The Crime of Plagiarism

 

 This is a beautiful piece of artwork. I love the expression of the woman, and the surrealistic details of the hair add so much interest. The artist is Carine Ma, a multimedia designer who has a background in both traditional art and multimedia design. Her work can be seen at Caramel Ink or here.

I found this piece about a year ago online while looking through Photoshop tutorials. I never attempted the tutorial, but found inspiration in it and copied the image to my flashdrive into a folder where I keep images that inspire me. I never intended to copy this in any way, but I look through that folder whenever I need inspiration. I really liked the idea and concept of it, and I was wanting to create a self portrait with a similar idea, but my own concept and artwork.

I'm bringing this up because yesterday at the Scholastics Regional Art Show in Springfield, I saw this image hanging amongst the other artwork that received awards or honorable mentions. It wasn't just a similar image either - it was the exact same thing, but submitted as student artwork. At first I gave this student the benefit of the doubt - maybe they followed this tutorial and made it with their own image and unique style, but upon further observation, it was definitely the same exact design. I believe it's even the same face. I looks as if this person simply copied the final piece and printed it with their name on it. 

Whatever the case is, I feel as if this work should not have earned the student recognition. If the student did indeed use the tutorial and create her own replica of it, it still is not her concept, idea, or design behind the artwork. It's Carine Ma's. So this student should not be able to take recognition, even if she did follow the steps, she used all the same images - the face, flower, trees, birds, and paint splatters. She copied the work exactly. She plagiarized the idea, concept, and design. 

It makes me so angry that someone would simply copy another artist's work and put their own name on it. Winning recognition for it only worsens the situation. I'm sure the real artist of this piece would feel the same way. It's so unsatisfying to have people copy work that you have done in order for them to receive recognition for it. I've had situations where I've just told someone about an idea I have and they go take credit for it later on, or where someone will copy a similar concept and idea that I used into their next piece,  and even just those situations make me upset, so I cannot even imagine how it would feel if someone made a replica of my art and put their name on it. I cannot even imagine how someone would steal artwork like that and receive recognition - i would feel so guilty. 

All in all, I completely understand why plagiarism is such a problem in the art world. It is such and awful thing, and I cannot comprehend what would make someone do something so pitiful.  

Disclaimer: I do not know the name of the student that submitted the artwork, and it could very well have been Carine Ma, and if that was the case, I am very sincerely sorry. BUT - I do know that this art show was a junior high and high school show, and that Carine Ma has been doing professional multimedia design for 6 years, and works for a design company, Caramel Ink. She also publishes tutorials online. It is very unlikely that she is the high school student who submitted this work.