Tryptic
"Remember Me"
Size: 61 x 91.5cm Medium: Acrylic paint on canvas Date: February, 2017 This piece was meant to show the importance of photography in remembering the past, and highlight the relationship between by grandma and I, in which to show how much she has affected my life in a positive way and made me a stronger person. |
Artistic Inspiration
My inspirational artist is Impressionist-style Hungarian artist Pal Fried. Fried studied under Claude Monet and Lucien Simone, and was deeply influenced by the styles of these artists. Although he produced many pastel portraits and nudes of women (including celebrities), he also painted landscapes. Fried was heavily influenced by the French Impressionist school of Degas and Renoir. Fried mastered techniques of displaying light and movement in his work. He liked to travel and gained lots of experience by painting around the world.
His portraits and nudes of women are very soft and colorful. His most famous works are of done-up beautiful women out on the street. The 1950's fashion style is evident in his work when he paints women. I was immediately drawn to his work because of the elegant street-pose quality of the people he paints. I like the impressionist style because its often pastel and calming, but Fried introduces many bright colors that make his work pop. I wanted to choose an artist that specifically painted portraits of women and appreciated the female body. Pal Fried was known to paint many versions of the same painting with slightly different facial expressions.
His portraits and nudes of women are very soft and colorful. His most famous works are of done-up beautiful women out on the street. The 1950's fashion style is evident in his work when he paints women. I was immediately drawn to his work because of the elegant street-pose quality of the people he paints. I like the impressionist style because its often pastel and calming, but Fried introduces many bright colors that make his work pop. I wanted to choose an artist that specifically painted portraits of women and appreciated the female body. Pal Fried was known to paint many versions of the same painting with slightly different facial expressions.
Planning
When brainstorming ideas for this project, we were given the instructions that one panel had to be of ourselves, one panel had to be about how we affect the world, and one had to be on how the world has affected ourselves. I tried to think of ways in which I have affected the world, but I had a little trouble considering i'm only 16. However, I also started to think more specifically about the people that I have affected. The middle sketch in the first and third panel is attempting to tell the story of my grandma Alice and I. Because of a lot of things that were going on around the time that I was born, she always tells me that I helped her a lot when I was brought into the world.. I thought that our relationship was a big part of my own story because not only have I helped her, but she has taught me so much.
After thinking about my life and about memories that I have made in which the environment has affected me (or in which I have affected the environment), I realized how important photographs are to me. About a year or two ago, I started to take Polaroid pictures, not only because they look really cool, but more because they help me to remember days in my life where I was happy or sad or excited. Seeing the same pictures when I go to bed and then wake up in the morning multiple times helps me to understand time and to not be so incredibly stressed with whatever is going on in the moment. I like to have my memories on my wall.
I chose to make the theme of my piece photo-related because of the huge impact taking pictures has had on the way I view my memories and my time on this world.
The sketch for the last panel is a strong me. I chose to embody the "We Can Do it" poster because I feel like my environment has made me a strong individual (especially relating back to all my grandmother has given me). I also wanted to emphasize a contrast between the elegance expressed in the women in Pal Fried's work, and in the strength I could display in myself. My intentions were to demonstrate that we can be both elegant and strong.
After thinking about my life and about memories that I have made in which the environment has affected me (or in which I have affected the environment), I realized how important photographs are to me. About a year or two ago, I started to take Polaroid pictures, not only because they look really cool, but more because they help me to remember days in my life where I was happy or sad or excited. Seeing the same pictures when I go to bed and then wake up in the morning multiple times helps me to understand time and to not be so incredibly stressed with whatever is going on in the moment. I like to have my memories on my wall.
I chose to make the theme of my piece photo-related because of the huge impact taking pictures has had on the way I view my memories and my time on this world.
The sketch for the last panel is a strong me. I chose to embody the "We Can Do it" poster because I feel like my environment has made me a strong individual (especially relating back to all my grandmother has given me). I also wanted to emphasize a contrast between the elegance expressed in the women in Pal Fried's work, and in the strength I could display in myself. My intentions were to demonstrate that we can be both elegant and strong.
