Artwork: Block Print
Aztec
Block Print
(22.5 cm X 15.5 cm)
September 2017
(22.5 cm X 15.5 cm)
September 2017
Exhibition Text
The focus of my block print was my culture. In the Mexican culture there are a customs such as Folkloric dance and Aztec dancing. The theme I chose was Aztec dancing. I wanted to show others components that are part of my culture and religion. In this case I chose to carve a man dressed in Aztec wear because it's one of the things that first come to mind when you think about this tradition. My piece was inspired by Käthe Kollwitz, a well known German Expressionist artist.
Process
Sketches
Linoleum carving Process
3. Research
Youtube:
These videos served as reference when creating my block print. The first video, "Aztec Dancers Intro" helped me when creating my sketch. While I watched the video I took several pictures so that I could create the headpiece. I looked at every detail there was and created a design that was detailed yet simple enough to carve out. In the other hand, the video "Block Printing-Linocuts" gave me tips and tricks about carving in a linoleum pad, how to apply ink and how much ink would be needed. 5. Skills and Techniques
Throughout the process of carving the linoleum board I learned several things. When carving in the board, you must apply a good amount of pressure and slowly decrease the amount when getting close to the end. When I was carving around my sketch, I had many problems when holding the tool like I would hold a pencil. What I did was hold on to the tool with my index finger clustered to the tip, applying pressure. This helped me have more control over where I was carving and the amount of errors were reduced. Experimentation
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1. Brainstorming
The first step that I took while creating my piece was brainstorming. I wanted something that related to my culture so I began writing down ideas such as folkloric dance, Aztec dance, and Dia de los Muertos. 2. Planning/Sketches
After choosing Aztec dance for my theme I began to sketch out men with Aztec wear. I then narrowed it down and chose one of them for my block print.
4. Linoleum Carving
Before I began carving anything out I transfer my sketch on to the linoleum board by using the carbon transfer method. Because this method only does so much, I ended up fixing up any small details. I began by carving out the face and body. I used tools with a small blade for the thinner lines and large, wide blades for the bigger sections. The face was the hardest because the details were smaller than in other parts. I began by carving around the places that are supposed to represent shaded areas. I then carved around the eye, eyebrow, and the bottom eyelid. The hardest part of this section was carving inside the eye. What I ended up doing was carving out the parts of the eye by rotating the carving tool as I applied pressure. I then carved out the lines in the face and then transferred to carving out the body. I used the smaller blade to carve out deep thin lines. Because the headpiece is very big I ended up doing this last. I made sure that everything was outlined and then I began to carve out inside the feathers. I wanted to make sure that the effect of them overlapping would be seen so what I did was leave a black boarder outlining each of them. After doing all of this I carved out a very thin outline around the entire piece so that the black outline of the feathers and anything in the border could be seen. 6. Block Printing Process
When I was finished carving out my entire piece I shifted to the block printing process. First, I used a painting knife to place in on the ink tray. Then, I used a brayer to roll the ink, creating an even layer with no lumps. After I rolled the brayer on the ink several times I rolled it on top of the linoleum. When there seemed to be enough ink on top of the linoleum board I would then get a piece of drawing paper and would lay it on top. After I had placed the paper I used a baren to apply pressure on top of the entire board. After I had applied enough force to the piece I would slowly pull the paper apart from the linoleum. The result was a stamp on the paper, which came out different every time. 7. Experimenting
When creating the prints, I experimented many times. I began by applying very little ink (Print #1), but the outcome looked faded and there was not much contrast between the background and the man. I then added more ink, but the result was not of my liking because there were still places that looked white while others had dark spots (Print #2 & #4). Eventually I figured out that I had to use enough dye so that it would result in very few white spots. The only problem was that sometimes it lacked dye on the face or I did not apply the necessary pressure to make a print (Print #5). At the end I was successful because I was able to get a print that I liked (print #6), one that showed great contrast in color (black & white) and had very few places that looked discolored. |
Artistic Inspiration
Käthe Kollwitz
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The People by Kathe Kollwitz
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"Kathe Kollwitz Gallery", www.leninimports.com/kathe_kollwitz_gallery.html.
