Artistic Ideas

Different channels are used for intellectual property protection in commercial and legal domains. Historically, copyright has been used to protect works of art. You can't make a copy of an art work without permission. However, it's usually okay to take a photo of a status, or draw a model, even if the same person has been used by another artist with same clothes in same gesture.

Artist who made the iconic campaign poster of Senator Obama lost in a case when AP complained an AP picture was used to produce the poster. However, he lost because 1) the Black&Red poster was actually produced in Photoshop with the original AP photo; 2) he lied about it in the early stage of the trail.

Usually When an art work is found similar to another one, unless it's an exact copy, there's not much to say or to do. One well accepted principle is that you can't 'patent' an idea or a thought. The successfulness of an art piece is determined by the target, the method and the execution.

Love the Future

Ai was disappeared three days ago, but the art world across the world has been by and large silence on his disappearance.

Individual artists, collectively as the world art community, dreams of a tap from the communist regime for the next propaganda project. Luxury buildings and art shows are important channels for the government to build their own fortune. Every artist wants to have a share in this last carnival. Mainstream Chinese artists are happy to see him punished. Ai made most Chinese artists personal enemy when he scolded them on abusing profession and lack of moral judgment.

At this time, nobody knows his whereabout. He was last seen letting away by two officials right before boarding a plane to Hong Kong at the Beijing International Airport. His two assistants were also stopped at the checkpoint but later allowed to continue the trip. So far no agency had claimed responsible.

An Artistic Rendition of A Historic Moment

On the right is an artistic rendition of a historic moment when the Chinese President Hu Jintao met Premier Wen Jiabao at a Sichuan airport. Wen had been working non-stop for a week in the devastated disaster area on rescue and relief operations.

In the picture captured by a Xinhua News Agency reporter Ju Peng, the encounter looks like an emperor greets his general on a victory triumph. In the officially released oil painting, however, Wen looks like an old servant facing his master. One question is which edition is closer to the truth, but it is overshadowed by the fact that self-censorship is working any where, any time.