Process
I started off stretching three canvases of equal size. It was hard to make the canvas tight against the frame. After stretching all three, I covered the canvases with a few layers of gesso. This helped to tighten the fabric on the frame. I had to paint multiple layers of the gesso on the canvas because the first layer was thin and patchy. After waiting for the gesso to dry, I started to sketch the image onto the fabric. I used a ruler to get exact measurements in the two panels that have Polaroid photographs. In order to sketch and paint realistic images, I took photographs of myself. I used these pictures to create a more accurate image. After I had sketched the basic image onto the canvas of all three pictures, I started to paint. This layer of paint was used just to establish the different areas of color and to outline shapes. I was very unsure of how to paint the hair specifically because I wanted to mimic the style of my artistic inspiration (more on this in Experimentation). When I started to paint, I built the picture up with shadows and highlights to show depth. This part was difficult because I was trying to mimic the impressionist style while also using my colors and trying to create shadows. I thought that I was done with my piece, but then I found that the background was too plain, and that I needed something to pull everything together. I then traced a string that connected both Polaroid pictures with clothes pins. I then painted the background of all of the paintings a bright yellow color. |
Experimentation
While painting my piece, I experimented with the impressionist painting style of Pal Fried. This technique was pretty hard for me, especially in the hair. I started off my drawing the red hair that was stringy and thin.
My piece was also pretty flat in the beginning. It was hard to add depth to my piece while keeping the impressionist style. I tried many different techniques to emulate this style. I also experimented with color in my three paintings. I decided to paint the background color yellow because I thought that it would bring out the yellow tones in my shirt, and make the pink camera pop. I was originally just going to leave the background white, and so the Polaroid pictures would just be floating, but then I realized that they needed a place. This caused me to create a string that connects both Polaroid pictures with clothes pins. I kept the yellow background patchy because I was trying to keep the impressionist style. |
Reflection
Overall, I think that my piece shows a good story, but it may not be obvious to a viewer who doesn't know background on my life. I like that in one of the three paintings I had a camera (cause) and the others were the pictures taken by the camera (effect). I wish that I could have been able to recreate Pal Fried's style more accurately, but I found it very hard. This was probably because I had never really tried to emulate the impressionist style, especially on portraits. I think that I could have also done a better job at using my space to create meaning. I could have planned for this better during the planning phase of the project. I did like how all of the panels were able to tie together to create a story.
Connection to the ACT
1) How are you able to identify the cause-effect relationships between your inspiration and its effect upon your artwork
My artistic inspiration, Pal Fried, has effected my piece by inspiring me to emulate the impressionist style. He has also influenced the meaning of my piece and how I presented the subject matter.
2) What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
I think that the author has a pretty calming and positive approach to the women that he paints.
3) What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
I have made the conclusion that impressionism wasn't just mostly nature scenes! I thought that impressionists focused more on scenes of nature (landscapes). I'm now realizing that impressionism was/is a versatile art style.
4) What was the central idea for theme around your inspirational research?
I'd say that the central idea for the theme around Pal Fried is probably just the elegance and beauty of women.
5) What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
I made inferences about the work of impressionist style painters. I started to connect all of the different impressionist artists together in my head.
My artistic inspiration, Pal Fried, has effected my piece by inspiring me to emulate the impressionist style. He has also influenced the meaning of my piece and how I presented the subject matter.
2) What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
I think that the author has a pretty calming and positive approach to the women that he paints.
3) What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
I have made the conclusion that impressionism wasn't just mostly nature scenes! I thought that impressionists focused more on scenes of nature (landscapes). I'm now realizing that impressionism was/is a versatile art style.
4) What was the central idea for theme around your inspirational research?
I'd say that the central idea for the theme around Pal Fried is probably just the elegance and beauty of women.
5) What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
I made inferences about the work of impressionist style painters. I started to connect all of the different impressionist artists together in my head.
Citations
Pal Fried. (2016). Retrieved January 23, 2017, from http://www.rogeryostgallery.com/fine-art/fried-pal/pal-fried.htm