Great Artists Steal

Debra N. Mancoff received her doctorate in Art History from northwestern University and taught at the Art institute of Chicago. She is currently a Scholar in Residence at the Newberry library in Chicago. She writes for The Art Quarterly, The Royal Academy Magazine and The Art Newspaper and is the author of numerous books on European and American art and culture.

• Introduction: How Artists Really Get Their IdeasTraditionsSHIVA'S ETERNAL DANCEHow centuries of Hindu history have informed the Shiva NatarajaTHE HUMAN IN THE DIVINEHow Lippi drew upon 1,000 years of depicting the Madonna and ChildCLOSE-UP COPYHow Courbet mirrored Rembrandt's self-portraitsLIGHT EFFECTSHow Whistler looked to the Edo era to light his nocturnal scenesMIRRORING TRADITIONHow Monir merged ancient aesthetics with contemporary expressionLearning CurveHANDS ON TRAININGHow Verrocchio’s Baptism of Christ had a helping hand from da VinciATMOSPHERIC IMPRESSIONSHow Monet learned to paint the air from TurnerTHE HEROIC LABOURERHow Van Gogh made Millet’s The Sower his ownWATCH & LEARNHow Hoschedé-Monet adapted Monet’s en plein air painting to her own styleCreative ExchangeWHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN BUILTHow Raphael realized Bramante’s grand design for St Peter’s BasilicaPASSING THE TORCHHow Caravaggio’s dramatic use of light inspired generationsA NEW VIEWHow Masanobu Modernized Perspective in the Ukiyo-e PrintSIDE BY SIDEHow painting partners Monet and Renoir borrowed the same scene with different points of viewINSPIRED ADAPTATIONHow Cassatt was inspired by Japanese colour block printingLITTLE CABINET OF STEALSHow Rauschenberg combined found objects and purpose-made artInfluence & InnovationBODY LANGUAGEHow Michelangelo’s Adam embodied the classical ideal of ancient sculpturesHONOURING TRADITION BY BREAKING THE RULESHow Manet interpreted Renaissance open-air gatherings for modern timesLOOKING THROUGH A DIFFERENT LENSHow Degas’ spatial dynamism was inspired by the nascent age of photographySHIFTING SENSATIONSHow Steer updated Constable's naturalismTHE MASTER THIEFHow Picasso's Les Demoiselles d’Avignon borrowed from CézanneI TAUGHT JACK THATHow Pollock learnt rhythm and flow from BentonMeaningful ConnectionsAN ANCIENT POSE FOR A CONTEMPORARY CELEBRITYHow Reynolds invoked the classical beauty of Leochares’ Apollo BelvedereA MODEL FOR MARTYRDOMHow Goya reinterpreted an iconic image of sacrificeTHE ATMOSPHERE IN THE ROOMHow Chase mirrored Velázquez’s Las Meninas in his family portraitREORIENTING THE GAZEHow Sleigh turned Ingres’ Turkish Bath from fantasy to realityPICTURE WITHIN A PICTUREHow Lichtenstein paid homage to MatisseCINEMATIC SUGGESTIONHow Sherman reimagined the B-movie heroineHYBRID INFLUENCESHow Shonibare transformed Raeburn’s sombre figure with west African fashionTransformationSTEALING SWAGGERHow Sargent was inspired by Van Dyck’s portraits to give his sitters styleGROUNDING THE GODDESSHow Modigliani looked to the Old Masters’ depictions of the female formSTEALING A SCHOOLBOY'S PRANKHow Duchamp made his mark on the Mona LisaRECOVERY & RECLAMATIONHow Stout summoned ancestral authorityRIGHTEOUS RIDERHow Kehinde Wiley modernized the equestrian monumentA PROCESSION FOR OUR TIMEHow Dagvasambuu adapted the traditional procession motifEndnotesFurther ReadingIndexCreditsAcknowledgements & Author Biography