreaking artworks throughout history and shows how in truth they have their roots firmly in the past or in other works. Andy Warhol was famously obsessed with repurposing and repeating famous images from across history, while visual motifs that originated thousands of years ago are still repeated in contemporary art today. Where does ‘stealing’ begin and copying end, and how do ideas, influence and creativity travel across different generations of artists and artworks? From the accidental to the purposeful, the innocent to the malicious, Great Artists Steal looks at all the ways famous artists have begged and borrowed their way to greatness. Whether you’re an art student, enthusiast or novice, this book will provide you with a new perspective on the history of art, and tell some fascinating stories along the way.

Debra N. Mancoff received her doctorate in Art History from northwestern University and taught at the Art institute of Chicago. She is currently a Scholar in Residence at the Newberry library in Chicago. She writes for The Art Quarterly, The Royal Academy Magazine and The Art Newspaper and is the author of numerous books on European and American art and culture.

Introduction: How Artists Really Get Their Ideas Traditions SHIVA'S ETERNAL DANCE How centuries of Hindu history have informed the Shiva Nataraja THE HUMAN IN THE DIVINE How Lippi drew upon 1,000 years of depicting the Madonna and Child CLOSE-UP COPY How Courbet mirrored Rembrandt's self-portraits LIGHT EFFECTS How Whistler looked to the Edo era to light his nocturnal scenes MIRRORING TRADITION How Monir merged ancient aesthetics with contemporary expression Learning Curve HANDS ON TRAINING How Verrocchio’s Baptism of Christ had a helping hand from da Vinci ATMOSPHERIC IMPRESSIONS How Monet learned to paint the air from Turner THE HEROIC LABOURER How Van Gogh made Millet’s The Sower his own WATCH & LEARN How Hoschedé-Monet adapted Monet’s en plein air painting to her own style Creative Exchange WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN BUILT How Raphael realized Bramante’s grand design for St Peter’s Basilica PASSING THE TORCH How Caravaggio’s dramatic use of light inspired generations A NEW VIEW How Masanobu Modernized Perspective in the Ukiyo-e Print SIDE BY SIDE How painting partners Monet and Renoir borrowed the same scene with different points of view INSPIRED ADAPTATION How Cassatt was inspired by Japanese colour block printing LITTLE CABINET OF STEALS How Rauschenberg combined found objects and purpose-made art Influence & Innovation BODY LANGUAGE How Michelangelo’s Adam embodied the classical ideal of ancient sculptures HONOURING TRADITION BY BREAKING THE RULES How Manet interpreted Renaissance open-air gatherings for modern times LOOKING THROUGH A DIFFERENT LENS How Degas’ spatial dynamism was inspired by the nascent age of photography SHIFTING SENSATIONS How Steer updated Constable's naturalism THE MASTER THIEF How Picasso's Les Demoiselles d’Avignon borrowed from Cézanne I TAUGHT JACK THAT How Pollock learnt rhythm and flow from Benton Meaningful Connections AN ANCIENT POSE FOR A CONTEMPORARY CELEBRITY How Reynolds invoked the classical beauty of Leochares’ Apollo Belvedere A MODEL FOR MARTYRDOM How Goya reinterpreted an iconic image of sacrifice THE ATMOSPHERE IN THE ROOM How Chase mirrored Velázquez’s Las Meninas in his family portrait REORIENTING THE GAZE How Sleigh turned Ingres’ Turkish Bath from fantasy to reality PICTURE WITHIN A PICTURE How Lichtenstein paid homage to Matisse CINEMATIC SUGGESTION How Sherman reimagined the B-movie heroine HYBRID INFLUENCES How Shonibare transformed Raeburn’s sombre figure with west African fashion Transformation STEALING SWAGGER How Sargent was inspired by Van Dyck’s portraits to give his sitters style GROUNDING THE GODDESS How Modigliani looked to the Old Masters’ depictions of the female form STEALING A SCHOOLBOY'S PRANK How Duchamp made his mark on the Mona Lisa RECOVERY & RECLAMATION How Stout summoned ancestral authority RIGHTEOUS RIDER How Kehinde Wiley modernized the equestrian monument A PROCESSION FOR OUR TIME How Dagvasambuu adapted the traditional procession motif Endnotes Further Reading Index Credits Acknowledgements & Author Biography