Self-Evaluation - UNIT ONE
The original aim of the this project was to explore the
formal elements of art and design (line,
tone, texture, colour and so on) through studies from a ‘Shadow Box’ assemblage
in the style of Joseph Cornell. These explorations included experimentation
with new and unfamiliar materials and styles, such as blind contour drawing,
dry-point etching or wet-on-wet watercolour work. This broad technical
experimentation provided me with the knowledge and wide understanding required
to make an informed and uninhibited decision as to the thematic and creative
direction of my project later on.
After a brief false-start I concluded that the strength of
my assemblage lay not in exploring the physical subject matter of my assemblage
box, but in its concept – which was that the objects it was comprised of
represented the individual elements of a piece of writing, a novel condensed
into physical items, if you will. From this I took the core idea of attempting
to reduce a novel and all its themes, associations and ideas to a single image.
Of course, I then had to select a novel to begin working from, and it was Oscar
Wilde’s ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ which I settled upon, owing to my personal
adoration of it, its rich aesthetic ideologies and punchy, highly visual
Faustian central message. I immediately knew that the final outcome would be
some composition of characters from the novel, symbolic objects and setting,
and so the first thing I was to digitally engineer the face of Dorian Gray
himself, in order to have solid reference to draw/paint from. The development
from that point onwards was really just finding the perfect combination of
figures, symbols, colours and details and configuring them in the best possible
composition in the most suitable media.
If time and the limits of human endurance had not been
restrictions, I would have developed much more thoroughly my painting
technique, focusing on the actual application and brushwork as opposed to
colour and composition. I feel that the lack of technical refinement in my
sketchpad is responsible for the technically lacklustre and somewhat
underwhelming feel to my final outcome. If I had more time to study John Singer
Sargent’s style and technique, completing a bulk of studies in acrylic and oil
paint, I feel that I would have gained
the ability to bring the separately developed elements of the painting together
in a more impressive, coherent and ultimately visually attractive way. My final
piece’s mediocrity aggrieves me deeply, as I am keenly aware that there was so
much potential to create a beautiful painting, and each aspect was individually
developed carefully and tastefully, but the piece as a whole lacks the finesse
and consistency necessary to carry off these individually strong elements. In
short, it is as a whole less than the sum of its parts.
However, if given the opportunity to do things differently,
I believe that a success could feasibly be made of the project. I would firstly
use a smaller canvas, to enable myself to create the painting in a less preposterous
amount of time. I would also look into experimenting with oil paints, a
material for which I fear acrylics have been a poor compromise in this
instance. I would change the colour scheme from the hideous dark green to a
warmer, more consistent and less detracting palette, and would crop the
composition to eliminate much of the empty space and give the figures of the
two men greater impact. I would also complete some sketches of models posing in
the exact poses of the figures, for anatomical and proportional accuracy –
something for which I feel incredibly foolish and highly amateurish for not
doing before starting painting.
Nonetheless, I feel that there are many successful parts of
my project. My AO3 composition sketches are some of the strongest pieces of
work in my sketchpad, and were invaluable in refining exactly what I wanted to
capture about ‘Dorian Gray’ in my painting. I feel that whilst I find it
essentially ugly, the content painting does capture and symbolise the meaning
and plot of the novel effectively, and the poses of the figures and symbolic
flourishes (the ghostly, haggard Dorian emerging from the smoke of Lord Henry’s
cigar or the flower withering at the ghost’s touch) tell a decipherable but intriguing
story that gives the painting some depth. I was also particularly pleased with
my collograph work, which was essential in establishing the tone of the
painting and the basic concept of showing Lord Henry’s corrupting influence
over Dorian.
Prior learning that aided me in this project included a
basic understanding of the character and suitability of different materials, a
wide appreciation of artists and naturally a thorough understanding of ‘Dorian
Gray’ so that I could draw from my own knowledge of the book as ample and
reliable reference. After having completed this project, my understanding of
the formal elements of art has been greatly strengthened, and I have gained an
appreciation of previously unheard of materials and techniques through experiments
such as my dry-point and colloggraph work. I also feel that I have a better
understanding of what preparation must be undertaken before beginning an
ambitious painting,
In terms of time and effort, I feel that I have surpassed
myself, and despite the results, have invested heavily in this study. I have
endeavoured to explore my ideas as thoroughly and skilfully as possible, and
have avoided cutting corners, often at personal expense. I feel that perhaps I
must find a more concise, focussed way of producing work, as the amount of time
and energy invested into this project is simply not sustainable. That said, the
journey this project has taken me on has been a thoroughly enjoyable,
creatively stimulating, eye-opening experience, and most importantly has left
with a more definite sense of direction as an artist, which I consider to be an
invaluable reward.
Self-Evaluation – UNIT TWO
The original aim of my project was to capture natural
facial expressions in a way which represented an aspect of the personality,
character or emotion of the subject. I intended for each study to not only
capture the expression and ‘look’ of the subject, but also through the choice
of media and technique to capture the essence and feel of that particular
facial moment.
