File:Mungo Thomson Negative Space 2008.jpg

Installation by Mungo Thomson, Negative Space (STScI-PRC2007-41a) and Negative Space (STScI-PRC2003-24) (photographic murals, 136" x 150", 250" x 585" and 250" x 255", both 2008, Installation view, Hammer Museum). The image illustrates a key body of work by Mungo Thomson: his conceptual printed projects, which explore themes involving the periphery, the void, context, and cultural hierarchies. For this work, an installation of wall mural at the Hammer Museum, he inverted the hues and values of Hubble Telescope deep-cosmos images, transposing dark voids into works that recalled marble, psychedelia and Light and Space art worthy of aesthetic attention. These murals were publicly exhibited in prominent venues, commissioned as public works, discussed in major art journals and daily press publications.

Artist Mungo Thomson. Copyright held by the artist.

Mungo Thomson

Entire artwork

Yes. The image will not affect the commercial value of the original work or limit the copyright holder's rights or ability to distribute the original due to its low resolution and the general workings of the art market, which values the actual work of art. Because of the low resolution, illegal copies could not be made.

The image has contextual significance serving an informational and educational purpose as the primary means of illustrating a key body of work in Mungo Thomson's career, his conceptual printed projects, which include wall murals, tabloids and artist books works. These works often use methods of digital subtraction, erasure or inversion to explore notions of the periphery, the void, context, and aspects of "high" vs. "low" art. Because the article is about an artist and his art, the omission of the image would significantly limit a reader's understanding and ability to understand this key body of work, which brought Thomson continuing recognition through exhibitions in major venues, coverage by major critics and publications, and museum commissions. Thomson's work of this type and this series, as well as this specific work, are discussed in the article and by critics cited in the article.

There is no free equivalent of this or any other of this series by Mungo Thomson, so the image cannot be replaced by a free image.

The image use is minimal in that it conveys important information that a full artwork image at a limited fair-use size cannot due to the uniquely hyper-detailed nature of the work. By providing a close-up of the artist's style and imagery, it is significantly more informative for a viewer. It is also a further protection (along with the low resolution) against affecting commercial value.