Title: Barriers
Size: 30 cm x 45 cm
Medium: Pastel on Illustration Board
Date: October 2019
Exhibition Text
"Barriers" is a pastel piece created on illustration board inspired by Joan Mir
"Woman In Front Of The Sun" (1950) by Joan Miró retrieved from https://www.joan-miro.net/woman-in-front-of-the-sun.jsp
Roy Lichtenstein is an American pop artist who is considered to be one of the most influential artists in the 19th century. He is known for this style of bold colors, no gradients, and comic like paintings. This painting is specifically from a DC comic book from 1962. Roy Lichtenstein took this original comic book picture and painted it. he removed the background which had a man on a ship, and replaced it with a enhanced picture of the woman drowning. He uses thick lines in the water to show movement throughout the artwork. I also used these same lines in my artwork "Barriers" however it is not for the same purpose. My lines were used specifically for gradient separation, establishing balance, and creating highlight within each of the gradient areas. Though my idea differs from that of Roy Lichtenstein's, this idea originated from that of his artwork.
Technique For the color pastels, I originally planned to use the post-impressionist style of small dashes; I eventually moved more to a gradient pattern which would require solid color and not dashes. When planning this piece I decided to mark down the lines in pencil and make the color in between each set of gradients a think, bold black which I felt would ass balance to the piece. I used this technique throughout the entire piece.
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Inspiration Joan Miró is a Spanish painter who uses a mixture of line intensity and color brightness, to highlight certain features and parts in his pieces. Though this is more specific to this piece, "Woman In Front Of The Sun" he has many other artworks where he applies a similar concept. He is also widely known for his abstract art, and art that challenges the formalities of society. In this artwork he exhibits a woman in front of the sun. However this sun is a red sun, and this woman is very less woman than the title conveys. This idea is abstract, but it also has a deeper meaning being that if the woman. She doesn't look like herself, and it looks strange. It is strange because of the norms of society, and how we all personally believe something should look. I used this idea in barriers to show how one thing of a very strong solid color in the center, lacks the ability to connect to the color around them because the color doesn't want to connect.
"Drowning Girl" (1963) Roy Lichtenstein retrieved from https://www.npr.org/2012/10/15/162807890/one-dot-at-a-time-lichtenstein-made-art-pop
Experimentation During the process of creating this piece I have altered very little in my original planning. After I decided to do the idea of having a thing in the center and have it look as if it is repelling the colors I changed very little. I have only used pastels a few times, and I had to use different methods to create the gradients. I found that the easiest way to blend the colors were with heavy amounts of pastel and using my fingers to rub the colors together.
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Planning
At first I had the idea of creating a landscape but it required a Joan Miró kind of color. In one of his landscapes he uses not his normal sharp, bright colors, but colors that blend together with beige. This gave the aesthetic of a real building but turns the idea around with many colors but deeper, darker versions, and building lines that are curved. I then decided that I wanted to use color pastels because of the vibrant colors I saw in Joan Miró's piece, "Prades, the village" and "Woman In Front of the Sun". These were both made with oil paint on canvas, but I felt like the colors spoke pastels. This is when I came up with the idea for "Barriers" where a thing of solid black in the center would be standing, and all the other colors would be flowing around this thing. At first glance it seems like this thing's barriers are preventing it from connecting with the color, but it is actually societies barriers preventing the thing from connecting to the color.
Process
First I outlined the design that I was going with which included the thing in the center, a space around it, and colors and lines everywhere around it. I did this with just a simple pencil and using my idea of where I wanted things.
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I then colored the thing in the center black, and then the larger lines that separate the colors. This would add the emphasis on the line work similar to how Roy Lichtenstein uses line in "Drowning Girl".
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Lastly I used the color pastels to create many different color gradients around the figure in the center. I did this by putting one color in one area of the shape, and the other color in the other area. When they overlap they create the gradient that is needed.
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Reflection
Throughout the process of creating this piece, I was struggling with ideas. I am happy with the outcome, but like the word happy I feel like it was lack luster. I really had such a small idea on what to do for this piece that I feel like the execution of this piece could've had more of a meaning. I for the first time have felt like this piece needed to be created because of school, the idea is nice but I doesn't feel like my style. I enjoyed it for the most part but it I had a way better feeling when painting. Something about the flow of painting and the soft touch makes me feel way better than needing to push on the pastel so I can get the most solid color possible. I do believe however that the piece turned out good, I just didn't have as much fun with the process.