With the introduction of the photograph of my Grandfather,
I developed this idea further, and decided that for each face and expression
there is a ‘perfect’ way of capturing it; in essence, an ideal media (or
combination of medias), surface and technique. I studied the chosen photograph,
and deduced what qualities I wished to capture from it, such as the
determination in the firmly set jaw, the simultaneous hard intelligence and
soft kindness in the eyes, the tactile, weathered texture of the aged skin and
the balance of strength and fragility. I proceeded to complete multitudinous studies
from the chosen photograph using different materials in different ways, in
order to deduce the perfect way in which to capture most comprehensively the
character and expression of the face.
After completing two studies in graphite and oil pastel respectively,
I found that between them almost all of the aspects of my Granddad’s character
and expression were represented. Therefore I decided that combining the two
media would create a study that captured all the desired aspects. However,
whilst conceptually the fusion was a success, practically it was dissatisfying,
as the two materials physically do not combine well, with the oil pastels
blending and smearing the graphite, leading to a darkening and muddying of the
oil colours and the loss of the rough texture of the graphite. Therefore I
realised that I needed to find two materials which captured the same aspects of
the photograph as the oils and graphite did, but which also combined
harmoniously. I looked back to a successful study in acrylic paint to replace
the oil pastels, and changed the graphite (which was now seeming dull and
inexpressive) to a carbon stick, which produced much more intense blacks, a
coarser, grainier texture and more versatility of line because of its shape.
This combination worked perfectly, but feeling that the plain white paper on which I was
producing the studies seemed incongruous and bland, I set out to tailor the
surface I was drawing and painting on to suit the character of the photo. I
chose to use brown envelope paper, distressed by soaking, crumpling and tearing
and then re-stitching. This gave a fragile, yet inherently utile and tough look
which captured the balance of strength and age in the expression perfectly.
If I had more time, I would have liked to have developed my
ideas further by producing an additional final outcome, using the same method
of finding the ‘perfect’ media/surface/technique, but with a drastically
different subject and expression. I feel that a portrait diametrically
different to that of my Granddad would emphasise the fact that the choices
related to the portrait were all individually tailored to the atmosphere of the
subject.
Given the opportunity to do things in the project
differently, I would have definitely experimented with oil paints in addition
to acrylics, as I feel that they may have produced a good effect for the
portrait. However time restrictions prevented me from using them because of the
extensive practice and equipment required to achieve a good level of competence
with oils.
I feel that the project was largely successful, and am
pleased with the quality of my studies and the use of a variety of materials. I
feel that I have thoroughly explored the topic, both in terms of the range of
expressions studied, materials used and diversity of the subjects drawn from. I
also feel that I have drawn an interesting and relevant collection of artists
into my work, which have supported the development of my ideas and given me
inspiration when stuck - such as when I looked to Maggi
Hambling for inspiration when I wanted to find an alternative to graphite.
However, I do feel that the studies got a little repetitive
towards the end of my project, and certainly personally found it trying to keep
repeating the same face over and over. I think it may have been more
interesting if I had a choice of three or four photographs of my Granddad, with
different expressions or compositions. If I had had the opportunity, I would
have applied the photographic method used of my friends (engage in conversation
and discreetly capture the natural expressions) to the photography of my
Grandfather. I also feel that it is a shame the vast wealth of photography of
my friends did not get used past the initial studies, as some of the pictures
are rather beautiful in their own right. However, as previously stated, this
was a necessary evil due to time constraints. I also feel that the initial
digressional exploration of facial muscles was a failure, and should not have
been considered as it distracted from the later studies because of it
irrelevance.
Prior knowledge of a good range of portrait artists such as
Freud, Giacometti, Auerbach and Sutherland gave me a strong foundation to begin
exploring different ways of capturing facial expression. Having completed a
small amount of portrait work before, I was also equipped with a strong basic
understanding of facial proportion and the details of facial features. This
basic technical ability allowed me to focus less of making the faces ‘look
right’ and invest more effort into exploring the actual expression of the
faces.
This project has strengthened my understanding of the human
face, proportion and the play of light across the features. I am also beginning
to understand how the subtle differences in the positioning or shape of facial
features can contribute to faces looking wildly
different, and therefore how to
accurately reproduce these sensitive areas so as to capture a subject in an
accurate and realistic way. I have also become far more adept with a range of
materials, including acrylic paints, charcoal, graphite and oil pastels, and
understand far better their strengths and limitations.
I have dedicated a large amount of time and effort to this
project, and am confident that this shows in the quality, consistency and
quantity of my work. I also feel that I have avoided the unnecessary
extravagance of my Unit One project, which consumed a simply nauseating amount
of time. I feel that this project is comprehensive, of good quality, but also
streamlined and focussed.
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