Project 1- Portrait
Exhibition Text
I want to explore new ideas within my theme that still reflects of me showing variations of culture I am associated with in my daily life. So, for my first project this year I wanted to try a more detailed piece. While having the idea of an aesthetic portrait that performs the repetition of style through time. Not only the movement of the piece, but the accessories on the girl's face, which portrays the childlike sensibility. My inspiration Thomas Eakins and Leland Bell both created portraits of women that agree to provide a mood to the viewer. Which is what I wanted to exploit in my piece.
Artistic Inspiration
Thomas Eakins
The Artist's Wife and His Setter Dog (1884-89)
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Thomas Eakins was a American painter, photographer and teacher who focused on the movements of Realism and Early American Modernism. Eakins was considered a realist artist because of his focus on anatomical preciseness. The artist was attracted to the truthfulness of the body and had a passion for the study of figure. I had felt inspired by the movement that Eakins provides in his piece "The Artist's Wife and His Setter Dog (1884-89)." As analyzing the portrait I love the way he captures the slouch of the shoulders and the peaceful hold of the book. Although it has been said that Eakins would perform these portraits and would take multiple hours to finish because of his desire to create the piece as realistic as possible. Which is the way I wanted my piece to come out to be. To have a set mood of desire and relaxation, but holding every element of the human face to show.
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Leland Bell
Temma in Orange Dress (1975)
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On the contrary Leland Bell used movement of the body to focus on rather than every single element of the piece as a whole. Bell showed every shadow and light that came through to illuminate geometric shapes of the furniture and surrounding architectural frame. Bell was a post-war American painter, musician and instructor, defied categorization, creating works that were simultaneously classical, abstract, and representational. His style is considered very employed with strong outlines, bold sections of color, and an engaging dynamism. I had felt compelled by the way Bell captured these women for not every detail, but the mood he set for each portrait. I was inspired to create a soft childlike mood for my piece to counteract with the strong features of the young woman.
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Reference
leahvelen Instagram photograph (2018)
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Photograph of leahvelen that was used to convert it to a portrait painting. In this photograph I feel as if the piece had childlike actions. For an example the gaze towards above and almost an awe to would could be happening, yet is left out for curiosity. The accessories only add to that concept with the jewel stickers and clip within the hair. I wanted to recreate the photograph into a portrait painting because I wanted to challenge myself to not only incorporate the Realism movement, but showing how we can identify ourselves through the smallest details. You see, not every adult would were stickers on their face and wear such colorful makeup. But, in today's society it's far more common to do so. In modern culture expressing yourself through makeup and certain accessories is not rare. And is aesthetic to the eye.
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Meaning
The purpose of my piece was to emulate the idea of identifying yourself through things like makeup and style without wanting to feel judged. Everyone today provides a unique personality although that is true to everyone and is a commonality. With my theme through all of my pieces I work with identification through culture and how your identification can be mental, as well. As I am growing I am starting to notice the way people present themselves through their clothes, hair, and maybe even makeup. Identification can be somewhat tricky and we are always being put into invisible boxes. Which is why painting this girl had felt stimulating in a different way. The girl has crazy makeup and stickers on her face. That also reflects the way we are presenting ourselves today in society. Where it is far more common to be unique and fun, without really caring what others think.
Process
Brainstorming
Step by-step of Process
As I was making my piece I began to notice that in order to have good craftsmanship I had to do multiple layers of each section of the face. In order to make the piece as realistic as possible. Although I struggles a lot with making the skin color as close to the reference photo because I felt when I put values in first they were to brown for her face, as she is more yellow than brown.
Step #1- I built my canvas and stretched my canvas onto a 30.48 cm by 30.48 cm frame.