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One of my artistic inspirations was Käthe Kollwitz, a German Expressionist artist. A lot of her artwork involves people, which influenced my decision of making a man instead of carving out the traditional wear. Not only that but her use of line and shape in her artwork varies. She used lines that varied from size and thickness. When creating shaded areas she would make thin lines going in one direction. Although the shapes she used were both organic and geometric shapes, her designs looked detailed yet simple. This inspired me to create thin and thick lines that emphasized certain areas such as the headpiece or part of the face. I also carved out thin areas in the face and clothing to represent the places in where there is shading. The piece "In Memoriam Karl Liebknecht", influenced the way in which I drew the face. The face gave me (close up) an idea of where shaded areas are as well as how to make simple facial features.
Mexican Culture: Aztec Dance
My second artistic inspiration was my culture. Just like many other cultures we have unique traditions, such as Aztec dancing. Every year there is a group of people who dance to thank the Virgin Mary, this is what lead to the creation of my piece. The fact that we do this traditions to conserve our culture was a great inspiration. "Aztec", is a profile picture of man wearing the "penacho Azteca" which is the name of the headpiece they wear. My piece resembles the more simple headpiece, which has a headband fixed with simple designs and feathers coming out. In my artwork there are long feathers that flow back, but also smaller feathers to help adorn the design. Overall, the Mexican culture and the appearance of the Aztec dancers influenced my work.
Reflection
When my block print was completed I was content. The sketch that I made looked very much like the outcome but certain aspects bothered me. The sections that were supposed to be shaded areas don't have the effect that I wanted. They don't look much like the technique that Käthe Kollwitz used, the lines weren't thin and constant like hers. Not only that but the neck doesn't look much like a shaded area, instead the neck and clothing seem to fade in with the background. The part that I was happy about was the headpiece. The headband was nice and simple while the feathers added a bit more movement in my piece. Overall, the headpiece is the one that catches the viewers eyes, creating movement. Their eyes travel around as they admire the appearance of the headpiece and then the man.
Kathe Kollwitz was one of my inspirations. She was very famous for her artwork which followed the German Expressionism movement. Her work had a theme of sorrow, reflecting all of the tragedies that occurred in Germany. Although my piece does not reflect sorrow it demonstrates some of the elements and principles or art that Kathe Kollwitz used in her artwork. I used lines and shapes that were similar to her artwork and I also used movement in my piece. The idea of creating shaded areas and the simplistic shape of the head followed the steps of Kathe Kollwitz.
The Mexican culture was another one of my insprations. I focused on the tradition of aztec dancing. My design followed the way in which the headpiece looks. It had the traditional look with long feathers, but also had smaller feathers in the front which is sometimes seen in some of the head wear. Another thing that I included was the hanging feathers in the sides of the piece which is not usually seen but I think added a little bit more to the overall apparel.
Kathe Kollwitz was one of my inspirations. She was very famous for her artwork which followed the German Expressionism movement. Her work had a theme of sorrow, reflecting all of the tragedies that occurred in Germany. Although my piece does not reflect sorrow it demonstrates some of the elements and principles or art that Kathe Kollwitz used in her artwork. I used lines and shapes that were similar to her artwork and I also used movement in my piece. The idea of creating shaded areas and the simplistic shape of the head followed the steps of Kathe Kollwitz.
The Mexican culture was another one of my insprations. I focused on the tradition of aztec dancing. My design followed the way in which the headpiece looks. It had the traditional look with long feathers, but also had smaller feathers in the front which is sometimes seen in some of the head wear. Another thing that I included was the hanging feathers in the sides of the piece which is not usually seen but I think added a little bit more to the overall apparel.
