File:Mungo Thomson June 14, 2004 2012.jpg

Painting by Mungo Thomson, June 14, 2004 (Ronald Reagan 1911-2004) (enamel on low-iron mirror, poplar and anodized aluminum, 74" x 56" x 2.5", 2012, installation view, SITE Santa Fe). The image illustrates a key body of work by Mungo Thomson: his time-related archive works, which examine vanishing or nearly vanishing tools and forms, cultural change and consequently loss. This image depicts an image of his mirrored TIME series (2012– ), which positioned viewers as subjects, their reflections caught inside life-sized mirrors silkscreened with only the periodical's red-bordered cover frame and masthead from specially chosen issues. The mirrors reflected one another, generating a hall-of-mirrors effect and a slightly wavy funhouse quality that suggested a commentary on vanity, fame and mortality. These wall sculptures were publicly exhibited in prominent venues, commissioned by art institutions, and 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 time-related archive works, which build in an additive fashion from various discrete parts (book pages, magazine covers, rolodex cards, etc.). These works often map and retrospect vanishing or nearly vanishing tools and forms, many iconic, through the repetition of changing images or forms. They register not only movement through time but also cultural change—and consequently loss—as objects, styles and technologies become unfashionable or obsolete. 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.