Artwork: Self Portrait
Girl with a brush
Acrylic on Canvas
(3 ft X 3 ft)
October 2017
(3 ft X 3 ft)
October 2017
Exhibition Text
My portrait was created to describe myself as an artist and as a person. My inspiration was Henri Matisse and the fauvist movement. The wild brush strokes and bright colors that he used caught my attention and helped me carry out my theme of identity.
Process
1. Brainstorming
When thinking about what my portrait should look like I thought about many artists and movements. I came upon artists that I didn't know very well and movements that I had seen before. I also thought about what my theme would be and how I could convey that using a movement that I like.
When thinking about what my portrait should look like I thought about many artists and movements. I came upon artists that I didn't know very well and movements that I had seen before. I also thought about what my theme would be and how I could convey that using a movement that I like.
Sketches
Sketch #1
When creating this sketch I was thinking of "The Desperate Man" by Gustave Courbet. This is a baroque painting that followed the realism movement. I planned to mimic the portrait by taking a picture of myself in the same position and making it into a baroque painting. Because I really enjoyed baroque I wanted to paint something realistic with a theme of identity. |
Sketch #3
The third sketch mimics the "Portrait of Madame Matisse" by Henri Matisse. I will be positioned just like Madame Matisse and the same color palette will be used. In order to make a portrait similar to Matisse's work I will put my hair up. If necessary I will also add more loose hair to my head so that it has that loose feel to it.
Sketch #4
The last sketch that I made is the "Girl with a Pearl Earring" by Johannes Vermeer. What I plan to do with this portrait is mimic the pose and clothing that she is wearing. It will be me in the portrait, but there are certain aspects that will change. The skin will be darker because it will be my skin tone, but the clothing will remain the same color. In the other hand, I will add two more earrings. In total I will have three earrings. Because in real life that is the amount of piercings I have in my ear, I would like to add that aspect to my portrait.
The third sketch mimics the "Portrait of Madame Matisse" by Henri Matisse. I will be positioned just like Madame Matisse and the same color palette will be used. In order to make a portrait similar to Matisse's work I will put my hair up. If necessary I will also add more loose hair to my head so that it has that loose feel to it.
Sketch #4
The last sketch that I made is the "Girl with a Pearl Earring" by Johannes Vermeer. What I plan to do with this portrait is mimic the pose and clothing that she is wearing. It will be me in the portrait, but there are certain aspects that will change. The skin will be darker because it will be my skin tone, but the clothing will remain the same color. In the other hand, I will add two more earrings. In total I will have three earrings. Because in real life that is the amount of piercings I have in my ear, I would like to add that aspect to my portrait.
2. Research On Technique
Before I began to paint I researched on techniques that could be useful for me while painting. I was provided with tricks that could help me including the amount of pressure applied, testing opacity, grip, and even direction. In my sketchbook I tested the amount of pressure used which resulted in more color when a great amount of pressure was applied. The next Thing I did was test if my paint was transparent or opaque. This helped me decide whether I would need to layer colors. When it came to grip, I experimented holding by brush in different ways. Overall, I had equal control and the strokes that I made on my paper looked very similar to each other. The last thing I did was test
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direction. I made different strokes going in different directions, which helped me visualize the way in which my portrait would look if I were to paint in different directions. The very last part in my sketchbook was testing the look of a certain part of my portrait. What I did was sketch my eye and then use different colors to paint it. This was made to see the possible outcome of my piece while using the fauvist technique.
Tips on Using Acrylics
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3. Building the Canvas and Applying Gesso
One of the steps taken when creating my piece was building my canvas. It consisted of putting 4 pieces of three foot wood together. This was done to create the frame. When done, I made sure that there was a 45 degree angle, that way my canvas looked straight. If I didn't do this then the canvas would have ended up being crooked or slanted. Next, I put my wood structure on top of a linen cloth and cut around so that I had just enough to cover the structure. Those parts were then folded in and stapled in the back. Each side was stapled slightly tight so that when gesso was applied the canvas would tighten. By doing this my canvas would end up just right, not very tight nor very loose. The next step was to gesso the canvas. I made sure to put enough gesso on every side so that the canvas would tighten evenly and so that I would have a good surface to work on. To make sure that I covered the canvas with gesso completely I painted the canvas twice and made sure I got every corner as well as parts in the back. Although this process took a while, it provided a nice surface in where acrylics didn't go through and helped with the overall look.
