Pablo Picasso once famously remaked that 'good artists copy; great artists steal'. T.S Eliot also quipped that 'good writers borrow, great writers steal.' Today we celebrate both as harbingers of originality , of pushing their respective forms to new frontiers and changing the landscape forever. David Hume wrote that 'beauty in things exists merely in the mind which contemplates them.' So what does it all mean? What determines this idea of legitimate/good/beautiful? As we have moved into the 21st century it seems that more and more 'works of art' or 'important art' can be shown to clearly derive from a previous work or works. It's as if the well of inspiration, as opposed to deepening, is merely widening, and that nods to past inspirations are almost intentionally placed for all to see. The notion that all art is derivative is in fact an obvious statement and one that essentially all artists will freely admit. For as we've rema...