It’s un-Australian
I don’t know whether you’ve heard about this little ‘scandal’ in the art world. It’s been floating around for over a week now, and so far I’ve managed to avoid taking the bait. I think it is a silly issue and was hoping it would all just blow over.
So did Sam Leach, I bet.
Probably Edmund Capon (Director of Art Gallery of NSW) as well, come to think of it.
Sam Leach | Proposal for Landscaped Cosmos (Winner of Wynne Prize 2010)
So, let’s play a little game called ‘spot the difference’…
Adam Pynacker | Boatmen Moored on the Shore of a Lake (17th century Dutch painting)
Since Leach was awarded the Wynne Prize the other week, for his painting above, there’s been a bit of a kerfuffle, for two reasons.
I’m sure you can guess what one of them is.
1. Quotation or Plagiarism?
That is the question.
I don’t want to state the freaking obvious but there is a rather blatant similarity between these two works. I by no means have a supreme knowledge of every painting that ever existed in the history of the universe, but I identified the reference straight away upon seeing Leach’s work.
This would indicate that a) the work Leach’s landscape is derived from is somewhat well-known, and b) the works are extremely similar.
So similar, in fact, that Leach’s work could not possibly be doing anything other than quoting the work.
I would venture that an established artist wouldn’t submit a copy of another well known painting to a prestigious art award with the hope that nobody judging the work, and subsequently, upon winning, nobody in Australia, would recognise it.
It just. Doesn’t. Make sense.
This is not plagiarism.
Leach is referencing the work, and in doing so, is using it to make some secondary point.
Also, can I just point out that the majority of people complaining about this are other contenders in the prize. Hmm, something in it for you much?
Can I also point out that the similarity between the works has been raised with the judges, and various gallery executive, and all of whom collectively shrugged with nonchalance and advised they were aware of the similarity.
See why I think this ‘issue’ is silly?
2. It’s un-Australian
Here’s the other thing.
The criteria of the Wynne prize states that the prize goes to “the best landscape painting of Australian scenery in oils or watercolours”.
Can you see the problem here? If Leach is quoting from a Dutch depiction of an Italian landscape, as Boatmen Moored is, then does Proposal for Landscaped Cosmos fit within the prize’s criteria?
Once again, this issue has been raised with the judges. Once again, nonchalant shrugging took place.
Leach argues that his landscape is ‘imagined’, and, actually, this is clear in the title. Thus, even on a most obvious level, this painting isn’t strictly speaking depicting an Australian landscape. Yet the judges went ahead and awarded the prize.
Why? Because life isn’t about being literal all the time.
Get over it.
