Redesigned Final Piece

I didn’t think my original final piece was consistent with my previous coursework so in order for my art work to flow and remain relevant to my theme I reworked the original (below).

I began by cutting the board up into three sections and keeping the original painted sunset as it related to my prep work and use of warm colours. However the original cacti lacked the detail and collage aspects of my previous work. So for each board I explored separate aspects from my previous work to then form a triptych of collage, sketches and transfer techniques (all shown on previous sheets of work).

 

For the first board I used layered torn sheets as I had on my collage sheet of work, and on how I had painted over print in the past. I tea stained pages from a book my family have had for 5 generations, in order to link to my theme of traces, the tea stain aged them even more and picked up all the small crinkles and tears in the paper.

I then sketched cacti over the top from various angles and in different tones, I chose them to represent the Mexican/American side of my family and the merge of my English family (by using the old book).

In order to make the original background blend successfully I dry brushed paint into the paper so the composition of the piece didn’t go through two harsh extremes. It also gave the paper an effect similar to a faded photo, similar to Rauschenberg’s Retroactive (1963) (canvas and collage) [http://www.thewadsworth.org/robert-rauschenberg-retroactive-i/] due to the way the contrasting colours blend subtlety.

 

For my second board I kept the composition of the sunset at the top in order to keep a consistency with the other pieces, although I painted it upside-down so the paint drips and cacti are drawn upside down to keep a contrast with the other paintings this is why this is placed in the centre of the triptych to show its obvious difference.

This painting base of rough white emulsion was created by accident whilst trying to cover the original image but the texture created an ideal surface for charcoal rubbing and paint dripping. The detail sketches and base of vibrant colour are inspired by Kahlo and her use of intricate yet heavily charcoal shaded sketches combined with her use of warm Mexican folk art tonal colour.

The black paint drips are based on a piece I created previously which was based on Jose Parlas’s Love affair with drips over a detailed background which I added to this piece to combine some of my transfer technique work in.

 

 

For my third board I focused on the texture and roots of the cacti using tonal pencils similar to my original observational sketches. I chose to only do sketching instead of collage on this board to highlight the tones and shadows of the sunset; however I didn’t use shadow on the cacti to make it seem more similar to Kahlo and Rivera’s use of surrealism and folk art where shadows often aren’t features unlike in realism.

Overall I prefer my redone boards due to how they bring the coursework together into a more consistent project by featuring many sections and artists from previous works as well as drawing from my colour and tonal prep work in my sketchbook.

Final Piece Evaluation

 

 

I found that my final piece wasn't that successful because I found it difficult to relate to my previous coursework, I could improve it by adding more tone using charcoal and biro which I found difficult over the paint as it didn't show up very clearly and carved through showing the white emulsion below:

 

 

 

One thing I did like about my final piece were the overall colours especially the warm colours which related to my personal theme which focused on Mexican folk art particularly the vivid colours.

 I painted this section in the style of one of the artists I studied Frida Kahlo by layering acrylic paint heavily to get a thick uneven texture that looks similar to oil paint but without the lengthy drying time which is unideal for this piece.

 

 Although I was disappointed with how the final piece turned out I experimented with the green I hadn't used much previously on another piece:

 

 

I experimented with green in this piece by blending a vibrant shade with blues and reds to see how well it blended with more earthy tones, If I could add to my final piece I would add to the cacti in more shades such as the one shown below.

 As well as this on this piece I also carved through the blue sky layer to show the white emulsion below to show different layers of tone.

 I also experimented with collage in this piece as the base is made of newspaper and text with acrylic paint which I think creates an interesting mountain like texture particularly where its starting to peel and appear really rough, I highlighted these edges using charcoal.

Overall I am much more pleased with this piece than my final piece as it shows a lot more experimental techniques and a better use of materials. As well as that I think it shows a better use of techniques I've learnt during my coursework such as collage, tone and layers.

Collage Progression

These are 2 collages inspired by the artists Jose Parla and Michel Keck and how the layers were formed step by step, I have done full a full analysis of the originals of the two pieces I created here on my blog post : http://www.izzysartblog1.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/painting-analysis.html
Firstly is a copy of Parla's collage 'Love Affair':
The first layer was of white emulsion to prepare the page as it was created over text.

