Authenticity is a term that is discussed very frequently in terms of a piece of art or design being genuine and original, having “a unique existence in the place it happens to be.” (Tate, 2017). It is concerned with being trustworthy so worries about plagiarism and piracy can be put aside to experience the piece with a more open and respected view.

However, looking past the idea of people recreating fake pieces of artwork for profit, as this can be easily recognised by professionals, there is a more fine thread of authenticity in regards to influence. At what point do you consider the line between taking inspiration and not being creative/authentic yourself? This is a very grey area, as even people that are known as being some of the most interesting and unique artists today, take inspiration from other artists and their environment – even if this is only sub-consciously.

Due to the history we have documented, there is a wealth of reference material that people can take and apply to their own work. This is why you can see links between different movements as they flow into one another; even, for example, in Modernism where the influence they took was one of disregard, knowing that they didn’t want to create anything like what was already being made. This lead to a lot of interesting work, but also confusion for some as work without a basis that we understand and can relate to things we’ve already experienced can be overwhelming.

Bibliography
Tate. (2017). Authenticity – Art Term | Tate. [online] Available at: http://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/a/authenticity [Accessed 30 Oct. 2017].