4. Process (Making the Portrait)
Painting process
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When my canvas was dry I projected the picture that I took earlier. It was a picture of me "painting" myself. What I did was outline the shape of myself as well as the highlights and shadows seen. Although I wasn't doing a baroque painting, this really helped me when adding different colors. The drawing of myself ended up looking very simple, which was good, since I was using the fauvist technique. I started by creating another outline made by paint. I watered down the acrylics and painted a thin layer in the places in where there were highlights and shadows. I painted the highlights with a soft yellow and the shadows with a light green. The next day I added more colors to the face. I wanted the cool colors to be used where there was shadows, and the warm colors where there were highlights. Throughout this process I experimented a lot since I wasn't always content with the look of my piece.
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5. Process (Experimentation)
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I ended up experimenting the majority of the time since I wasn't always happy with the way in which my portrait looked. I began by painting the eyes with cool colors. I added many blues, brown, white, and red. Then I began to paint the face by adding many shades of green and yellow. Because I was still in the process of making my portrait at this point I didn't worry much. I then added more cool colors like blue and purple hues, which made my portrait have a cool feeling so red was added to other areas. Because I didn't want my portrait to have white spots I kept the portrait like that. By doing this I was able to provide myself with a base just in case I missed any spots. As I began to add yellow hues to the left part of the face I realized my paint was transparent. The opacity of my paint was very low so the darker hues overpowered the yellows. Because this was happening I decided to paint my face with white in certain areas so that the other colors would show. After this I painted my face with oranges and reds. Then, blues and green were added for shadows. At the end I was content with the way in which it looked so I moved on to completing the hair. The hair was painted blue and red as well as other different colors. I wanted the fauvism movement to remain so I painted the hair with all of the colors that were used previously. I began by adding different shades of blue, then yellows, greens, and reds. In order for my portrait to not look very plain I I chose to add the variety of hues, which added that detail I was looking for. The clothing that I am wearing was painted with a plain color and white. they were painted this way so that the focus would be brought to me. Lastly, the background is layered out with four layers. I began by painting the back with a light yellow-orange and greens in different areas. The next step was to add lavender around in the background, then turquoise was added on top of that but only in certain areas. Because I did not add the hues to the entire piece, I was able to create a layered effect on the piece. The final step I took was painting the edges that I had left white. What I ended up doing was placing masking tape in the
sides, providing that straight edge that I was looking for. The sides were then painted with black to bring an emphasis to the many hues in my piece. |
Artistic Inspiration
Henri Matisse
Portrait of Madame Matisse
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Woman with a Hat |
My inspiration was Henri Matisse, a French painter who was well known for his fauvist paintings that caused great change in the future. He was known for using bright hues and wild brush strokes. Matisse developed a love for art later in his life, which cause him to move to Paris and study in that field. His art began as drawing, which then transitioned to paintings. He experimented with different movements. These included neo-classicism, realism, impressionism and neo-impressionism. While experimenting with different movements he also began to used different techniques. His brush strokes were different for each of his art works. His technique was always changing. While being encouraged to use his own style in his work, he encountered the fauvist style. This movement used a technique that involved wild brush strokes and abnormal colors. The hues that were used were not something that would be seen in a person. These hues would sometimes be very cool colors such as blues and greens, and other times they were warm hues such as yellows, pinks and reds. Matisse then became a leader of the fauvist movement, making him a very famous painter. I plan to use the color palette that Matisse used as inspiration for my piece. I want to use all of the hues that I can and keep the piece looking a bit abnormal just like Matisse, by doing this I will be able to keep the fauvist style and keep a similar style to that of Matisse. Something that I noticed in his work is that he used similar colors when it came to the background and the person. I would like to use this technique so that I can pop out more than the background, just like in the "Portrait of Madame Matisse" and "Woman with a Hat". Lastly, I would like to experiment with the brush strokes that I make in my canvas. When Matisse painted, he often made wild brush strokes which can be seen in his piece and I would like to create a similar look in my portrait.
The Sand Child by Ben Jelloun
Another one of my inspirations was a book that I read in my literature class. The book that I read is The Sand Child by Ben Jelloun. It is about a man who decides her daughters fate. He is mad because of gender roles in their culture, which state that a man's inheritance will go to his son, unless there is none. Because he only has daughters, his inheritance will be split. Only one third of the money will go to his wife and daughters while the rest goes to his two brothers. What the father decides to do is change the fate of his newborn daughter. When born, they lie about the gender of his daughter. She is raised as a male, but later on she has an identity crisis. This book served as an inspiration because it was about the young girls identity. My portrait is also about identity, but more refined. My portrait was made to resemble how I am and how I consider myself to be. With my piece I want to show that everyone identifies themselves different when asked the question "who are you". Although many go straight into talking about gender, there is more than just that. We all have a culture and morals that help identify us as humans as well as our character and our actions.
