EXHIBITION TEXT
This piece was created around the concept of youth with the purpose to depict that nothing last forever and one should live without the obsession of what might happen next. Its inspired mainly by the aesthetic of both "Ukrainian Night" by Arkhyp Kuindzhi and "Passengers" by Steven Assael. "Ukrainian Night" by Arkhyp is influential on my piece through its scenery and emphasis created though the contrast between light and dark. "Passengers" by Steven Assael mainly influences my piece through its depiction and narrative of the relationship between his individuals, which allowed me to develop my own idea for this piece along with his use of light and brushwork allowing it to appear smooth and dream-like. The objects are all purchased within the medium section with the exception of the canvas being created with acrylic gesso, wood, and cloth.
INSPIRATION
"Passengers" by Steven Assael, 2018
One of my conceptual inspirations for this piece was Steven Assael's, "Passengers". This piece is a narrative of some strangers on a bus just laying on each other by the horizon portrayed through the window. I enjoyed how Steven Assael was able to depict a sense of youth and tranquility within this piece by how relaxed he made his individuals appear, along with the aesthetic and symbolism behind the sunset. I wanted to portray a sense of youth in my own piece along with a feeling of comfort so therefore I wanted to apply this form of narrative in my own piece by allowing the viewer to question what the meaning of the piece was. I also really liked the idea of including a high contrast of light to emphasize the individuals in the piece.
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"Ukrainian Night" by Arkhyp Kuindzhi, 1876
The piece "Ukrainian Night" by Arkhyp Kuindzhi is a big conceptual inspiration as well to my own piece as I depict the aesthetic of nature and night. As I began to research I came across this piece I began to develop the idea of having my setting be in the park during the night, because I personally am very fond and nostalgic of city nights due to fond moments I hold in there, therefore I knew I wanted to include a form of nature and night within my piece. Because I also knew I wanted to include a high contrast of light in my piece I made sure that my setting included some form of light in the night to further depict the concept of my piece. This allowed me to choose a very specific setting of a bench under a nightlight in front of city lights.
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PLANNING
in order to begin planning I had to research some artworks to further develop my ideas. I wanted my piece to be a painting and I wanted it to be a conceptual realistic piece, and more specifically I wanted to focus on the concept of youth and the melancholic feeling with it. I wanted to be able to express how I am currently feeling with this piece. the feeling of stress that comes with the unknown future and the feeling of worry that nothing might go well is something I wanted to depict in this piece. I wanted to be able to show my personal connection with this piece through the way I felt of my own youth. As i began to research and gather ideas to what i wanted to do with my own piece, I began to narrow down what I wanted to do. I chose two pieces to be inspire doff and took what i liked from both of them to combine in to create my own work.
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I wanted my setting be in the park near downtown Milwaukee during the night and have my closet friends model for me in a bench just like Arkhyps' and Stevens' piece. I wanted everyone to be looking at a different direction while having a happy expression to symbolize how even though our futures are unknown as we are in the present enjoying ourselves we should be content, I also wanted to have myself look up or close my eyes to include the idea/ symbolize how we shouldn't worry about looking at our future. i also really wanted to include some form of light so i would include a lamppost hitting our sides.
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to further develop this idea i started to specify how I wanted the expression and body language of the individuals to be like. since a bench can fit approximately 3 people sitting down then I wanted three sitting and 2 behind the bench. I wanted them to look apart from each other to emphasize the idea that their futures might include them apart from each other. the gaze would be very important in this piece as its able to represent the idea of individuals "looking" at their future. I also wanted them to both appear relaxed and happy so I wanted everyone regardless of their position to smile and in this case I wanted these specific individuals to lean on the bench in order to evoke a feeling of comfort.
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I then began to focus on the individuals who were sitting down. I wanted three people sitting in the bench, the two on the side would have similar function to those standing up. They would each look at different directions with a comfortable position and smiling. When i came to develop specific of the individual in the middle i began to understand my piece more and develop ideas differently form my original planning. I was originally thinking of having the person in middle close their yes to symbolize how they aren't obsessed about "looking" at their future and are rather enjoying their time however because of this I thought it would be better to include this idea to all the other individuals and have all of them either close their eyes or cross them out.
