In the ‘Small Worlds’ project, we were asked to take photos of the environment surrounding our school. I began this art project with a photography based brainstorm. I critically analysed all of the photographs I took in order to find the most suitable one for this project. Before going outside to take the photos, I did not have a theme in mind. However when walking through the crowded streets of Paris, I found myself fascinated by the idea of movement in daily life.
I took most images trying to follow the rule of thirds, a focal point, perspective, and most importantly the idea of active movement. It was important to me that the picture that will be finally chosen will be unique and eye-catching. However, when turning some of the photos into grayscale, their individuality of contrasting and dominant colors vanished. Therefore, photos whose main theme was color, were ruled out.
I loved taking still shots of movement. While those images are still, the viewers feel intense motion occurring inside of the image. I did not want to simply capture a moment through time, instead I chose to express a lively image that simultaneously combines a moving reality.
I started experimenting by drawing different parts of my chosen photo. I divided the image up into different sections and tried to pencil draw the most challenging parts for me. By doing so, I found out how interested I am in the anatomy of the hand.
The arm is not very accurately drawn. The arm is too wide and the wrist is too thin, the hand itself is proportionally wrong.
The final graphite drawing
Although I enjoyed drawing hands the most, I found it the most challenging. Therefore in this section, I mainly focused on practicing the anatomy of the hand by experimenting with both men and female hands, in similar positions to the figure in the photograph.
The bag in the drawing is relatively smaller than the one in the photo.
In order to better understand the anatomy of the hand, I took photos of real hands. I based my experimental pencil drawings on both the drawings I found online and the photos I took.
All the drawings were created by me if not otherwise mentioned
All the photos were taken by me if not otherwise mentioned
I chose to experiment with pencil drawings since this media connects to the monochromatic graphite drawing that will be produced.
Since I found drawing palms the most difficult, I chose to use many different references and postures from different sources.
Henry Moore was an English artist who is mainly know for his abstract monumental bronze sculptures. However, Moore also created a few drawings, including ones that represent the sheltering of Londoners from the Blitz during WWll, along with other works, including a series of hands. In most of his drawings, Moore uses the technique of cross hatching to create shade and even perspective. This technique is called ‘crosshatching’ and is widely used as a form of shading. Cross Hatching uses very fine, parallel lines that are drawn closely together. It is drawn in two layers, with lines intersecting perpendicularly. This creates an illusion of texture and shade. Shelter drawing: Seated Mother and Child, Henry Moore, 1979, pencil, ink, watercolor and gouache, 36.4x27.9cm https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/18985/lot/32/
An anatomical drawing of the hand and wrist, Scientific Publishing Ltd. https://www.scientificpublishing.co m/product/understanding-the-han d-wrist/
In this section, I further explored an element from my chosen photo, focusing on hands. In order to better understand the anatomy of a hand, I chose to explore three different hand postures. Drawing and researching the anatomy of a hand has made me develop my interest in this area of the body. Since I normally enjoy focusing on the human face, this is a very large achievement to me. Not only did I learn how to draw a new part of the human body, I also find my trials to be quite successful.
HAPPINESS/RELIEF
Tense eyes and eyebrows
FEAR Open mouth/screaming
The development of a variety of facial expressions has helped me explore the different types of abuse. It was also beneficial in the understanding of the most suitable emotion for a sculpture that conveys pain as well as the aftermath of sexual assault.
Open mouth smile
Lifted eyebrows
Wide open eyes
Image found on Google Images, no artist reference
SILENCING
SADNESS/FRUSTRATION FACIAL EXPRESSIONS
Despair, Spencer Arnold
http://drowningsculpture.com/projects-and-instillations/ drown-in-despair-no-air-in-a-changing-climate/
Tears
Different reactions/emotions to being freed of silence
Tense eyebrows Frown
Peeling Back the Silence, Graciela Delgado, as a part of the #metoo movement
By developing many different designs, I became very interested in dramatic facial expressions. I find it amazing how an artist can convey a strong and ongoing emotion through a still piece of art.
BODY MOVEMENT https://www1.pasadenaisd.org/about/ news/news_archive/2018-19_archive d_news/dobie_s_delgado___peels_b ack_the_silence__with_pas
http://www.cs-varga.com/figurative-b ronze-sculptures/i-wasnt-waving/home _i-wasnt-waving.htm
In order to further develop my understanding of how to set a distinctive mood in a piece, I experimented with many different I wasn’t waving I was drowning, Csilla emotions such as, fear, anger, happiness and sadness. I analysed Varga, bronze, 24c x what aspects make a certain emotion visible. 10 cm
No particular emotions are conveyed
Hand on face/hiding sadness Head is tilted downwards ro mimic despair
CERAMIC SCULPTURE IDEAS.
