“Good artists borrow. Great artists steal” Picasso, 1881-1973
We all get inspired by art and the sensory world around us as we should. Writers get inspired by other writers. Painters get inspired by other painters. Copying other artists can have its merit as a tool to further learning. It is also an open door to gain insights into the creative process of a particular artist whose work one admires. Many view copying as a worthwhile exercise that can help you refine your skills and technique.
There are of course degrees of “copying” from a mirror image of the original to a piece that has undergone so many layers of interpretation, it has become a completely new piece. Copying is not synonymous with getting inspired or influenced by some one else’s vision. If I may be so bold as to interpret Picasso’s quotation, I would say: immature artists copy, good artists borrow and great artists steal. I think perhaps what he meant by stealing, is that in the process of inspiration and imitation we need to indeed reinterpret and transform what has already been done with our language and our own vision.
Borrowing is not copying. Copying another artist’s painting without giving credit to the original is plagiarism. While copying can be a tool, making it a habit is not the answer. You are robbing yourself of the opportunity to develop your own creative voice.
Yvette Stenzel
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