First it was his lyrics, then his memoir, now it's his paintings. Bob Dylan's artistic expression is once again being scrutinized for improperly attributing his source material. A recent New York Times story details the debate surrounding the legendary songwriter's new exhibition of paintings at the Gagosian Gallery in Manhattan.
The exhibition, "The Asia Series," has been advertised as Dylan paintings that chronicle the troubadour's travels through various Asian countries. But according to the Times, "some fans and Dylanologists have raised questions about whether some of these paintings are based on Mr. Dylan's own experiences and observations, or on photographs that are widely available and that he did not take."
Dylan fan sites have been busy discussing the merits of the work. Is it plagiarism or just homage? The Times piece featured a Dylan painting that looks almost identical to a Henri Cartier-Bresson photograph.
The Times notes, however, that Dylan did say in a recent interview that his paintings come from various sources: "I paint mostly from real life. It has to start with that. Real people, real street scenes, behind the curtain scenes, live models, paintings, photographs, staged setups, architecture, grids, graphic design. Whatever it takes to make it work. What I'm trying to bring out in complex scenes, landscapes, or personality clashes, I do it in a lot of different ways. I have the cause and effect in mind from the beginning to the end. But it has to start with something tangible."
View the Dylan paintings here.
Read the New York Times story here.
(Above photo by Jeff Wheeler)
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