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PROCESS
reference images
I went to the park at night to take a picture of the bench I would utilize as my background and found a place that included two benches with the city lights in the back with a lamplight hitting from the left side. Due to the fact that it was dark out night and I was using my phone camera to take pictures I didn't take a picture of my friends and me in that picture because it would be harder to see the specific details and decided that i would individually take pictures of them and then insert them into the image. I then took some reference pictures of my friend and I just told her to hit different positions sitting down in a chair facing different ways that could be placed on the reference image of the park, I then took other pictures of my other friends next to a window in a bench and this time I was more reliable on them to what I would include, I wasn't necessarily attached to my original ideas therefore as I work through the piece I tend to improvise and include different ideas, so I told them to just pose in a way they would be comfortable and went along with the ones the liked the most. I did this in the end to fruther depict the idea of comfort that Steven is able to present in his work. I still wanted one more person apart from myself so I told my friend to send me picture of her as reference as well.
grid sketch
The first thing that I did in order to begin this piece was create my canvas made with acrylic gesso, fabric, and 4ftx3ft wooden frames. I wanted to have 4 inch x 6 inch grid sections to have 12 sections by 6 sections of grid so in order to do this I took my reference image and divided its width by 12 and is height by 6 to then sketch out a grid onto it and begin placing the essential elements of the landscape to the piece.
background
The first thing I began to develop in my piece was the background, I wanted to do this because in previous works I had realized that when I focused on the background of a piece first instead of the individuals when incorporating the smaller details I would be able to make them stand out more as they would be above the background and wouldn't be hidden by any brushstrokes that overlapped those details. I began by painting the sky first and I applied the base color to then add some of the lighter hues I noticed in the reference image. After that I began to draw the buildings and the trees I mostly just utilized black and white for this section. After that I began to develop the concrete and grass in the background which mostly consisted of brown and orange tones.
individuals
Before I drew the bench and most of the bottom half elements of the piece I decided to jump on the individuals. For each individual I had printed out their reference image and placed on the background reference image to play around with their proportions and angle I then placed them among their desired position and sketched out their basic elements to then begin painting the details. I usually started by applying the base color which was usually darker and then applied highlights and darker shades. this was repeated for all four individuals until I was done and then I began to add all of the other tiny details surrounding them.
EXPERIMENTATION
canvas
one of the things I had difficulty with was creating the canvas, for some reason the first time I made the canvas it was slanting towards the side and wouldn't stand straight, I noticed this as I began to draw on the sketch so I decided that I would make another canvas before I developed my piece any further. However as I created this canvas it was doing the same thing and I figured it might have been because I tightened the canvas too much.
reference images
in order to include the individuals in the piece with a higher sense of detail I had to individually take pictures of them instead of taking one singular picture of all of them together in the setting as the resolution wasn't the best and it would be hard to accurately portray. It was also just hard to get everyone together in one place out of school so I just decided to do it this way. I was originally going to make a collage in photo-pea in order to have a clean reference image and one which I could easily manipulate. However as I was working on creating the image the website crashed and I could not retrieve so in order to avoid further mistakes I decided to print out the image of the bench and then print out the images of the individuals where I could then cut out and glue onto the reference image.
proportions
As I cut out the images of the individuals the first time in order to place onto the bench image I found it difficult to get their sizes right in order for them to appear natural in the image. The first time I printed out the individuals I wasn't taking into consideration the angles in which the image had the benches in so when I was placing the images onto a document to print I made sure that they were all the same instead of proportionate to where they would be placed in. One of my friends would be placed near the edge of the bench where it was facing the camera and so I had to make her bigger than everyone else for it to be proportionally accurate. another struggle I came across with them was with the person next to her, I had originally chosen an image where she appeared to be facing forwards and so when I tried placing her near the edge of the bench it seemed unnatural so I kind of had to improvise and portray her off of my own knowledge however I soon realized this was a mistake as I could have simply chosen another one of her positions or referenced an image online because she ended up looking proportionally off.
eyes
the eyes of the individuals in this piece were one of the most critical elements, I had changed my original idea from having them look away to different directions to either having them all close their eyes or blurring out their eyes. I was unsure if I wanted to have them all close their eyes or blur out their eyes, however I decided that by blurring out their eyes I would be able to create a deeper narrative that would attract the eye towards them questioning their meaning. At first I thought about having a red line cross their eyes since red is a very eye catching color and all but I thought that if I added white instead it would be able to symbolize a sense of purity as the color white is often associated with pure characteristics.