Meaning
The meaning behind my piece is the manner of preserving our culture. It represents the Mexican culture and one of the many traditions that should be maintained. One of the many ways to preserve our culture is to do such thing as the Aztec dance. Every December there is a group of people who dance just for the Virgin Mary in church. This is done to connect with the universe and the stars, but the biggest reason they dance is to give grace to the Virgin. While they dance they pray and so what their blessings go up to heaven. There are things like the cup and the fire that have deeper meanings. The cup represents when life is made while the fire represents life itself. Doing these kinds of things helps us preserve our culture and this is one of the reasons why it has been kept alive. My artwork was made to show people a little bit about my culture and for those who practice this custom so that they help conserve one our traditions. Overall, my project represents culture and how it should be maintained
Connecting to ACT
1. Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause-effect relationships between your inspiration and its effect upon your artwork.
My inspiration caused great effect on my artwork. I followed a similar design compared to the traditional headpiece and I also followed elements and principles that Kathe Kollwitz used. While doing this I created a unique piece that had a deeper meaning to me, just like Kathe Kollwitz and her work.
2. What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The author of my inspiration wrote an article of Kathe Kollwitz in order to let others know why she created what she did. They believe that Kathe created artwork that reflected the tragedies that took place, and similarly, my work demonstrates events that take place but in this case its focused more on culture and customs.
3. What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
While researching one of my inspiration I came to a conclusion about people. I realized that they do certain things to conserve their culture. In this case the Mexican culture has kept this tradition going and has done it in a way in which they can also thank the gods by presenting a dance. In the other hand Kathe Kollwitz helped me infer that there are people who can reflect the way in which they feel in ways that can help others see reality.
4. What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The central idea of my inspiration Kathe Kollwitz, was German Expressionism and sorrow. In the other hand the inspiration of the Aztec dancers was to give grace to the Virgin Mary and dance for her.
5. What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
While researching my inspiration I came to a conclusion about Kathe Kollwitz and her work. I figured that events that take place in someone's life can truly affect their actions. In this case Kollwitz took out her frustration in her artwork. She made pieces that had a feel of sorrow, which were seen in the faces of the figures she created.
References
- “Aztec Dancers - Intro.” Youtube, 8 Sept. 2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRNGM8yyn_M.
- “Block Printing - Linocuts .” Youtube, 21 Nov. 2015, www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiQPOIwObrQ.
- "Kathe Kollwitz Gallery", www.leninimports.com/kathe_kollwitz_gallery.html.
- “Käthe Kollwitz, In Memoriam Karl Liebknecht.” Khan Academy, www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/later-europe-and-americas/modernity-ap/a/kthe-kollwitz-in-memoriam-karl-Liebknecht.
- “Meninis Avangardas Ir Socialinis Protestas.” Šiaurės Atėnai. ALEKSEJ CVETKOV. Meninis Avangardas Ir Socialinis Protestas, eia.libis.lt:8080/archyvas/viesas/20110116223542/h ttp://www.culture.lt/satenai/?leid_id=906&kas=straipsnis&st_id=16204.
- “Blessing Animals Olvera Street Los Angeles Gifts.” Alamy, Alamy Ltd. , 9 Sept. 2017, www.alamy.com/stock-photo/blessing-animals-olvera-street-los.html.
- Medo, Esquadrão do. “Esquadrão Do Medo.” O DIA DOS MORTOS (MÉXICO), 1 Jan. 1970, esquadraodomedoo.blogspot.com/2015/11/o-dia-dos-mortos-mexico.html.
- “Culture in Motion: Fest Showcases World Dance.” Hburgnews.com, hburgnews.com/2010/09/24/culture-in-motion-fest-showcases-world-dance/.
- “Kathe Kollwitz - Biography.” RoGallery, ROGALLERY.COM, 2017, www.rogallery.com/Kollwitz/Kollwitz-bio.htm.