Let's go Gaga

'...at what point does homage become theft?' asks Camille Paglia recently in her scathing article about Lady Gaga in The Sunday Times Style Magazine. An interesting question and one I have been pondering ever since. What is an acceptable amount of 'influence' on a piece of work? It is deemed acceptable that we have been encouraged all the way through art school to contextualise your own work through the similarities of other artists and it is human nature to group things together to make sense of it all (think Spotify's related artists link) but when does this border over into blatently copying someone else's work?


I recently came across a fascinating site called You Thought We Wouldn't Notice (see here) where individuals are invited to post comments about their work and the plagiarised efforts of others who clearly couldn't think of their own ideas. It' s a compelling view. I must have been on there for about 3 hours looking through the lists and comments. On there are some repeat offenders who have no shame about ripping off the ideas of others and worst still claim they have done nothing wrong. However to quote Picasso (yes your favourite Andy, you don't have to tell us again) 'Good artists copy. Bad artists steal.' I think the problem here is when people don't even acknowledge someone as an inspiration or do really poor replicas that do others no justice, causing hurt and offence. That is awful and can cannot be condoned.


In reference to Gaga, as much as I am not a fan of her work and would never buy her music, I cannot deny her massive popularity and I don't disrespect her for that. Furthermore is it really worthwhile to expend such an unhealthy amount of time offering negative opinions about other people's artistic merit and their authentic validity? Is our time better spent trying to develop our own forward thinking outlooks as true creative individuals? At least she is someone who acknowledges her sources as obvious as they may be. One of them being Warhol..... Warhol copied tins of soup and is one of the most famous artists America has ever had.
At times I have found myself disenchanted with the art world and the true meaning of art. Commercial success and any connection with the masses equates to puerile subsistence so we are lead to believe. It is deemed about as satisfying emotionally as a Big Mac meal with no fries. Does that mean we have to stay impoverished to continue to be a true artist? To quote J.K Rowling 'poverty is romanticised by fools'.
Gaga reflects the essence of our times, where everything is easily accessible, superficial and instant. A Pot Noodle of music. A time where we are sold fame and fortune and actively encouraged to take the short cut route thanks to people like Simon Cowell. Only real genuine talent can be cultivated over a long period of time, through personal experience and a sincere reflection of an ongoing journey. The banality of everyday life is what always strikes a cord, how you perceive things ultimately and how you connect with that will always shine through. I love looking at the work of others and and I will always enjoy art of arts sake. I will always have the internal struggle. It is that despair that drives me and is my worst and best friend. Anouska