Step #2- To prep for the acrylic paints I put two to three coats of Gesso on my canvas, to ensure that the paint wouldn't soak into the canvas. Step #3- When the canvas was dry I sketched my drawing onto the canvas with a graphite pencil. Step #4- Before putting layers of paint, I first mixed my colors for things such as skin highlight and shadow, and any other various colors on the face and hair. Step #5- I layered the skin tone down first because it was the thing I was going to work on the longest. Step #6- When I was putting in the small details I used a small round brush. And used the flat small brush often since the painting wasn't so large. Step #7- After I had felt that the piece was finished. I cleaned up the edges and painted the edges of the canvas white, to look more pleasing. |
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Compare and Contrast
I was more inspired by Eakins when it comes to style and technique because I chose to challenge myself on incorporating high details. Although not necessarily committing to a staged piece, instead using a photograph close up that I had felt had meaning to it. Aside from being aesthetically pleasing. Although my inspiration from Bell had been more of conceptual sense. Bell has captured this woman in a orange dress and created a mood within the piece. In my opinion this woman in the orange dress has strong facial features that compel me to believe she is mad or angry and overall just not as relaxed as Eakins made his portrait of hiss wife. From that inspiration I was focused on trying to make my piece almost as if the girl is in awe. In order for the mood to represent how the girl is presented as a young woman with the ability to express herself as whatever she wants.
Skills and Technique
As I was working the acrylic paints I had found that I was making thick layers rather than how in most of my other pieces they were thin. Although I think it is because I was aiming for high detailing. Thus, the layers had to be thick because of how much I wanted in the piece because it is not as large as my other paintings. In order to get the Realism I wanted I had to make several colors of the common colors I was using in the piece. For an example, there was many different shades of reds used because that's what the light was reflecting from. Which formed the shadows that consisted of it. Overall I believe that I am not fully comfortable with this style of work, but atleast trying to go for it has made me feel accomplished.
Experimentation
When I was working with my piece I decided to try to be heavily accurate with the colors from the photo to the piece because I wanted them to exemplify each other. Although I didn't experiment too much I did make the style differ from what I usually do. Which took me out my comfort zone. I had also played with the small amount of space from the background a lot because the color choices I made were not pleasing as I though they would be.
Reflection
After completing this project I feel way more comfortable with creating Realism work. Although not to the extent to where I could make it my sort of style. This piece was challenging because I began to get frustrated with trying to be as accurate as possible. Instead of really being connected to it. Which I feel some regret to because maybe the piece would have been more fun to do if I had that mentality. I do have more knowledge on forming my colors correctly and recognize the differences from what I see and don't acknowledge. The piece has made me learn that as well, being able to recognize anatomy correctly. While trying to explore that confidently.
Connecting to the ACT
Clearly explain how you are able to identify cause and effect relationships between your inspiration and your artwork.
Because of the inspiration I had chosen the cause to how my style had represented had shown throughout my work. In my piece I was working towards the Realism movement and focused on the piece in an accurate fashion through out the work.
What is the overall approach ( point of view) the author has regard to the topic of your inspiration?
The approach the author made regarding the topic of my inspiration is to inform me on why they developed their form of style and their biography as a whole.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc, while you researched your inspiration?
The kind of conclusions I had made when I had discovered the two people I had researched is that they both have the same theory upon developing a mood within their work. Although they were from different backgrounds they had the idea of putting women onto the spot.
What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The central theme around my inspirational research is trying to develop a new idea of identification towards my theme.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
The inferences I had made while reading my research had been showing how to connect both of my artists as they worked within different movements and separate ideologies.
Because of the inspiration I had chosen the cause to how my style had represented had shown throughout my work. In my piece I was working towards the Realism movement and focused on the piece in an accurate fashion through out the work.
What is the overall approach ( point of view) the author has regard to the topic of your inspiration?
The approach the author made regarding the topic of my inspiration is to inform me on why they developed their form of style and their biography as a whole.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc, while you researched your inspiration?
The kind of conclusions I had made when I had discovered the two people I had researched is that they both have the same theory upon developing a mood within their work. Although they were from different backgrounds they had the idea of putting women onto the spot.
What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The central theme around my inspirational research is trying to develop a new idea of identification towards my theme.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
The inferences I had made while reading my research had been showing how to connect both of my artists as they worked within different movements and separate ideologies.
Bibliography
“Leland Bell Overview and Analysis.” The Art Story, www.theartstory.org/artist-bell-leland.htm.
“Thomas Eakins Most Important Art | TheArtStory.” The Art Story, www.theartstory.org/artist-eakins-thomas-artworks.htm#pnt_5
“Thomas Eakins Most Important Art | TheArtStory.” The Art Story, www.theartstory.org/artist-eakins-thomas-artworks.htm#pnt_5