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Reflection
Portrait of Madame Matisse
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My final piece: Girl with a brush
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Woman with a Hat
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At the end of the day I was happy with the outcome of my portrait. It followed the fauvism style similarly to Matisse's work. The face had a variety of hues and the position in which I am in sort of fades into the background. One of the things that I noticed in Matisse's paintings were the fact that the clothing faded with the hues from the back. In the Portrait of Madame Matisse, the clothing that is being worn is a mix of warm colors. Similarly, in his painting Woman with a Hat, the woman's wardrobe fades in with the back. He used pastel colors for the background, which are reused in her clothing. In my painting I demonstrated a similar technique. I made my shirt blend in with the background by painting it with a cool color that had a similar look to the blues in the back. Another thing that I noticed on Matisse's work is that the face is greatly emphasized because of the use of his color palette. The faces in his paintings have yellows and oranges. In the Woman with a Hat, the face also has similar colors to the ones he used to create a cool feeling. In my piece I used a similar technique to that of the Woman with a Hat. I used warm colors in the face but I also incorporated the hues seen in the back. Another thing that I incorporated in my piece were the wild brush strokes. I used most of this in my face and in the background. In addition, Matisse's use of space was a source of inspiration for me. Like in his paintings, I was positioned in the center of the canvas. Lastly, my portrait looked simple just like the fauvist paintings that Matisse created. The facial features were all simplified while the color showed detail. Overall, I used a similar color palette to the one of my inspiration as well as their use of space and technique.
Meaning
The portrait that I created is an identity piece. All of the elements that were included in my portrait are there for a reason. I created my piece in a way that could reflect how I am as a person. In my portrait I am positioned in a way that makes me look trustworthy. My eyes can clearly be seen as well as my facial features, and at least one of my hands is shown. The way in which I am holding my brush looks a bit loose, which helps bring out the aspect of me being trustworthy. I am slightly an introverted person. This can be seen in the overall expression of my face. I don't have much of an expression which helps bring that element out. The idea of me painting myself is to bring out the fact that I consider myself an artist. The fauvism movement was chosen when making my portrait because of all of the color that it contains. The vibrant colors are what catches our attention. I decided to use them because they help me bring out the fact that I feel proud to be who I am. I feel proud of my morals, education, and culture. My painting is an identity painting that asks the question "Who are you?", which can be described and answered by the color palette, expression, and even the paint brush that I am holding.
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.
Henri Matisse greatly affected the way in which I used color and space in my portrait, as well as the technique and movement that I followed.
2. What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The author from my research on Matisse had the approach of informing others about Matisse's life and his influences. Meanwhile, Jelloun wrote the Sand Child to show others how gender roles are affected by ones culture while making a character face self identity while defying the rules.
3. What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
While researching my inspiration I discovered that its great to bring your own ideas and styles into your work, just like Matisse, and that it is also significant to do what you believe is right, just like Ahmed in the Sand Child.
4. What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The theme around my inspirations were self identity (The Sand Child) and bringing your own style into your work of art (Matisse).
5. What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
After reading my research I can inference that there is nothing wrong with bringing your own ideas into your work, and that there is nothing wrong with standing up for ones beliefs.
Henri Matisse greatly affected the way in which I used color and space in my portrait, as well as the technique and movement that I followed.
2. What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The author from my research on Matisse had the approach of informing others about Matisse's life and his influences. Meanwhile, Jelloun wrote the Sand Child to show others how gender roles are affected by ones culture while making a character face self identity while defying the rules.
3. What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
While researching my inspiration I discovered that its great to bring your own ideas and styles into your work, just like Matisse, and that it is also significant to do what you believe is right, just like Ahmed in the Sand Child.
4. What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The theme around my inspirations were self identity (The Sand Child) and bringing your own style into your work of art (Matisse).
5. What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
After reading my research I can inference that there is nothing wrong with bringing your own ideas into your work, and that there is nothing wrong with standing up for ones beliefs.
Reference
- Tuohy, Andy, and Christopher Masters. A To Z Great Modern Artists. Cassell Illustrated, 2015.
- Tauchid, Rheni. New Acrylics Essential Sourcebook: Materials, Techniques, and Contemporary Applications for Today's Artist. Watson-Guptill, 2010.
- Jennings, Simon. Artist's Color Manual: the Complete Guide to Working with Color. Chronicle Books, 2003.
- All about Techniques in Color. Barron's, 2000.
- Muller, Joseph-Emile. Fauvism. 1968.
- Dabrowski, Author: Magdalena. “Henri Matisse (1869–1954) | Essay | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art.” The Met's Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2017, www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/mati/hd_mati.htm.
- McMullen, Roy Donald. “Henri Matisse.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 9 Oct. 2017, www.britannica.com/biography/Henri-Matisse.
- Jelloun, Tahar Ben. The sand child. Johns Hopkins University Press, 2000.