In this design, the theme of sexual harassment was not utilised. Instead, the statue includes the synthesis of a body and hand together to form a connected whole.
For the ceramic sculpture project, we were asked to create a three-dimensional sculpture that includes an aspect of the human body. I chose to develop the idea of sexual assault by incorporating both hands and a woman’s torso. I was largely inspired by the ‘MeToo’ movement who fight sexual assault and harassment globally and end the silencing, embarrassment and victim shaming of such acts.
#METOO MOVEMENT
SILENCING
WOMAN EMPOWERMENT
https://www.documentjour nal.com/2018/03/saskia-de -brauw-is-modeling-agains t-the-shadowy-backdrop-o f-the-metoo-moment/
Illustrated by Rachel Levit for the #metoo movement
SADNESS
In this design, the idea of physical assault is notable. In order to make this idea clearer, I tried exploring the many different emotions the assaulted woman might be feeling.
FEAR
HANDS = GROPING
In this image, the woman’s body is depicted as a map whose land needs to be conquered. This represents the woman body as an object or prize that’s goal is to be achieved by men.
My main goal in the ceramic sculpture unit is to create a sculpture with strong meaning. In the previous section, I explored the anatomy of a hand and therefore chose to focus my final sculpture using the theme of hands. As a task, we were asked to incorporate an aspect of the human body. I started by creating my first design that synthesised a woman’s body and hand together as a whole. This design did not have any significant meaning. However, when drawing the woman torso for the second design and thinking about where the hands can be incorporated, I immediately thought about sexual assault. If I place hands in specific locations on the woman body, the idea of sexual assault will be clear. Since my main goal is to create an art piece with meaning I chose to continue and follow this strong and upsetting theme. After having a chosen theme, my goal is to make the viewers of my sculpture feel uncomfortable, uneasy and sad.
THE CHOSEN DESIGN
After choosing the most suitable design for this project, I chose to evaluate this design and showcase its meaning in different ways. In this section, I came across the idea of creating deformed, morbid looking hands in order to depict the type of people who are responsible for sexual assault. The deformed hands are also a representation of trauma carved into an abused woman following an assault.
Initial stages of sculpture with morbid hand idea
Found on Google Images, no artist reference
The Weeping Woman, Pablo Picasso, 1937, 60x49cm, oil on canvas
The Rape, RenĂŠ Magritte, 1934, 73.3x54.6cm, oil on canvas
Anguished, concerned facial expression
Shock of Reality
IDEA DEVELOPMENT
Very slim figure
Unconventional, uncomfortable pose
https://www.met museum.org/fr/ar t/collection/searc h/483438 Autoportrait, Egon Schiele, 1911, Aquarelle, gouache, 51 x 35cm
The act of sticking fingers inside mouth in order to throw up
Photo of artist Millie Brown found on Google photos
OR miserable
Dance, Henri Matisse, 1910, oil on canvas, 260 x391 cm
In the Shock of Reality Project we were each given three random requirements for a final piece. This included the size of the piece, the colors, the media and the meaning. My three requirements were: ● You must use symbolism and motifs in your outcome, as a major means of expression ● You must not work on a scale smaller than size A1 ● You must only use a harmonious color scheme At the beginning of the year, I started looking at the human figure as a means of depicting mental illnesses. I also focused on facial expressions that showcase emotions of torment or an ironic feeling of happiness. In the previous, Small Worlds Project, I was concentrated on anorexia seen through an extremely thin figure. Therefore, in the Shock of Reality Project, I will be exploring a larger variety of eating disorders (e.g obesity and bulimia).
Exploring self-acceptance
Strategy, Jenny Saville, 1994, oil on canvas, 274 x 640 cm
Propped, Jenny Saville, 1992, oil on canvas, 213.5 x 183 cm
As part of my designing process, I was largely inspired by Jenny Saville’s paintings of obese women. In her paintings, the figures are represented as a form of self acceptance and body love, instead of as a facade of inner torment.
In Strategy, the figure is drawn from a down angle, known as the least ‘flattering’. The figure is in undergarments, creating an intimate view at her body. The most prominent part of this painting is the figure’s large size and noticeable fat. Although this figure can be considered to be obese, her facial expression is neutral, depicting how the size and shape of her body are unimportant features in showcasing who she is.