The second layer (shown above) was created by dry brushing various brown and sepia shades of acrylic paint to create the effect of an old wall.

 

 

 Then I added layers of writing, covering each other so the messages become unreadable like the original.

Finally I added chalk over the writing to give it an added faded effect, leaving only traces of the original message.

Since then I have added more layers to the collage as I didn't like the way it originally turned out, one major change was adding dripping white paint to the piece as if someone had tried to conceal the writing in sections.

 

The second collage is a copy of Michel Keck's 'Searching for a new distraction'.

The first layer was also white emulsion for the same reasons as before.

Firstly I created a layer of yellow and then blue paint then carved through messages and patterns, I found the effect very interesting and later experimented with creating marks through layers on my other coursework pieces.

Then I applied paint in many different ways such as flicking it or blending it to see how close to the original different effects were.

Then on the left side I created the woman from the original out of newspaper and charcoal and paint, I found it strange to work in such a messy style but I was really pleased with the effect.

Finally, on the right side I layered chalk all over it which blended the charcoal and pastel into one consistent layer.

 



Artist Analysis: Frida Kahlo

   The artist I am mainly focusing on is Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. Kahlo was born in Coyoacan, Mexico in 1907 and died also in Coyoacan in 1954. Her artwork is mainly surrealist and self-portrait. She was a self-taught painter due to two major injuries during her life which led her to spend a lot of time painting while she was ill. Most of her pieces feature vivid colours and many references to current events in her life. I chose her as my artist for this section of work as not only do I find her artwork really interesting she also links with my themes of traces as many of her art pieces involve sections of traces of different material and layers. As well as this she relates to the theme of the Sonoran desert and traces of native American culture there, which is part of my theme, as she is from the area and often paints using native American tribal patterns and desert nature.

 

What the Water Gave Me

 

   The first painting I am analysing is ‘What the water gave me’ (1938). The piece is of Kahlo’s legs in a bath tub with figures from her dreams and nightmares floating in the water including her parents wedding, a dead bird and a drowned body. The section of the painting I am focusing on is the top right corner which features Kahlo’s injured right foot and blood vessels coming out of the drain of the bath.

   I find the tone using oil paint of the reflection in the water extremely effective as it looks very realistic I also like how she smudged the paint to show the blood from the drain disperse into the water. Also Kahlo’s use of colour in this section is interesting as the only red used is on the open wound and blood vessels so compared to the murkiness of the bath tub and the dirty water the vivid red stands out dramatically, I will use this technique in a future piece of work when trying to make sections of a piece of art more noticeable by using a contrasting colour to the rest of the artwork.

   The artwork has been composed to drag the viewer’s eye to the centre third of the piece where all the various imagery is. This could relate to how Kahlo herself dressed in brightly coloured and patterned clothes in order to take the attention away from her disfigured leg due to polio. This is shown in the painting how at first glance most people notice the crazy and bizarre imagery in the centre of the bath tub and don’t first notice the bleeding wound on Kahlo’s toe.

   I think this piece’s message is in relation to all Kahlo’s current problems in life such as her miscarriages, turbulent relationship with Rivera (Kahlo’s husband Mexican muralist Diego Rivera) and her hatred of New York where she lived for some time. As many of the images in the bath relate to these problems she faced but also it is possibly a metaphor for how she is drowning under these problems which is why she chose a bath tub for the location of her dreams and nightmares.

   I intend to relate this piece to my art work by drawing different sections of it then using different materials instead of the original oil paint to attempt the reflection of the water and the fine exact painting of some sections.

 

The Circle

 

 

 

 

   The second piece I am analysing is ‘The Circle’ (1951). The Circle was created on a circular piece of sheet metal using oil paint. At the centre of the circle is a naked woman which is assumed to be Frida, although Frida is headless and sections of paint are overlapping and rubbing off sections of her body. The rest of the painting resembles an explosion of fiery tones and different layers where some have been peeled or scrubbed at to remove sections of drawing or paint.

   The lines of the painting are very mixed, there’s no clear pattern which only adds to the effect of chaos and an explosion like effect. I find it really interesting how layers have been removed as if the painting is really old and decaying I intend to use this technique as it relates to my theme which is faded as it easily creates an aged effect.

