Art in the public domain

[SonOfTheExiles]

I was wondering, is art subject to the same pre-1922, 70 years, etc, rules as the written word?

I've just started a new solo on Australian exploration, and it occurred to me that there are some splendid artworks, all pre-1922, that would make great "bookcovers" for recordings. Frederick McCubbin's (1855-1917) in particular spring to mind.

A Bush Burial: http://www.cv.vic.gov.au/existingmedia/14577/IMAGE2_FrederickMcCubbin_ABushBurial.jpg

On The Wallaby Track: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b5/Frederick_McCubbin_-_On_the_wallaby_track_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg

The Pioneer: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a8/Frederick_McCubbin_-_The_pioneer_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg/1280px-Frederick_McCubbin_-_The_pioneer_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg

Lost: http://www.the-athenaeum.org/art/display_image.php?id=168244

This last one. of a child lost in the Bush, has been a staple of Australian art since the year dot. Perhaps it speaks to us because who, as a youngster, was not lost, or at least momentarily thought themselves lost, at some stage?


Regards,
SOTE

[SweetPea]

Hi there!
Yep, that's right, so any art for your CD cover should be either published before 1923 OR been released into the public domain by its' creator. Since you're in Australia, you might also want to make sure the artist died before 1955.

Those pictures all look good! If you go here: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Frederick_McCubbin_-_On_the_wallaby_track_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg or here: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Frederick_McCubbin_-_The_pioneer_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg and scroll down you can see that both of those pictures are PD in the US and Australia. A Bush Burial appears to be PD too (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Frederick_McCubbin_-_A_Bush_Burial,_1890.jpg). I can't find out when Lost was published, but if it was before 1923 (which I assume it was, seeing as the artist died in 1917) that one's fine too!