CRITIQUE
similarities
The biggest similarity between my piece and my inspiration is the concept. All works in a sense focus on emphasizing the idea of the beauty of life and how it should be enjoyed. I combine the concepts of both pieces onto my own work allowing for them to further relate to each other. My piece is focused on portraying youth and the naturalism between individuals and their communities such as Steven Assael's' "Passengers" does through the portrayal of its subjects. "Ukrainian night" by Arkhyp is able to depict the image of nature and its own beauty through the use of space and color. I portrayed this in my own piece as I included similar functions to the colors of the background such as the sky which depicts high sense of light and and shadows. In all of the pieces there's also a source of light which allows for contrast in the individuals creating depth. In "Passengers" this is seen as the subjects are placed next to a window where the sunsets and therefore a source of light is hitting them allowing for a high sense of detail to be portrayed in the pice. In, "Ukrainian Night" this source of light is able to emphasize certain elements of the piece and is also able to formulate a better understanding of the space being portrayed as there is more detail able to be included through the light. In my own piece the source of light is more similar to that of "Ukrainian" night as it comes from a lamppost instead of a more natural source such as the sun.
differences
one of the biggest differences between these pieces is the medium used. Both "Ukrainian Night" by Arkhyp and "Passengers" by Steven utilize oil paint on canvas to develop their piece while I utilize acrylic paint on canvas. Along with that comes the difference in blending that each piece is able to create. My own piece utilizes more impasto while my inspirations use a smooth blending technique which is easier to attain due to the use of oil paint. Theres a also a higher sense of detail as there is a more clear contrast within the piece. in "Passengers" the subjects appear to be larger and take up most of the canvas and are depicted with a higher sense of detail due to the direct contact the subjects and their surrounding shave with the light source in contrary my piece and its subjects portrayed are less detailed as there is a weaker contrast portrayed. In "Ukrainian night" by Arkhyp there's a huge emphasis on the light source as its critical to developing the piece. Apart from that my own piece follows a very specific narrative while the other pieces are more general and rather used for aesthetic purposed while my is more focused on the conceptuality.
REFLECTION
Overall I am content with the idea that I was able to develop but I do believe that the execution could have been better. However I believe this might not have been fixed if I were to do it again once more but rather multiple times because I am mostly dissatisfied with the application of my technique on the piece an my ability to portray realism. I believe that perhaps I could have been able to add more detail allowing for a more realistic piece however I have come to develop a better understanding of the medium along with the techniques through this painting. Along with that I was able to discover my own style and process of work a lot better because of this project. As I worked on other projects I aimed to do something a certain way and was very strict to what I had originally planned and even if I was dissatisfied through the process I still decided to keep stuff in or continue to do things a certain way, therefore I have come to understand that what works bets for me is different than for others and that includes focusing more on the process than the planning as my creativity flows better as I work hands one with my projects. Despite majority working with acrylics this school year with my projects I have decided that I want to begin to work with old more as I have become aware of how much easier it could be to apply realism to my piece. In general I have learned a lot through this piece not only about the fink in which I focus on but also in myself and what I can begin to develop to further develop my techniques.
ACT QUESTIONS
the jejejje1)Clearly explain and describe how you are able to identify the cause-effect relationships between your inspiration and its effect upon your artwork.
The cause effect relationship between my inspiration upon its effect on my artwork is identifiable mainly through the aesthetic as I focus on implying a form of nature in my piece seen in "Ukrainian Night" along with the comfort that comes along being part of a small community seen in "Passengers". The concept of youth and nature is relevant in both my inspirations and within my own artwork.
2)what is the overall approach (point of view) the author (from your research) has regarding the topic of your inspiration
Steven Assael and Arkhyp Kuindzhi are both from very different times but they are both able to appreciate the beauty of life and present that in an artistic manner, both artist present different ideas of what falls beneath the beauty of life. Steven Assael focuses on the comfort that exist within communities, while Arkhyp is able to explore the beauty of nature in such delicate manner through his painting.
