Richard Prince’s Instagram paintings question what it means for art to be original. 37 of his New Portraits are on display at the Gagosian Gallery on Madison Avenue. Each image is a snapshot of either a stranger or a celebrity’s Instagram page blown up on canvases that are six feet by four feet. Prince searches Instagram, finds photos, comments on them, screenshots them, and calls it art.
As a four-year photography student, I am annoyed by the small role he plays in the creation of “his” work. Someone else is making the picture for him; all he is doing is commenting nonsensical phrases or flirty emojis and claiming it to be his own.
In my photography projects, I spend a lot of time coming up with a concept, visualizing the image, leaving my house, taking the photographs, and editing them to fit the theme. To me, Prince’s work seems too simple and less original. Several people have credited him for his work or rather someone else’s work.
Last year in Photography, Ms. Dore prompted the class with the question, “What is photography?” I interpreted this as everyone posting “photography” on social networking sites, like Instagram, and thinking they are fine art photographers. The art of photography is so much more than “artsy” scenery pics of the New York City skyline. Yes, those are aesthetically pleasing, but they don’t have meaningful messages, which in some sense gives photography the power it instills in people.
I am very picky with what I believe is true art. In our class, we have learned to represent layers of messages through our work, and I don’t view an image without an ounce of meaning to be called artwork.
So, in response to Ms. Dore’s prompt, I photographed Addie Dubov ’15 as the classic phased “Instagramer.” I photographed her taking pictures of fro-yo, of scenery, and a pile of homework, and using her iPhone. The point was to show the ridiculous matters in which people try to capture that perfect “‘gram.”
Above, is a clear example of my message. Addie is trying to Instagram a tree in Central Park, so she is bending under the tree to get the best angle to appeal to her followers.
I put each of my photographs into an Instagram format with a username that I created to go along with the theme. Underneath each photo, I wrote a social critique for the caption.
When I came across Richard Prince’s works, I immediately thought, “Wow. This is so similar to my project from last year.” However, when I went to the gallery and saw the work for myself, I realized how different our projects really were while they both criticize this generation’s reliance on social media to present every aspect of their lives, even the most random and the most intimate.
Because he snapshots public images without the owner’s permission, his works have resulted in critics calling Prince a “creepy pervert.” One of his snapshots is of a girl lying on a gynecologist table, while others are of semi-naked women. His comments are not easily understood and seem to have sexual connotations, which give people the impression that Prince is like an online sexual predator.
Many people feel the same way as I do – irritated by how much fame his work is gaining, but others applaud him for his creativity. So, I recommend you head over to the Gagosian and decide for yourself if you think his work should be considered as fine art.