Heart shaped bosom, symbolism for self love
THE SIMPLICITY AND BEAUTY OF THE HUMAN FORM
A simple, five line drawing that outlines the figure of a woman. The woman is seen to be very thin, having a defined ribcage and a very small waist. This depicts the beauty of the female body in its simplicity.
Seductive pose
Comfortable, seductive pose
I chose to work with some one-line drawings in order to represent the figure in the most simplistic way. This depicts how the human body is just a series of lines, forming a figure all together. This idea decreases the value of the ‘aesthetics’ of the body, representing it as an object.
FORMAL QUALITIES
Image of an anorexic figure found on Google Photos
Egon Schiele is known for drawing figures in a very exaggerated way, making them look tormented and quite shocking. Many of Schiele’s figures seem to look anorexic alluding to a mental weakness. Since Schiele seems to depict anorexia quite clearly, I chose to investigate the formal qualities of one of his pieces. This helped me understand how an exaggerated, anorexic person can be drawn. Since Schiele also focuses the viewer’s attention to the face, normally showcasing inner torment, the analysis of his painting was very beneficial to me and the goals for my project.
DESIGN DEVELOPMENT After exploring different ideas at different lenses, I chose to focus on the feeling of pain and mental torment. I chose not to follow the idea of self love, since my initial reaction when hearing the name of the new project, ‘Shock of Reality’ was to create something negative, a problem. Therefore, I started exploring the idea of pain through different lenses. It was very important for me to focus on facial expressions as well as body positioning.
Etching created by me - The strangulation of Jane Doe, February 2019, etching on paper, 21 X 28.5 cm
Image found on Google Photos, taken by Jay Harrison, 2010
Part of the Process Portfolio from previous, Small Worlds Project
In the previous, Small Worlds Project, I explored the idea of pain as part of my designing stages. In my previous project I explored a different type of pain. I depicted this pain through drowning which is more of a physical and urgent type of pain. However, for this project, I represent a a more mental, long lasting pain through anorexia. After reviewing my previous project and being influenced by my previous idea, I chose to use the reaching out design as a template for my finished piece.
EXPERIMENTS After choosing my final design, I started testing different color schemes and sizes for my final piece. When looking back at the requirements, I was asked to create a symbolic piece which is something I have been doing since the beginning of this project with all of my design ideas. Color wise, I was told to only use a harmonious color scheme. Therefore, I chose to explore four different color schemes in order to choose the most suitable one for this project. I began by using acrylic paint on paper and found it to be very suitable. I then tested acrylic paint on wood and figured it applied much smoother with an overall better result.
Working on layout and size
After creating test paintings using all four monochromatic color schemes, I found the blue and orange ones to be the most successful. For me, they were the two that showcased inner pain most effectively. The blue represents sadness whereas the orange represents anger. Although both showcase a pained figure, when choosing a final one, the orange seemed to be more ‘shocking’ to me. I felt as if the blue figure is less eye catching and conveys a sort of hope. Whereas, the orange figure creates an allusion of a fire burning within the body, representing mental pain.
EXPERIMENTS My initial design idea was to create a warmed color figure with a blank wood background in order to create contrast between the background and foreground and make the figure stand out. I also enjoyed the idea of the figure floating in space, in a sort of boundless void, representing the feeling of isolation and being lost. However, after finishing my painting as initially planned, I felt as if a background was missing and that without it the painting seems undone. Therefore, I started developing background ideas using different color schemes and shapes.
Ernest Pignon Ernest’S figurative wall art Introduction: For this artist investigation, I chose to look at Ernest Pignon Ernest’s figurative wall art pieces, focusing specifically on his work with phone boots, prompting and capturing life sized figures inside of a phone booth in his series, Derrière la vitre. His work has interested me due to the its unconventional messages and locations.The theme of these pieces is the misery of solitude and isolation, a theme that relates greatly to my work.
Cultural Context: Ernest Pignon Ernest is a French artist born in Nice in 1942. He is known for making the street both the subject and setting of his art works. Ernest is socially and politically engaged, he creates art that seeks to show the raw reality of the world and thus upset the conventional notions of life. His fist work began in the 1970s, with a series that denounced the Algerian war, the situation of immigrants in Europe and the Apartheid in South Africa. When the city council in Nice, the artist’s hometown chose to be allied with the city of Cape Town in South Africa, a city institutionalized by racism, Pignon Ernest stuck hundreds of prints of an African family prompted behind barbed wire around Nice. His figurative wall art pieces seek to provoke the viewer and to disturb them with the reality of the world. Pignon Ernest succeeds to do so by highlighting historical events and revealing their injustice.