This piece is well connected with the inspiration pieces of "Woman In Front Of The Sun" by Joan Miró and "Drowning Girl" by Roy Lichtenstein. The meaning is taken from the idea that "Woman In Front Of The Sun" created in the past society. The public sees this odd painting, though very popular, it questioned how people see women. The title is complicating leading to the artwork which is simplistic. A big design aspect came from Roy Lichtenstein which was the use of bold black lines which he uses for movement. I on the other hand use these lines to emphasize the gradient colors.
This piece is well connected with the inspiration pieces of "Woman In Front Of The Sun" by Joan Miró and "Drowning Girl" by Roy Lichtenstein. The meaning is taken from the idea that "Woman In Front Of The Sun" created in the past society. The public sees this odd painting, though very popular, it questioned how people see women. The title is complicating leading to the artwork which is simplistic. A big design aspect came from Roy Lichtenstein which was the use of bold black lines which he uses for movement. I on the other hand use these lines to emphasize the gradient colors.
ACT Questions
Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause effect relationship between your inspiration and its effect on your artwork?
Because of Joan Miró's artworks which questioned a lot about society at a time where there was very little of that. He made a piece that questioned societies norms, and this is the meaning of my piece; how societies norms prohibit someone different from connection with society. Roy Lichtenstein was one the first artist to perfect this comic book painting style, and this is what inspired me to create this piece. The way the black lines highlight the other colors like the indigo blue which is the same idea I use when I use the lines to highlight gradients.
What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
Though Roy Lichtenstein doesn't speak on individuality, he innovated the use of Bendey dots and the idea of paintings that look similar to comic books. As for Joan Miró, he has a lot to do with individuality. His simplistic pieces, especially "Woman In Front Of The Sun" which questioned how people thought of woman. When you think of a woman you think of an actual woman, not this nightmare monster that you would see a child's drawing.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
People are very much the same throughout society. People have never embraced difference, and because of this we are all becoming similar. Someone who breaks away from these norms is considered strange or weird. The big popular people are the people who are able to be as normal as possible.
What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?.
The central idea around my inspiration is the the idea of societies barriers holding things from prospering. The whole idea is references to how people treat one another, and how people don't embrace difference, but attack it.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
Inferences made during research were that Roy Lichtenstein didn't use the dark, thick lines for color separation and the other things I used it for (besides balance). He used those lines specifically for movement and to make the painting seem more like a comic book.
Because of Joan Miró's artworks which questioned a lot about society at a time where there was very little of that. He made a piece that questioned societies norms, and this is the meaning of my piece; how societies norms prohibit someone different from connection with society. Roy Lichtenstein was one the first artist to perfect this comic book painting style, and this is what inspired me to create this piece. The way the black lines highlight the other colors like the indigo blue which is the same idea I use when I use the lines to highlight gradients.
What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
Though Roy Lichtenstein doesn't speak on individuality, he innovated the use of Bendey dots and the idea of paintings that look similar to comic books. As for Joan Miró, he has a lot to do with individuality. His simplistic pieces, especially "Woman In Front Of The Sun" which questioned how people thought of woman. When you think of a woman you think of an actual woman, not this nightmare monster that you would see a child's drawing.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
People are very much the same throughout society. People have never embraced difference, and because of this we are all becoming similar. Someone who breaks away from these norms is considered strange or weird. The big popular people are the people who are able to be as normal as possible.
What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?.
The central idea around my inspiration is the the idea of societies barriers holding things from prospering. The whole idea is references to how people treat one another, and how people don't embrace difference, but attack it.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
Inferences made during research were that Roy Lichtenstein didn't use the dark, thick lines for color separation and the other things I used it for (besides balance). He used those lines specifically for movement and to make the painting seem more like a comic book.
References
Stamberg, Susan. “One Dot At A Time, Lichtenstein Made Art Pop.” NPR, NPR, 15 Oct. 2012, https://www.npr.org/2012/10/15/162807890/one-dot-at-a-time-lichtenstein-made-art-pop.
“Woman in Front of the Sun.” Woman in Front of the Sun, 1950 by Joan Miro, https://www.joan-miro.net/woman-in-front-of-the-sun.jsp.
“Woman in Front of the Sun.” Woman in Front of the Sun, 1950 by Joan Miro, https://www.joan-miro.net/woman-in-front-of-the-sun.jsp.