For centuries, artists and artisans have produced similar work, on entirely different parts of the globe, without every having met or known each other. The have also have been inspired by work that has come before. That is how we have all those “after” paintings. For example, van Gogh’s Noon: Rest from Work (after Millet).

These shared ideas are some of the ways we have movements in art. Were all the Hudson River School painters derivative? The Impressionists? The Fauvists? Et cetera?

I suppose Jasper Johns’ flag was derivative of Childe Hassam’s flag too? Several millennia ago, Solomon wrote, “there is nothing new under the son”. So then, I suppose, by this shallow definition, all art is derivative. What a tedious observation.