Formal Qualities: Derrière la vitre 3 Location: In this piece, the figure is put into s photobooth. This represents isolation depicted by an enclosed space. This is juxtaposed with the idea of a phone booth, a media of communication in modern society. Color: A monochromatic color scheme of black and white colors gives the figure a sense of emptiness Space: The figure is contained within a small area of the photobooth, giving it a limited space for movement, evoking the viewers with a claustrophobic feeling.
"Telephone booths ... it's both an isolated place and open to others, people stand behind the window like in a museum." - Ernest Pignon Ernest
Link to my work: Conceptually the theme of loneliness and the juxtaposition between a figure being physically placed outdoors yet mentally isolated greatly related to the subject of my pieces. Therefore, I am mainly interested in working with a transparent sheet and painting over it with acrylic paint in order to create an allusion of a figure being pressed against glass. Looking at similarities with formal qualities, I am also planning on working in a quite realistic manner and using a monochromatic color scheme to represent inner emptiness. In my previous pieces I have drawn focus to the hands in order to depict a figure reaching out for help and wanting to escape its current situation. However, not being able to as can be seen by a glass wall which works as a physical barrier between the figure and the outside world. I have also been working on creating a realistic yet deformed figure to induce a feeling of uneasiness with the audience. Connecting this to the subject of my exhibition, my aim is to depict suffering in my figures who want to escape their miserable situation.
Jumelage Nice/Le Cap, Ernest Pignon Ernest, 1974
Derrière la vitre 3, Ernest Pignon Ernest, 1988, silkscreening
Size: The use of a realistic looking, life sized figure makes the piece more shocking to an audience as to some extent the figure looks real. Emphasis: The area of emphasis is the figure’s dramatic and agonised facial expression, making the viewer feel uneasy. The viewer’s eye then moves to the figure’s clenched hands which depict stress and anxiety. The viewer also notices the figure’s home attire, creating an image of an very normative woman. Shading: Intense shading on the figure’s face, hair and clothes suggests that there is few light in the space, creating a more claustrophobic feeling of loneliness by creating a small, enclosed space. The shadow used depicting limited light also models the light in the photo booth, being the only source of light. Derrière la vitre 2, Ernest Pignon Ernest, 1988, silkscreening
For the grade 11 exhibition, I followed the theme of anguish and misery. The comments I received for that exhibition focused mainly on the media used. All of my pieces were two dimension and I was encouraged to begin grade 12 with a three dimensional piece.
Self Portrait, Leonid Balaklav, 1955
Self-Portrait in Impasto on Palette, 2018, oil on wood palette, 28x18,
Over the summer vacation, I visited many different museums in cities where I traveled. I was largely inspired by the A Decade of the Haim Shiff Prize for Figurative-Realist Art exhibition in the Tel Aviv Museum of Art since it includes figurative and morbid paintings, relating greatly to my theme. I was greatly inspired by the idea of pushing premade boundaries. This will focus my body of work more on the theme of suffering and isolation rather than specifically eating disorders.
St. Jerome in the desert, Leonardo Da Vinci, 1480, oil paint, tempera, 1.03 m x 75 cm
Photo taken in Tel Aviv Museum of Art
Following the idea of barriers, I was interested in the defiance of boundaries, bringing focus to the hands. I took a series of photos which emphasises on hands pressed against glass. Pressing the hands against glass give an effect of urgency and anguish, wanting to leave an unwanted situation as soon as possible.
Looking through the internet for reference photos of figures pressing against glass, I was most influenced by images of deformed, blurry looking figures as they create a mysterious, morbid mood.
Exploring a rough looking background, I saw most fitting to create a ruined and old brick wall which portrays the strength of the figure’s anguish. This will also create a juxtaposition between the figure being placed in an outdoors scene yet being trapped and lonely and not being able to escape its isolated situation.
Christian Boltanski Introduction: For this artist investigation, I chose to look at Christian Boltanski’s artworks, focusing specifically on his projection installations, prompting faces of unknown individuals inside of a frame and projecting light on them. His work interests me due to the its use of portraits, light, transparency and unconventional materials.
Cultural Context: Christian Boltanski is a contemporary French Conceptual artist born in Paris in 1944 to a Jewish father. The effect of World War II and the Holocaust had, therefore, been looming throughout Boltanski's life. He is most well-known for his photography installations and his exploration of memory, life and death. Boltanski’s pieces often focus on the Holocaust as he attempts to obscure the barriers between fiction and truth. His work began in the late 1950s, however, did not gain large recognition until almost a decade later through a few pieces that explored his childhood. His earliest works include the imagery of different lifestyles as well as ideal families. Boltanski often uses objects which stand in for absent subjects, thus, filling his work with meditation and spirituality and following Conceptual artists of the 1960s and 1970s, such as Joseph Beuys. Since the late 1960s, Boltanski had started working with photographs collected from ephemeral sources, giving the commonplace significance. By allocating mementos of the lives of others and placing them in the context of art, he is able to explore the power of photography. This power transcends individual identity and instead serves as a witness to cultural memories and composite rituals.
