Zach
DECONSTRUCTED SELF PORTRAIT
acrylic on masonite, easel
I feel like the view I have of
myself constantly changes for good and bad. The few constant aspects I could
sum up as confused, fluxuation of interest and unsure of purpose. My self
portrait was not flashy or well thought out kind of representing me. It is
really just a mess with a half assed portrait of me in the middle. This shows
my lack of understanding in many of the things in my life. When I say messy I
don’t mean in a good way mine doesn’t show a positive expression of chaos but
my personal frustration and lack of a goal in the piece. I think it also shows
my inexperience and experimental process that could be much better developed.
It also shows my straight forward approach to things and in some ways lack of
creativity at this point in my work.
The biggest exposure for me was
making me realize the thought I need to place into my work and set a goal to
achieve otherwise I will remain aimless and a messy. This piece also shows how
I just do things and hope to figure it out in the process instead of “doing my
homework” so I can understand and have an outcome to expect. In some ways this
piece properly portrayed me but it could be taken further.
I can easily relate to the frustration and lack of motivation to complete these paintings in being lost. I really admire the hand in stroke used around the head to compile your feelings. The use of vibrant colors is a great choice in making a statement in the frustration and confusion in where one is going. My suggestion in this piece is to cut the top Masonite piece to make it a rectangle to have it relate to the others because it seemed to stand out to me for that reason of looking torn. The tonal shifts in reds and yellows in the face are very well done, it almost creates you to look a lot older in your piece. That being said maybe it represents your tiredness of being frustrated with what direction to go?
ReplyDeleteI like your honesty, however never admit your apprehensions with your finished piece! Your apprehensions with art making is relatable and experienced by most artists. I think the appeal to this piece lies in the bold color choices and fluid brush strokes. I think if you broke apart your frame a bit more you would be more pleased with the outcome. Make rip more of the edges or have the colors running down outside of the frame. I think the clean edges need to be messed up.
ReplyDeleteWith the self portraits i felt it was necessary to step back a lot. For me this was the most helpful process. Looking at yourself and having to paint the details is quite a weird experience. I felt with me the best way to paint myself was in the reflection of my window because i didnt want to be staring at myself for that long. I also half assed and did this piece in a day... it took 4 hours but hey whos counting. After all the work i like how you showed your frustration through seperation of your figure.
ReplyDeleteI wish your presentation was better, in that the half assed-ness shows. It looks like it was just thrown on to whatever easle was available. I saw it when you were working on it pinned on the wall, and I thought it looked great that way. It's ok if you're frustrated...I was, and I am still not happy with the end result. My mind was blank when it came to this project, and i think we had very much of the same frustrations. The colors you used are awesome though, don't be so hard on your self.
ReplyDeleteI think you could have approached the statement differently and people wouldn't have read this as a half way and more of a deconstruction of your self and approach to painting a self portrait. I believe this piece has strong formal quality in color, and in composition. The veiwer can take what they want from it, but when you sell your self short they loose interest. I think this piece was actually pretty strong and just had lack of organization. I agree with amanda that you should nt be too hard on yourself.
ReplyDeleteI am in a constant battle with frustration and art. i like that you showed the class your frustration because it shows the life of an art student. i do agree with amanda and jeffrey that you should not be too self debilitating, but i do that all the time with art so i can understand. the colors you chose were a very good selection (really pops out), and the rendering of yourself is very well done. the presentation does come off as sloppy and unprepared but that could also add to the piece (depending on who you are talking to).
ReplyDeleteYou say that you lacked commitment and goal setting for this piece, but I think because you allowed yourself to accept your struggle in a way you committed to something that would do exactly what you wanted. Which was show a disoriented self-portrait. I like this painting because it reflects how artists emotions are reflected into their work, much like a brushstroke.
ReplyDeleteThis is a tough painting. While I cannot say that I see this as a completely finished and thought out piece, I don't think it is as far away as you think.
ReplyDeleteI think that Rabia's suggestion of ripping/destroying the outer edges is a really solid idea that would help to unify the separate pieces by a sort of common boundary around the images. I think that your presentation will also have a key impact on how this image appears, I almost want to see it displayed with more depth, with your main portrait in the back so that is is somewhat obscured by all the chaos in the piece.
I feel like your frustration does come through in this piece, and I can definitely understand why. But you do have a strong beginning here with the painting of your face and your choices in color which go a long way in expressing raw emotions.
It's interesting that you decided to present a piece about your frustrations and confusions with your art and life. This is something that all of us can relate to on many levels. When I saw this in class I thought it would be better to display it with the portrait making sense but that would just take away from the idea. But looking at it again I think it would help to go further with the chaos of it and perhaps even start destroying it a bit as Rabia said. Make it even more expressive and bold.
ReplyDeleteThis piece seems to be lacking motivation and drive as you have mentioned in your artist statement, I feel that there should be a way to cut the brakes and just run with it. If you're not happy with something, change it, and if you're still not happy destroy it and see where it takes you. I would like to have seen more chaos and more disruption. This piece feels slightly abandoned, and you represented yourself very melancholy, and looking much, much older. I wish you had really pushed yourself to show just how much you hated this project.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your statement! It brought your portrait into a whole new light for me. In that explained context, it makes perfect sense and is, in a most interesting way, beautiful. What a place to be in life; everyone goes through that journey and comes out the other side stronger. Continue to challenge yourself, search for the things that inspire you and bring you joy. It is an amazing talent to be able to create not just a good concept but an unformed one. I think it is so awesome that you were able to read yourself through your art. What therapy painting can be :)
ReplyDeleteOh! The color pallet you chose fits the emotions very well. Even though the pieces were created in a disjointed way, I think they would display better in a different configuration. Something about your brushstrokes in the lower right picture remind me of an exploding heart... The half of your face is also very well done (though he is an older, more tired version of you I think).
Haha, I appreciate the irony of "In some ways this piece properly portrayed me but it could be taken further." I actually was thinking about turning in an unfinished piece. we are unfinished people, and the the fact that we can always learn and always be taken further is one of our most powerful aspects. Maybe you can go farther with this idea, and no so much the piece.
ReplyDelete