   The use of colour mainly consists of reds and browns and ochre, which creates an abstract effect unlike many other Kahlo paintings, however like many of her other paintings the colours and layered a lot which even when you can’t tell whether the picture is 3d from the picture the paint looks so layered you can tell there is a rough lumpy texture to the piece.

   The artwork has been composed to drag the viewer’s eye to the centre of the picture to Kahlo’s body as it’s directly in the centre and is a completely different tone to the rest of the painting. I think the painting was composed to show Kahlo’s actual physical decay as in 1951 she was in the later years of her life when she was seriously ill so where the paint is layering and almost acting like mould on her body, it is to show the physical decay that disease has caused. The physical decay of her body is also shown by the explosion of colour like the explosions of pain she must have felt by being so seriously ill.

   I plan to relate this to my own work by using this piece half acrylic paint, half layered oil pastel to try different layered techniques like Kahlo has layered oil paint in the original.

 

Painting Analysis

'Searching for a new distraction' by Michel Keck (year unknown) materials: oil pastel, oil paint, acrylic paint, crayon, photos link:http://www.michelkeck.com/ABSTRACT_ART_PRINTS_by_Michel_Keck_p/081217-shoppingfor-gicleeprint.htm

 

   The first painting I am analysing is ‘Searching for a new distraction’ by Michel Keck. The painting is created on white canvas which creates an interesting effect with the thick water resistant materials used such as oil pastels which form the second layer of a faded colourful cross hatch effect. Also on the second layer in the top left is an image of a woman on a rocking horse in grey with slight aspects of vibrant colour such as the lime green on the horse, where the image is repeated in the top right it is also mainly grey. I think the use of colour in only certain areas shows how faded other sections are and the decay of the image. The third layer is composed of vibrant acrylic paints in pink and dark blue this creates a random effect on the canvas as if someone has just thrown paint at the canvas with no particular pattern which matches how the images also look like they have just been found and have decayed as they are messy and smudged like the paint. The fourth layer is a mixture of crayon and pastel scribbled over the top of the paint and images and of where Keck has carved into previous layers of paint to show previous colours on the surface below.

   The use of line in the painting seems to be completely chaotic with no order to it as completely contrasting but bright colours have been used; I think this shows the painting to be very childlike as if a 2 year old has been given a box of crayons and some old photos and has used the brightest colours and scribbled all over it without thinking about what colours match or what the final picture will look like. The childlike lines used relate to the title as the messy lines and trying to decipher what the painting’s message is, is very distracting as it isn’t very clear.

   The painting has been composed to drag the viewer’s eye to lower centre, right of the art work where the most colours are and also because the marks on the painting are curved towards what resembles an explosion of colour; this is also the section of the painting with the most layering of colours and line.

   I think this painting was created as the title suggests to distract as the artist obviously had a lot on her mind and the scribbles and the bright colours are much more distracting than a geometric pattern or a monochrome drawing as the chaotic-ness of the painting causes anyone viewing it to be fully drawn in trying to understand it, which is ultimately very distracting.



'Love Affair' by Jose Parla (2008) materials: paint on canvas, link: http://www.artslant.com/par/works/show/251244-love-affair?tab=ARTWORK

   The second painting I am analysing is ‘Love Affair’ by Jose Parla. The painting base is canvas with the first layer being composed of various shades of brown in order to resemble a paint peeling building or wall (which Parla often uses as a canvas). There are also mismatched sections of scribbled yellow and white paint which when later layered with writing resemble flyers or papers which have been stuck to the wall and are decaying. The second layer is of calligraphy layered using acrylic paint layered so that it looks like different aged graffiti marks on a wall some of which have faded away, which makes the writing unreadable. The third layer is of white paint merging with the background. The fourth final layer is crimson paint which is dribbling down the canvas over the white and says the title of the painting ‘Love Affair’.

   The use of line on the painting is mainly shown in the graffiti and mainly consists of straight sharp lines and many are faded and redrawn to give the effect of layered and removed graffiti. The colours used are mainly earth tones of browns and reds which adds to how it is meant to look like an old wall.

I think the message of this painting is that Parla wants to forget an old relationship as the past relationships represented by graffiti have been replaced with others layered over and a large chunk is covered by peeling white paint possibly suggesting he can’t forget everything and traces still remain under the surface.