3) What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration.
I have come to develop a better understanding to my artistic style through this piece. One of the things I always thought I had to do with realism was to blend in the colors however through this piece i came to understand that impasto is a technique that I am most fond of and one in which I am able to truly enjoy the process with especially with acrylics since they dry significantly faster than oils. I have also come to develop a better understanding of the universal experience of comfort and happiness towards a simple moment. I realized that everybody is able to experience simple wholesome moments that allow for them to connect as communities and to connect with themselves.
4)What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
the central idea around my inspirational research was the idea of youth. I was looking for works that inspire me to develop my idea of youth and I wanted to find artwork that were able to convey similar feeling to those I was currently feeling of obsessing over my future instead of enjoying the present, along with the appreciation of nature and the effect it has on mental health.
5)What kind of inferences (conclusions reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning) did you make while reading your research?
I have come to develop the conclusion based on evidence and reasoning attained while reading my research that realism and concepts can be portrayed differently yet convey the same purpose. As I read through my research I realized that the different techniques used for a piece are applied for a specific function yet they can serve for similar purposes for example my technique compared to that of Akhyps' and Stevens' are different and the way in which we portray our ideas vary however the similarity of purpose is whats able to bring art together and form a a community.
The cause effect relationship between my inspiration upon its effect on my artwork is identifiable mainly through the aesthetic as I focus on implying a form of nature in my piece seen in "Ukrainian Night" along with the comfort that comes along being part of a small community seen in "Passengers". The concept of youth and nature is relevant in both my inspirations and within my own artwork.
2)what is the overall approach (point of view) the author (from your research) has regarding the topic of your inspiration
Steven Assael and Arkhyp Kuindzhi are both from very different times but they are both able to appreciate the beauty of life and present that in an artistic manner, both artist present different ideas of what falls beneath the beauty of life. Steven Assael focuses on the comfort that exist within communities, while Arkhyp is able to explore the beauty of nature in such delicate manner through his painting.
3) What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration.
I have come to develop a better understanding to my artistic style through this piece. One of the things I always thought I had to do with realism was to blend in the colors however through this piece i came to understand that impasto is a technique that I am most fond of and one in which I am able to truly enjoy the process with especially with acrylics since they dry significantly faster than oils. I have also come to develop a better understanding of the universal experience of comfort and happiness towards a simple moment. I realized that everybody is able to experience simple wholesome moments that allow for them to connect as communities and to connect with themselves.
4)What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
the central idea around my inspirational research was the idea of youth. I was looking for works that inspire me to develop my idea of youth and I wanted to find artwork that were able to convey similar feeling to those I was currently feeling of obsessing over my future instead of enjoying the present, along with the appreciation of nature and the effect it has on mental health.
5)What kind of inferences (conclusions reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning) did you make while reading your research?
I have come to develop the conclusion based on evidence and reasoning attained while reading my research that realism and concepts can be portrayed differently yet convey the same purpose. As I read through my research I realized that the different techniques used for a piece are applied for a specific function yet they can serve for similar purposes for example my technique compared to that of Akhyps' and Stevens' are different and the way in which we portray our ideas vary however the similarity of purpose is whats able to bring art together and form a a community.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
- -, Realism Today, et al. “The Narrative Paintings of Steven Assael.” Realism Today, 4 Aug. 2020, https://realismtoday.com/narrative-paintings-steven-assael/.
- “Description of the Painting by Arkhip Kuindzhi ‘Ukrainian Night.’” - Kuindzhi Arkhip, https://en.opisanie-kartin.com/description-of-the-painting-by-arkhip-kuindzhi-ukrainian-night/.
- Kuindzhi, Arkhyp. “Ukrainian Night, 1876 - Arkhyp Kuindzhi.” Www.wikiart.org, 1 Jan. 1876, https://www.wikiart.org/en/arkhip-kuindzhi/ukrainian-night-1876.
- Steven Assael, https://www.stevenassael.com/.
- “Steven Assael, Passengers.” Nicolebrittany, 9 Aug. 2014, https://nicolebrittany.wordpress.com/2014/07/30/steven-assael-passengers/.