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In this slide-show essay for Slate, journalist David Segal explores the sometimes blurry borders between artistic inspiration and theft. Creative license easily lends itself to heated debates, but when it comes to a camera and, say, a lusciously circular bridge in Shanghai—can one professional photographer stake his claim over the span's image? Segal doesn't assert a definitive answer, but surveys precedents set by such copyright-pushing artists as Andy Warhol, Jeff Koons, and 2 Live Crew. He also pulls out examples of photographic "appropriation" by Cindy Sherman, Richard Prince, Sherrie Levine, and Christian Patterson, among others. In the case of the much-documented Chinese bridge, he serves up four different photos by individuals appreciative of its curvy wonder and leaves you to decide for yourself how much they vary from each other.

Jan 01, 2008
Good-Bye From Yahoo! Picks - Good-bye!

Dec 31, 2007
Long Awkward Pose - smile for the camera. Keep smiling.

Dec 28, 2007
Starship Dimensions - space invaders.

Dec 27, 2007
Kiddie Records Weekly - the gang's all here.

Dec 26, 2007
Japander.com - money changes everything.

Dec 25, 2007
Scared of Santa - who is that bearded man?

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