An interesting effect used is where Parla has carved vertical lines into the canvas which look like rain or some kind of urban decay which makes the painting even more convincing that it is from a wall and not a canvas.

Comparison

Overall both paintings are similar in many ways such as their use of a decaying effect by layering many materials then carving through the top layer to reveal previous layers below which is shown in both paintings. Also they both make many different styles of marks on their canvases although Keck’s are randomly arranged on the painting whereas Parla’s are layered more heavily at the top of the painting to give the impression they are dripping down the page.

However they are majorly different in their use of techniques as Keck has used contrasting materials such as pastel and oil paint which create a very textured effect which doesn’t blend whereas Parla has used paint which has all merged into one swirl of writing and dripping paint which involves focusing more to clearly read.

  

 



Robert Rauschenberg Art Analysis

 

   


Robert Rauschenberg, Black Market (1961) Oil paint, watercolour, crayons, printed paper, rope, metal and other various found objects.
Image source:http://0.tqn.com/d/arthistory/1/0/R/S/rrc_15.jpg

    Robert Rauschenberg was born in 1925 in Port Arthur Texas and died on the 12 ^th of May 2008 in Captiva Florida. He was a part of the pop art movement and worked using techniques such as screen printing, collage and sculpture.

   The piece of artwork I am analysing is the combine (a technique popularized by Rauschenberg which is a hybrid of sculpture and painting) ‘Black Market’ (1961). The canvas is square with paper in grey and blue covering the base then oil and watercolour paint has been swirled on top which resembles a stormy polluted sky but the earth tones used at the bottom of the canvas give an industrialised city effect. The second layer is of a number plate in the bottom left and a signpost in the top right; Rauschenberg composed these two signs well as they are at opposite sides of the canvas so they give a chaotic feel to the piece but due to their positioning they add symmetry to the piece so it isn’t too obscure and the city scene of the artwork is still clear. At the top right is a one-way sign with a piece of string attached which is tied to suitcase on the floor. Finally on the top layer of the canvas are 4 metallic notebooks which look like lights due to how they reflect, similar to lights you would see on a busy street like the first layer of the art work depicts.

   Although at first ‘Black Market’ appears to have no clear lines it is actually constructed of many straight objects clashing at different angles, I think this really shows the relation to a city as cities are mainly many straight rectangular buildings but the artwork shows how crowding causes everything to overlap and look chaotic. The texture of the piece is messy and dirty-looking this could be because Rauschenberg liked to work with found objects to create assemblage work (the composition of a 3D piece of artwork made using found objects) such as the New York rubbish he found on the streets then shaped it into buildings; effectively ‘Black Market’ is supposed to be a scene of New York made from New York.

   The artwork is composed to drag the viewer’s eye towards the suitcase on the floor due to the string hanging off the one way sign. I think this piece was created to get people to share more as the people are encouraged to take an item from the suitcase and leave an item for someone else in there, then write in the notebooks on the canvas what they took and left. This is why the piece is called black market as it’s an unofficial exchange of objects and I think it shows that everyone is a blur in a chaotic city where no one properly talks or communicates but this piece makes people exchange an object with someone they don’t know which shows a simple message of sharing in a busy atmosphere.   

 

    The artwork could also relate to current events in early 60s America such as the civil rights movement and segregation; this could show Rauschenberg’s support for the movement as the combine convinces anyone to share with everyone no matter who they are. This is also reflected in how the objects exchanged are just exchanged without looking at how much they are worth; this reflects how objects are worth different amounts to different people because of sentimental value not monetary worth.

   It’s difficult to see how this combine relates to Rauschenberg’s life during its creation, as combines often have no clear layout or straight forward focus point. Therefore I think the piece is more reflective of Rauschenberg’s surroundings of New York where he lived in 1961 and how he saw the chaos and change of New York during the 60s.

I find the printing technique used over the grey background using black ink interesting as it looks a like paint dripping from graffiti, I think this is really effective as it gives an urban look which matches the city scene Rauschenberg has created. I will probably try to recreate the technique of a same colour print over a background of different textures in my own artwork as I find the technique effective to create a faded, aged effect.

  



 

 

 

   

 

20 Close Up Photos