Formal Qualities: Tiroir Space: In this piece, the figure is put into a picture frame, creating a certain boundary. The people in the photographs are unknown as viewer tries to determine their connection. The use of a picture frame creates a feeling of a mundane life, depicting how the unknown people may not be well known, yet, they are important as part of the past. The box prompted under each individual represents the valuability of these individuals in our past. Color: A monochromatic color scheme of black and white gives the figures a sense of emptiness. It also creates a mood of memory and the past. Size: All of the picture frames obtain the same size, hinting that there is a connection between all of the figures. It also represents how human beings are part of the past no matter a person’s age or race.
“You can tell the truth more truthfully than with the truth itself,”- Christian Boltanski
Link to my work: Conceptually, the themes of trauma and death used in most of Boltanski’s pieces are morbid themes which relate to my work. The extensive use of portraiture is another aspect which Boltanski and I share. However, Boltanski uses portraits to create evoke memory and feelings of the past, whereas my pieces focus more on the anguish of certain figures through loneliness. Boltanski uses transparency in several pieces, an aspect which I enjoy using in my pieces and plan on using in my next piece. I am mainly interested in working transparent sheets and painting over it to create an allusion of a figure being pressed against glass, depicting inner misery. Looking at similarities with formal qualities, I am also planning on working in a quite realistic manner and using a monochromatic color scheme to represent inner emptiness.My previous pieces have been 2-dimensional, however, seeing the variety of pieces and materials Boltanski uses in his exhibition Faire son temps, I was inspired to create a 3-dimensional piece.
Tiroir, Christian Boltanski, 1988, photograph, tin, 94 x 61 x 40.6 cm
Faire son temps, Christian Boltanski
Emphasis: The area of emphasis is the area in which the light hits with the light bulb. This light represents the individuals’ souls. It also depicts how Boltanski has brought these unknown individuals into the spotlight. Materials The use of rough materials represents the rawness of the past. The exposed black cables give rawness to the piece as the messiness represents the messiness of life. The cables also create a visual link between the figures, depicting them as the same. The use of a picture frame and a desk lamp evokes a homely feeling in the viewer’s mind, representing the mundane nature of these individuals. Faire son temps, Christian Boltanski
Before starting to work on my final piece, I chose to create a maquette using acetate and acrylic paint and then glued printed bricks onto them. The creation of the maquette gave me a visual understanding of how my piece would look like when complete and gave me ideas for changes that should be done.
After creating the initial bottom layer of the body, I chose to add more blue tones in order to attenuate the tones of the body. By adding cool tones onto the monochromatic color scheme of the body, I was able to create a contrast between the warm upper layer and cool bottom layer and add a gloomy and sad feeling onto the piece.
After creating maquette and clearly knowing what my piece should look like, I began to paint onto the acrylic sheets, painting the hands on the top layer and the body on the bottom layer. The hands were painted using bright and warm skin tones whereas the body was painted using a monochromatic dark color scheme. This was done in order to make the hands stand out compared to the body and look as if they are closer to the glass, extenuating this urgency for help and tremendous suffering.
Assembly of layers
The Scream, Edvard Munch, oil, tempera, pastel and crayon on cardboard. 1893, 91 x 74 cm
Screaming figure Hands are of great importance
Represents shock / inner anguish
Head VI, Francis Bacon, 1949, 93 x 77 cm
Choosing a suitable background color for the piece
BLACK
RED
WHITE
Black represents free space and emptiness as well as oblivion. It makes the top layer of the hands stand out more since the light colored top layer in contrasted well with a dark colored background. The bottom darl layer of the figure’s body doesn’t stand out and instead merges well with the background. This creates a feeling of unity representing how the figure’s physical boundary has become a part of its mental isolation.
Red is represents danger and fear. It is a very striking color making the background stand out. It is well contrasted with both the light colored hands on the top layer and especially with the dark colored body on the lower layer. It is also well contrasted with the toned down bricks, surrounding the background.
White represents emptiness and purity. It makes the bottom layer of the dark colored body stand out the most. Since the bricks are stuck onto the acrylic sheet using white cement, the bricks and white background merge well together.